Look what just burned rubber in my living room!

FuturePrimitive

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Atari's Sprint 2!

I have a bit of a history with this game. This particular Sprint 2 has a story behind it too that probably no one will read, but I'm typing it out anyway!

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I remember my Dad showing me this game when he first brought me to the Manitou Springs, CO Penny Arcade (AKA Arcade Amusements Inc.). That was a special time for me, since he played it when it was first on location, then we played 2 player together when I was very young. Sprint 2 was also one of my first introductions to classic driving/racing arcade games along with: Le Mans, Super Bug, Pole Position, Off Road, Championship Sprint, Virtua Racing, Daytona USA, Sega Rally, Out Run etc. (too many good ones!) It's amazing to see how much influence Sprint 2 has had on later games.

I believe the Penny Arcade has had a couple Sprint 2's over the years. It's still popular on location for families and groups of friends.

After this Sprint 2 left service at the arcade, it was then brought to Cave of the Winds sometime in the 80s. The golden colored tokens that were in the coin box show a cartoon dragon, the Cave of the Winds logo around the edge, and 1989 as the year.

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Since its time in public, it has had two private owners. One being a Master Auto Tech, whom I got the game from, ironically. He hadn't played the game in three years and it showed! The monitor wouldn't display except for shadows of the gameplay and obvious burn in from the first track. That helped with the price!

Managed to get it home through a flash rainstorm with the help of my girlfriend putting on layers of shrink wrap, a thick blanket and tarp. Tweaked the monitor a bit and got picture!

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Although, it isn't perfect and the game needs some work, the cabinet is in good shape! Here are some notes for you tech whizzes out there:


-Monitor has some weird right horizontal dark streaks like shadows on the track and cars, and the picture is fuzzy even after adjustment with Brightness and Contrast.
-Right speaker doesn't work. There are a few unplugged Molex plugs around the right speaker, so that might be easy.
-Locks needed to be removed, since the last owner lost his keys.
-Only has right coin mech. It's tokens only, but I want to change it to quarters.
-Self test switch makes scary static noises, shows letters flashing, and the White Car floating around. Is that normal?
-Gear shift levers have their shifting gates turned wrong. Should be an "N" like a real manual transmission, but instead it's a "Z".
-Atari Cone buttons are a little sticky.
-Recently noticed the game resetting like my Lunar Rescue's TILT function when the game is bumped around too much while playing. Game will play normally, but a moderate bump from lively driving results in a reset to attract mode and a loss of credit.
-Coin door has a bit of corrosion around coin slots. Probably from people putting in credits.
-Needs new fluorescent light.


I know...pics or it didn't happen. I love having a day off!
 

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Wow the cab looks really great! I picked up my Sprint 2 last fall after looking for one for more than a decade. Best driving game ever IMO. Congrats on a great pickup. Nice story
 
Wow the cab looks really great! I picked up my Sprint 2 last fall after looking for one for more than a decade. Best driving game ever IMO. Congrats on a great pickup. Nice story

It's one of my favorites too! If the controls work correctly, it has a really good driving feel with the sliding and R/C like track designs.

I was getting that way when searching for a Lunar Rescue. I gave up after about 5 years. You beat me there! I never expected to find a Sprint 2 of my own. And thank the Lord for Shoulder Dolly!

If you have any tips to maintain this cab, please share! She needs a bit of TLC in a few places.
 
Great score on a awesome classic! Always a little sweeter with a great story too!
 
Great score on a awesome classic! Always a little sweeter with a great story too!

All of these pats on the back really give me the extra boost to get it working in top shape! I feel like I just saved a vintage sports car from rotting in an abandoned garage.

Now, I need to make a custom cover for it just like Phoenix. Then it will look the part whenever I unveil it :D
 
Excellent game. I played it a lot back in the day at the roller skating rink, and am very happy to have one. It's one of the best driving games made, and always gets lot of laughs and smiles when two people are competing.

You will get tons of enjoyment out of that game.
 
Now that you have one they will start falling out of the sky. My old basement started filling up with them once I got my first one.
 
It's one of my favorites too! If the controls work correctly, it has a really good driving feel with the sliding and R/C like track designs.

I was getting that way when searching for a Lunar Rescue. I gave up after about 5 years. You beat me there! I never expected to find a Sprint 2 of my own. And thank the Lord for Shoulder Dolly!

If you have any tips to maintain this cab, please share! She needs a bit of TLC in a few places.

Ok, here's one for you. When I took apart the shifters and steering wheels for cleaning (it needed it badly), I used Super Lube synthetic grease to lube all the parts. Steers and shifts like butter, and protects those plastic parts....
 
Had to beat Adam to it... Cool story bro


Just kidding. I like it and it really is cool just how much an arcade machine can do to bring back memories. They talk about vision, hearing, scent, but they should also recognize arcade games for creating memories. The only things that are stronger to my childhood are diesel gas (memories of the county fair), and hot asphalt when it starts to rain.
 
Thank you very much guys! That infectious enthusiasm and fun competitive vibe is what got me into this game and arcades in general when I was a half pint.

@gorfchampion: That's a great idea! I had thought about a way to get the controls smoother, but I wasn't sure what type of grease to use. I'll keep that trick in mind when I switch the gates around. Hopefully that isn't a chore!

@mgreen: I was fully expecting the "cool story bro" line :) I always enjoy swapping stories with other arcade hobbyists for many reasons. One benefit is learning as much as I can to keep the games in shape, but also for the fun of nostalgia! I'm just happy that I'm finally getting a couple to tell about! It probably doesn't help that at one point I wanted to be a journalist. Blah, blah blah, blah blah blah... I can only make my point with 1,000 words at a time.
 
That is the best arcade game ever made! (LOL....my opinion of course). Yours looks to be in EXCELLENT shape. Post up the serial number if it is still on there.

The shadows on your monitor almost looks like screen burn over the years where the burn pattern has actually moved slowly to the left....or at least that is what it looks like. The test mode sounds about right....

Alan
 
That is the best arcade game ever made! (LOL....my opinion of course). Yours looks to be in EXCELLENT shape. Post up the serial number if it is still on there.

The shadows on your monitor almost looks like screen burn over the years where the burn pattern has actually moved slowly to the left....or at least that is what it looks like. The test mode sounds about right....

Alan

Weird coincidence! I was just looking at your page for troubleshooting tips haha. Once I get this thing in mechanical order, then I'll request for some driving pointers :D

I agree on the test mode. Of course, I skimmed over that tidbit in the manual... PCB definitely works! It keeps resetting to attract mode when it's bumped though, so not sure where to start there.

The serial # looks to be 2556. The Atari decals are fully intact, unlike my Asteroids Deluxe. Its serial # was conveniently torn off... There are a few numbers near the monitor and elsewhere saying #400. That would be a cool number to have!
 
Can't count how many quarters ive rocked into that game at Cedar Point...as of summer of 2010 it was still there and working.

Love the stories to the can finds/restos..etc. that's what it's all about!
 
Resetting - Start by cleaning up that edge connector (fiberglass pen and electronics cleaner) and making sure all other connections are rock solid.

Post up some pictures of the inside and whatever else. I never get tired of looking at that cabinet!
 
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