Remember when you would go down to the local arcade and stand in front of a pinball machine for hours? Just endlessly smacking those two little buttons on either side of the machine in hopes of hitting the high score. Pinball machines aren't as popular as they once were (sadly), but if you long for the days of silver balls bouncing against bumpers, then there's an amazing retro pinball machine going up for auction soon.
Bonhams is hosting an auction in Knokke-Heist, Le Zoute, France on October 6 that will have this retro Indianapolis 500 pinball machine listed. It's fully restored, and estimates suggest it will go for anywhere from $6,700 to $10,000. And there’s no reserve.
The pinball machine in question was built by Bally in 1995. Bally started making pinball machines way back in 1932 under the name Ballyhoo, and the company is still around today (although, it’s more in the business of sports entertainment these days than pinball).
Long-time IMS announcer Tom Carnegie actually voiced the game, and the machine measures 70.1 inches high, 55.1 inches long, and 29.5 inches wide; So start finding space in your man cave now. The Internet Pinball Database—a real thing, believe it or not—gives it a "Fun Rating" of 7.9 out of 10.
The auction doesn’t say who restored this vintage machine or when, but it appears to be in pristine, working condition according to the listing. It has retro IndyCar graphics running along the side, a tiny scale-model IndyCar underneath the glass, and fully restored art inside the machine with an IndyCar trophy front and center.
It's amazing. You need it.
