In a project that will excite gamers and gearheads alike, the IMA invited car writer and artist Jason Torchinsky to partially gut a 1983 Lancia and rewire the car so it can play “Pole Position,” the classic arcade game that helped pioneer the driving game genre.

The Retro Arcade Featuring Pac-Man Plug It In and Play unit allowed the player to steer their car by a unique joystick that would twist in place left and right.The Indianapolis Museum of Art is the first museum to turn a car into an Atari controller - and you’re invited to take the driver’s seat.

Pole Position became the biggest arcade game of 1983.

In later Namco releases, the billboards advertise other Namco arcade games.

In the Atari arcade game release, billboards advertising various other Atari arcade games appear on the side of the road.

For the Retro Arcade Featuring Pac-Man unit though, the sounds were restored to their original form. One of the Plug and Play versions from Jakks Pacific has the sounds changed. However, the course for the Vectrex version is also totally different from the original's, mainly consisting of very long curves. Obviously the most noticeable differences are cosmetic, what with the Vectrex' vector graphics (the machine is actually capable of raster graphics, but the majority of the game is in vector), having no color, and there being no voice synthesis announcing the beginning of the race either. On this version though, the player's car gradually slows to a crawl if they run out of time, but if they cross the start line (even with zero time units remaining) before their car has come to a complete stop, then they will still receive an extended play and can still continue. In the arcade original (and later Retro Arcade Featuring Pac-Man Jakks unit), the player could make an extended lap if they crossed the starting line either right when the time hit zero units to maybe half a second afterwards to still qualify for the extended play. There were two versions of the arcade game, which the standup version had a gas pedal and a gearshift to alternate between the high and low gears, whereas the cockpit version also included a foot brake. Avoid road hazards (such as precariously placed billboards on the side of the road) and other cars as you drive, earning extra time for each completed lap (50 time units added to the clock, and the amount of time at the start of the actual race goes down to 75 units.) If the player collides with a hazard, there is a delay of several seconds before their next car appears on the track, wasting time.ĭifferences between versions Arcade The first run is the qualifying lap (which the player starts off with 120 time units in the beginning round) and your starting position is determined by your completion time. Race your Indy car around the Fuji course before the timer runs out.

Play pole position game