1959 GM Delco Oldsmobile "Trans-Portable"
Automobile/portable radio, thermoplastic cabinet, chrome-plated face
6 15/16 x 3 11/16 x 1 11/16 inches / 176 x 94 x 43 mm
Eight transistors (Delco, DS11, DS12, 2x DS14, DS16, DS19, DS21, DS501)
Four 1.5v AA cells/automotive battery
Manufactured by Delco Radio Corp.
One of a number of Trans-Portable radios made by Delco for GM cars in 1959, including Oldsmobile, Pontiac and Buick models. And as with the 1958 Trans-Portables, it looks like these radios were optional. All of these were seated in their car's dashboard or underneath it. When plugged in, the radio was powered by the car's battery and the tuning shifted to push-button tuning on what looks to be a standard dashboard radio. And a bonus was that they could be removed from the dashboard to become portable. These three Trans-Portable models were much more like standard coat pocket radios in size and shape and cabinet design than were the 1958 models (see photo below), and they seem to have only accompanied something that looks like a standard dashboard radio, rather than replace it. I have to say, I'm not sure I get the point -- whatever, all three are pretty cool radios.
A GM press release from August 1958 explaines how this unit incorporates into the dashboard:
"Oldsmobile's Trans-Portable radio for 1959 will feature push-button tuning.... While in use in the car, the set becomes part of the car's electrical system and is operated by the push-button tuning and volume control knobs which are a permanent part of the new Oldsmobile instrument panel. As a portable, this powerful all-transistor set has its own dial tuning and volume controls set in a modernistic chrome face. The Trans-Portable for 1959 Oldsmobiles is 6-1/2 inches long, 3-5/8 inches wide, 141/16 inches deep and weighs two pounds, three ounces. It was developed by Delco Radio Division of General Motors Corporation with the cooperation of Oldsmobile engineers."
xrhonda91 has a long article on an AntiqueRadios.com forum, posted on April 25, 2025, entitled, "The Evolution of the Delco Auto-Portable Radios". The article gives a comprehensive history of these sets, and it includes examples of prototype sets and many variations on the three commonly-known Delco Trans-Portables.
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