Miata Mailing List: April 1997, Message #75
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From: 	robert_hill@mail.amsinc.com

Subject: Miata game!!!

Date: 	Tue, 1 Apr 1997 14:02:24 -0500





  Hi group!!!

       Robin and I just got back from a great trip to San Francisco. I

  couldn't believe how many Miatas there were! No wonder BAMA and SAMOA are

  such large clubs! Anyway we were at Pier 39 doing the usual touristy

  things and happened into the Namco arcade building on the Southeast

  corner of the pier. What should appear before our amazed eyes but a

  driving game, called "Ridge Runner/Full-Size" that featured a full sized,

  right-hand-drive 1.8 Eunos Roadster! I couldn't believe it! The car was

  red. Everything seemed to work, including the top and gas/trunk releases.

  The only thing that had been modified for the game was that the headlight

  actuation and hazard buttons now selected the course type and whether the

  car would be manual or automatic. Also the tach and speedo were wired

  into the game and reflected your speed (although I recorded a 0-140 MPH

  time of about 8 seconds!). Everything else, including all seats,

  switches, steering wheel (a nice no airbag 3-spoke Eunos) were as stock

  and worked. I couldn't see the engine as someone had removed the hood

  release but I suspect it was probably under there. We even looked into

  the trunk and found two Eunos brochures. We almost committed a crime

  right there and absconded with them, but didn't.

       The game graphics are pretty good and appear on a large screen that

  is wrapped around the front of the car. During the game

  introduction/promo there are scenes of the Miata racing through the

  course against other rally and street cars. It was COOL. 9 quarters

  (converted into tokens) later we were driving. The game drew a pretty

  large crowd who all wanted to know why a real car was in the arcade. No

  one from the group knew it was a Miata. We were tempted to put the top up

  but since it wasn't raining in the arcade building we left it down. We

  did put on our seatbelts, though.

       For those of you visiting San Francisco I recommend checking out

  this game if you are in the Pier 39/Fisherman's Wharf area. For you

  BAMAns and SAMOAns I definitely recommend a visit.



  See Ya!



  Bob Hill

  Motorsports Director, Club Photographer

  Peak to Peak Miata Club, Colorado

  90A Zenith Blue (still in the paint shop!!!!) Miata

  95 318ti black Sebring supercharged

  82 Suburban "Earl Scheib" edition, peeling silver



  Team-I've-seen-the-light-and-am-not-getting-a-Boxster

  Team-we're-keeping-the-Miata-forever

  Team-Ridge-Runner-Full-Sized