DC 12 Top-Loading Tape Deck

"Solid State Dolby System Cassette Tape Recorder Player"
Quite the long title! As with the other generation three components, not much is known about the DC-12. It was released in 1980. YES, 1980! Look at that styling. I have no clue what Setton designers were thinking at the time, but I can tell you that releasing a silver top- loading tape deck in 1980 was by no means a smart idea. With all the new black-faced stereos in the market, a silver top loader was the last thing the average consumer would buy. I believe that by the time generation 3 was released, Pierre Cardin's designers were long gone. I don't have a clue who designed them, but whoever did was not thinking correctly. It obviously showed by how poorly generation 3 sold. Personally, I'd much rather have the silver deck but in 1980 it looked like a POS.
The DC-12 does not even appear in Orion. I only know of one DC-12 owner--the one who was kind enough to send me the image above. If I could get my hands on one though I sure would! Until he sent me that picture, I had no clue that it even existed. As far as I know, no generation 3 brochures were even produced either.