This is the Record Runner, it’s the world’s smallest record player, consisting of a miniature VW Bus model containing batteries, a speaker, and an Audio Technica stylus and cartridge system.
In order to use the Record Runner you simply lay a record on a flat, level surface, place the Record Runner at the start, and turn it on. It then drives around and around, using the needle to keep it on track and playing music as it goes.
Above Video: This short promotional video shows the Record Runner in action and it also gives you a good idea of its size – it’s larger than most people expect.
The design of the Record Runner is directly based on its predecessor, the Stokyo Soundwagon. Its body design is officially licensed and based on the design of the Volkswagen Type 2, sometimes known as the VW Bus or VW Kombi, and inside you’ll find a chassis that holds two AAA batteries.
Compared to the Stokyo Soundwagon, the Record Runner has a new and improved speaker that improves sound quality, with sound expansion through the body of the model. It has an integrated volume control and a new ultra-fine pitch control, as well as an LED track/power light.
The stylus and cartridge system has also been entirely revamped, now a higher-quality Audio Technica replaceable needle. It also has an automatic stop function which stops the player when it reaches the end of the record.
Of course, the sound quality isn’t going to be anywhere close to your hifi system, it’s intended more as a fun gadget and conversation piece that’ll never fail to win people over – kids in particular are fascinated by them.
Here you can see the underside of the Record Runner, with the Audio Technica stylus at the front and the open spaces for the two AAA batteries it requires for operation.
The Record Runner comes in a variety of colors including red, white, black, blue, pink, and yellow. It comes with the incuded Audio Technica stylus and cartridge system but it doesn’t come with there required batteries.
The MSRP is $74 USD and you can visit the listing here on Gear 4 Music if you’d like to read more about it or order your own. Just one additional note, the Record Runner only works on 33 1/3 vinyl records, not 45s.
Images courtesy of Record Runner
Articles that Ben has written have been covered on CNN, Popular Mechanics, Smithsonian Magazine, Road & Track Magazine, the official Pinterest blog, the official eBay Motors blog, BuzzFeed, Autoweek Magazine, Wired Magazine, Autoblog, Gear Patrol, Jalopnik, The Verge, and many more.
Silodrome was founded by Ben back in 2010, in the years since the site has grown to become a world leader in the alternative and vintage motoring sector, with well over a million monthly readers from around the world and many hundreds of thousands of followers on social media.