50s Radio - Bush MB60
The MB60 was a portable radio from the late 50s. Its smooth, cream plastic case and iconic large dial made it an evocative design from the Rock'n'Roll era. This radio is still available today in reproduction form.
Bush had the knack of making radio and television sets that later became design icons. Their DAC 90 design from the late forties was on show at the Britain Can Make It Exhibition at London's Olympia. It later went on to grace many an early fifties kitchen table.
David Ogle designed the MB60. He later designed cars, including the Ogle SX1000 coupé based on the BMC Mini. He was tragically killed driving one of his own converted Minis in 1962.
The MB60 was a portable valve radio. Although transistorised sets were available long before its launch in 1957, they were less popular in the UK. This radio was triumph of packaging over technology; it used miniature valves and could run off two batteries, one to power the filaments of the valves and a high tension (90v) battery.
Bush later transistorised this set and reissued it as TR82, which is the model still sold today. However, the new version adds VHF (or FM). Bush also released an FM version in 1961, the VTR103.
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