The Five Greatest Car-Themed Pinball Machines of All Time (2024)

Pinball is undergoing a major resurgence right now – a silverball renaissance, if you will. While manufacturers like Stern and Chicago Gaming Company are releasing new titles based on major franchises like The Mandalorian or Toy Story, vintage machines are seeing their values go through the roof. It wasn’t that long ago that unloved pinball tables were relegated to dark corners in bowling alleys or laundromats. Now, they’re standing front and center in trendy bars and clubs around the globe.

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Which Car Best Represents Freedom To You? | Jalopinions

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Which Car Best Represents Freedom To You? | Jalopinions

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Looking back over pinball’s 80-year history, some of the most significant tables of all time have had automotive themes. Major marques and models like Mustang, Corvette, and Harley-Davidson have all had bespoke machines, while NASCAR, Formula 1, and IndyCar have each been honored with at least one table.

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Here, I’m going to pick a top five spanning from the 1970s through to today. How did I choose? Some of this is based on sales figures, some on player rankings on sites like Pinside and the Internet Pinball Database – and frankly I’d be lying if I said I didn’t inject a bit of personal preference in here, too.

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Williams Grand Prix - 1976

The Five Greatest Car-Themed Pinball Machines of All Time (1)

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I must begin by clarifying: No, not that Williams. Williams Manufacturing Company, which in 1974 became Williams Electronics and later WMS Industries, was one of the leading pinball producers in the 1970s, ‘80s, and ‘90s. Unrelated to Frank Williams’ eponymous racing team, Williams Electronics also released some of the most iconic video games of the 1980s, including Defender, Joust, and Robotron: 2084.

Before all that there was Grand Prix. Released in 1976, Grand Prix was perfectly timed to capitalize on the boom that followed the end of the pinball prohibition. (Fun fact: Pinball was illegal in much of the USA from the early ‘40s up until 1976. Yes, despite all the myriad problems facing our nation in those times, politicians decided to go after pinball.)

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As far as Grand Prix’s layout goes, it’s pretty unremarkable. In fact, it’s almost a carbon copy of another Williams table, Liberty Bell, which shipped just one month prior. However, Grand Prix sold more than three times as many tables, over 10,000 worldwide.

Why the success? Part of it has to come down to the gorgeous artwork. The game’s backglass shows a string of big-wheeled, little-winged cars racing along the Monte Carlo harbor, a stylized Monaco looming in the background. The playfield itself is similarly bright and colorful, with criss-crossing cars and checkered flags too funky to be black and white.

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By today’s standards gameplay is simplistic at best, but still it’s a perfect ode to the golden age of Formula One produced in the golden age of pinball.

Williams High Speed - 1986

The Five Greatest Car-Themed Pinball Machines of All Time (2)

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10 years later, Williams had another home run, releasing one of the most significant pinball tables of all time. In the mid 1980s, pinball was facing extinction. Video games were taking over arcades and nobody cared for the dated silverball machines that had been all the rage a few years earlier.

High Speed changed all that. With its flashing dome light and engaging voice samples (Pull over!), it captivated gamers like no table had done before. And the numbers showed it. Williams sold 17,080 High Speed tables during its production run. To this day it ranks as the number-six best-selling pinball machine of all time.

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It also rates at number 50 on IPDB’s Top 300 pinball machine list, and number 87 on Pinside’s Top 100. Most importantly, it ranks as my number one pinball table of all time. Not only is the theme fun and engaging, the table itself is a real joy to play, with a fast, flowing design that really encourages you to keep the ball moving.

I’m not alone in my love for High Speed. Pinball great Pat Lawlor, designer of Bally’s 1992 table The Addams Family (considered by many to be the greatest pinball machine of all time), says that High Speed is also his personal favorite.

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Williams The Getaway: High Speed II - 1992

The Five Greatest Car-Themed Pinball Machines of All Time (3)

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Moving into the early ‘90s, few tables made a bigger impression than The Getaway. This is actually a sequel to High Speed, and if you look at the playfield there are strong echoes of the original’s design, with highways crossing through trees and a traffic light to run. However, The Getaway added one major new gimmick that made it irresistible.

Yes, I’m talking about the iconic “Supercharger.” Shoot the left ramp at the correct time and your ball enters into a brushed metal loop, spinning under a stylized, plastic supercharger fronted by three red lights. As the ball spins it picks up speed and momentum before launching back onto the playfield. (Fun fact: the Supercharger is actually three electromagnets in sequence, which yank the ball through and accelerate it like a simple, non-lethal railgun.)

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Williams sold 13,259 of these tables. It ranks at number 24 on the IPDB list and number 59 in Pinside’s Top 100.

Bally Indianapolis 500 - 1994

The Five Greatest Car-Themed Pinball Machines of All Time (4)

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For Indy 500 fans of a certain age, the voices of Paul Page and Bobby Unser are synonymous with the great race. Likewise, just about every living Indy fan will know the voice of Tom Carnegie, who called races at the track from 1946 to 2006. All three of them provided custom voicework for use in Bally’s 1994 tribute to the race.

The Borg-Warner trophy sits front and center between the flippers, surrounded by countless cars, flags, and other highlights from the track. Players must run various ramps with labels like “PEDAL TO THE METAL” and “NEVER LIFT” to progress gameplay modes, including Go for the Pole, which scores you 10 million points if you run four ramps in 20 seconds.

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As you progress through modes and scores, your position in a virtual race improves, as you’re regaled all the while by the sound of screaming engines. It’s a really fun table for fans of what many would consider the series’ peak era, just two years before the fateful IndyCar/CART split. Though Bally only sold 2,249 tables, Indianapolis 500 sits at number 67 on the IPDB list and 90 on Pinside’s Top 100.

American Pinball Hot Wheels - 2020

The Five Greatest Car-Themed Pinball Machines of All Time (5)

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I wanted to include a modern table in this list, and the choice here was easy. American Pinball is a relatively new entrant into the ranks, launching its first table in 2017. Hot Wheels is its third table and it features five actual Hot Wheels cars scattered around the playfield, including a Bone Shaker hot rod literally mounted on a rod, where it just spins and spins and spins.

Interconnecting orange tracks are key to the real-world Hot Wheels experience and, sure enough, there are plenty in the game, too. Given how similar those tracks are to pinball ramps it’s shocking to me that we haven’t had a Hot Wheels pinball machine before. (A table called “Hot Wheels” was released in 1977, but it didn’t have anything to do with the toys). This table references the Hot Wheels City YouTube series, with clips from the videos playing on the table’s integrated LCD.

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It’s too early to count sales figures as the table is still in production, but it has already earned a legion of fans, placing it at number 77 on Pinside’s Top 100.

Honorable Mentions

The Five Greatest Car-Themed Pinball Machines of All Time (6)

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Those are my five picks, but there are plenty more to choose from, like Stern’s 2014 Mustang Pinball. This machine highlighted every era of Mustang leading up to the then-current fifth generation, its playfield punctuated with more prancing ponies and blue ovals than I could possibly count.

Sega’s 1998 Viper Night Drivin’ is notable for featuring an integrated blacklight and a day-glo pinball, plus voice samples from Mancow. I’m not sure which of those ideas was worse.

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And then there’s Bally’s 1994 Corvette, paying homage to the great American sports car. This table is notable for the two model cars that drag race up the right side of the playfield, plus a plastic LT5 integrated into the top left. Launch a ball through the intake for a jackpot — and probably some bent valves, too.

The Five Greatest Car-Themed Pinball Machines of All Time (2024)

FAQs

What is the greatest pinball machine of all time? ›

Medieval Madness (Williams, 1997)

The game features an interactive castle and two pop up trolls. It is widely considered the best pinball machine of all time. A remake of this machine was also produced by Chicago Gaming.

What is the most sought after pinball machine? ›

#pinball wantedwanted by
1Pirates of the Caribbean CE Jersey Jack (USA)ballyclown from Yvetot, France
2Batman 66 Super LE Stern (USA)ballyclown from Yvetot, France
3Ghostbusters LE Stern (USA)ellebi from Padova, Italy
4Iron Maiden LE Stern (USA)ellebi from Padova, Italy
46 more rows

What is the trick to pinball? ›

The most important rule for aiming is simply that the closer to the tip the ball is, the more to the opposite side it will go. So, for example, let's say you're holding the ball on the left flipper. You drop the flipper and let the ball roll down. If you flip again quickly, you'll send the ball more to the left.

How long was pinball banned? ›

These extra balls were indicated via lighted graphics in the backglass or by a ball count wheel, but in some areas that was disallowed, and some games were shipped with a sticker to cover the counters. Pinball was banned beginning in the early 1940s until 1976 in New York City.

What is the longest pinball game ever played? ›

Andrew Robishaw of Lakeland, Florida currently holds the Guinness World Record for the “Longest Marathon Playing Pinball,” at 62 hours and 21 minutes. He achieved the record from Sept. 1-3, 2023.

Are old pinball machines worth money? ›

The value of a pinball machine depends on a lot of factors. A totally restored Medieval Madness might sell to a serious collector for well in excess of $10,000. A pinball dealer might offer $5000 for the same machine a week later. A collector might want $7,500 for one.

Do pinball machines hold their value? ›

As long as you take care of your pinball machine properly, it'll last you a lifetime and give you the best value for your money. Restoring pinball machines increases its resale value, so don't hesitate the next time you might want to play a game or two on your collector pinball machine as it will not damage its value!

Is pinball a skill or luck? ›

It Took a Babe Ruth-Like Move to Legalize Pinball in NYC

Their strategy: prove that pinball was a game of skill, not chance, and thus should be legal.

What is the anti cheat in pinball? ›

Tilt refers to the anti-cheat mechanism in modern pinballs. The tilt mechanism is controlled by a tilt pendulum, hanging under the playfield, encircled by a loop. As the player nudges and pushes the cabinet during gameplay, the pendulum swings.

What is the best selling pinball machine of all time? ›

Released in March 1992 by Bally Games and inspired by the 1991 live-action movie of the same name, The Addams Family is, to this day, the most popular and widely sold pinball machine of all time, moving more than 20,000 units.

Does anyone make pinball machines anymore? ›

They do, in a huge new factory near Chicago — with most selling to the 1% Due west of O'Hare International Airport, there is a neighborhood — formally, part of Elk Grove Village — that isn't much of a neighborhood. It's warehouses, drab gray offices.

What is the old game of pinball called? ›

List
TitleManufacturerRelease date
ArrowheadWilliams1957
Asteroid Annie and the AliensGottliebDecember 1980
AstroGottliebOctober 1971
Astro-FliteSega PinballDecember 1974
149 more rows

Who is the greatest pinball player? ›

World Pinball Player Rankings
RankNameRating
1stJason Zahler2,254.72
2ndEscher Lefkoff2,173.06
3rdArvid Flygare1,976.15
4thLuke Nahorniak1,874.12
64 more rows

When was the golden age of pinball? ›

As a result, the definition of its Golden Age is still hotly disputed. Broadly, enthusiasts appear to agree that it's a tie between the 1970s or the 1990s.

What is the pinball world record? ›

The current record for longest marathon playing pinball stands at 62 hours and 21 minutes. It was set by Florida man Andrew Robishaw in September of last year. "We believe in the power of pinball as a healthy pastime with numerous mental and physical benefits, especially for children," Foliano told WCPO-TV.

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