<P> The Lear Jet Stereo 8 track cartridge was designed by Richard Kraus while working under Bill Lear and for his Lear Jet Corporation in 1963 . The major change was to incorporate a neoprene rubber and nylon pinch roller into the cartridge itself, rather than to make the pinch roller a part of the tape player, reducing mechanical complexity . Lear also eliminated some of the internal parts of the Eash cartridge, such as the tape - tensioning mechanism and an interlock that prevented tape spillage . By doubling the number of tracks from 4 to 8, the recording length doubled to 80 minutes . </P> <P> In 1964, Lear's aircraft company constructed 100 demonstration Stereo 8 players for distribution to executives at RCA and the auto companies . </P> <P> The popularity of both four - track and eight - track cartridges grew from the booming automobile industry . In September 1965, Ford Motor Company introduced factory - installed and dealer - installed eight - track tape players as an option on three of its 1966 models (Mustang, Thunderbird, and Lincoln), and RCA Victor introduced 175 Stereo - 8 Cartridges from its RCA Victor and RCA Camden artist's catalogs . By the 1967 model year, all of Ford's vehicles offered this tape player upgrade option . Most of the initial factory installations were separate players from the radio (such as shown in the image), but dashboard mounted 8 - track units were offered in combination with an AM radio, as well as with AM / FM receivers . Muntz, and a few other manufacturers, also offered 4 / 8 or "12 - track" players that were capable of playing cartridges of either format, 4 - track or 8 - track . With the backing of the US automakers, the eight - track format quickly won out over the four - track format, with Muntz abandoning it completely by late 1970 . </P> <P> Despite its problems, the format gained steady popularity because of its convenience and portability . Home players were introduced in 1966 that allowed consumers to share tapes between their homes and portable systems . By the late 1960s, the 8 - track segment was the largest in the consumer electronics market and the popularity of 8 - track systems for cars helped generate demand for home units . "Boombox" type players were also popular but eight - track player / recorders failed to gain wide popularity and few manufacturers offered them . With the availability of cartridge systems for the home, consumers started thinking of eight - tracks as a viable alternative to vinyl records, not only as a convenience for the car . Within a year, prerecorded releases on eight - track began to arrive within a month of the vinyl release . The eight - track format became by far the most popular and offered the largest music library of all the tape systems . </P>

When did the first 8 track come out