Namco's popular Ridge Racer series first appeared in 1993 as the culmination of years of development of a little-known arcade driving cabinet. The game was a huge success, and as part of that success, Namco designed a superb edition featuring a life-size car operating a version of the game on a giant screen. Because it was so large and special, few examples were installed, and even fewer still exist.

You can read more about these earlier enclosures and the path to the Ridge Racer on the excellent Arcade Blogger (opens in new tab). The centerpiece chassis was called "Ridge Racer Full Scale," in which the player sat inside a red Eunos Roadster chassis and controlled the same car on screen, using the on-board wheel, gear stick, and pedals, of course. Starting the engine with the ignition key and fiddling with the car's instruments reflected the situation in the game. The front of the car has a three-meter-wide screen, and during play, a fan blows air and the built-in speaker plays engine sounds and background music. The Ridge Racer Full Scale was a beast, with a $250,000 price tag to match.

Naturally, it was never widely distributed. In other words, no two "Ridge Racer Full Scale" were the same. In other words, no two versions of "Ridge Racer Full Scale" were ever the same.

This chassis can be seen here.

No one knows the exact number of these machines sold, mainly because many of them were destroyed at the end of their functional life. The only full-scale machine in operation until recently was located in Blackpool, England. It was James Newman who graciously allowed us to use a photograph of this cabinet.

A dedicated engineer was needed to get this cabinet up and running, but at some point after Newman's visit above, the setup was shut down and photos began circulating among enthusiasts as if it had been abandoned. Inquiries were made about purchasing the unit, but the Arcade responded that it would not be sold. Arcade blogger Tony Temple stated that this was probably the last Ridge Racer Full Scale in operation in the world.

Sometime in 2020, an individual attempted to acquire the setup for the purpose of donating it to the National Video Game Museum in Sheffield. New photographs showed it being dismantled and loaded onto a truck. There was some damage to the vehicle, including a broken windshield, but nothing was irreparable.

Unfortunately, it appears that the car was then stored in various locations, including a garage and outdoors. The National Videogame Museum seemed to know little about the contract to take on the cabinet, adding, "From what we have heard, there has been recent water damage to the main unit, which may make it impossible."

He then stated that he had not been contacted prior to the purchase and that he would not take the cabinet due to its current condition and storage implications.

The purchaser was left in the dark at this point." Incredibly," Temple writes (open in new tab), "the last remaining Ridge Racer Full Scale appeared to have been left to rot." To make matters worse, some of the main framework that had supposedly been scrapped was now ruined by the elements."

Another arcade collector with considerable restoration experience adds, "The game code is saveable for about eight chips, which also drives me crazy.

Things got even stranger. A newcomer to the arcade community showed up who had just moved into a house and found elements of the structure in his garage. To save face, it was speculated that this was the purchaser.

The story ultimately had something of a happy ending.

"After much confusion, debate, and back and forth with the 'new' owner, I am happy to report that earlier this year the remains of the Ridge Racer full-scale cabinet, including the MX5 shell, were recovered," Temple wrote. While the hardware is largely intact, the physical structure is not, and is believed to have been scrapped. The enclosure is now in the hands of members of the UK arcade community who have the will and resources to rebuild it and get it up and running again.

The Ridge Racer series has been dormant for the past decade, but its legacy is significant: it was one of the big series of the 90s, an important game in the history of arcades and racing, and loved by millions of players worldwide. If this story shows anything, it is that even the most cherished and unique games are at risk of being lost to time and, especially when it comes to arcade hardware, to disappear forever. For now, however, it seems that this game is the only one that can keep a piece of arcade history alive.

The ROM for this game has now been discarded and can be run in emulation. We intend to eventually release it to the public, but this is a work in progress.

So here's to all the gamers who cared about this piece of history and tried to get out and do something about it. Let's raise a glass to those who persisted in this strange ownership racket, continued to ask questions, saw the rust on this thing, and were determined to save this glorious object from an ignominious end, and did it.

Thanks to Tony Temple for recording this story (opens in new tab): you can check out the podcast he is on here (opens in new tab).