What was this game?

[NickG]

Back in the early eighties my family had a small (handheld?) racing game.  It utilized a sheet of material for the road, which was basically a conveyor belt with a dividing line and cars painted on it.  The racecar was made of plastic and was mechanically attached to small steering wheel at the bottom of the screen.  Playing the game involved moving the racecar left and right to avoid the other cars - they were printed on the scrolling material.  It had electronic scoring and lighting.
  If you have any memories/info of this game or similar games please post!

[shardian]

I had one of these too.  mine required you to turn a plastic key to start the game, and a throttle to speedup/slowdown the scenery. There were quite a few models of these toys produced if memory serves me correctly. I used to go to Kay-Bee toys to play them.

[RayB]

Tomy Digital Derby

Really super common game. It didn't have electronic scoring or effects. The crash was just a light lighting up a red plastic shape and the score was a mechanical counter.

[NickG]

 Yes, That's it , RayB! Thanks guys, that really jogged my memory.  The fog has cleared.  I remember crashing on purpose, now.  That game was really  something.   Nowadays it would be great for Vigos' "Ghetto Cabinet"

[MYX]

Mine had a gear shift and you could go backwards and forwards to jog the cars into position to go around them. If you got hit a light would light up and look like an explosion.

Remember the one like it. There was a little LED missle that actually was moved from the bottom to the top. I do not remember what you were shooting at.

[NightGod]

Mine had a gear shift and you could go backwards and forwards to jog the cars into position to go around them. If you got hit a light would light up and look like an explosion.

Remember the one like it. There was a little LED missle that actually was moved from the bottom to the top. I do not remember what you were shooting at.

http://www.handheldmuseum.com/Tomy/Hit.htm perhaps?

[NiN^_^NiN]

I've got the orignal Arcade version under the house called Speed Race first verticle car racing game it's B&W and made in 69 i think?

Been a while since i've used it i need some time to finish off the mame machines and the car and the speed race restoration

[danny_galaga]

I've got the orignal Arcade version under the house called Speed Race first verticle car racing game it's B&W and made in 69 i think?

is this it?

http://www.klov.com/game_detail.php?letter=S&game_id=9709

oh, and i remember looking enviously on while the richer kids played that tomy game! that steering wheel was teh kewl...

[TheCaptain]

I had one that was essentially a big LCD screen playing Night Driver, and underneath the screen there was a wheel and throttle and an ignition...

OKAY?

[horseboy]

I had one that was essentially a big LCD screen playing Night Driver, and underneath the screen there was a wheel and throttle and an ignition...

OKAY?

Sure man, whatever you say.

[TOK]

I had the Tomy driving game and also Blip, which was a Pong ripoff.
My buddy and I were just talking about this stuff the other day... All the stuff we had leading up to our first true console, the Atari 2600.

I had the Mattel Football (didn't everyone?), Baseball, Auto Racing and Battlestar Galactica.
http://www.handheldmuseum.com/Mattel/ClassicFB.htm
http://www.handheldmuseum.com/Mattel/BaseB.htm
http://www.handheldmuseum.com/Mattel/AutoRace.htm
http://www.handheldmuseum.com/Mattel/Battlestar.htm

Also had an LCD Dungeons and Dragons game.
http://www.handheldmuseum.com/Mattel/D&D.htm

I'm sure there are some I'm forgetting.... Oh yea, Merlin. The thing that played all the memory and music games with the membrane button keypad and looked like a portable phone.
http://www.handheldmuseum.com/ParkerBros/Merlin.htm

PS: Lest Danny Galaga think I was a rich kid, a couple of these were like my ONLY presents for various holidays, and some were obtained by illicit means... I was allowed to have pellet guns as a kid, which made me a major power broker in the illegal arms trade.  A 30 dollar BB gun was worth $400 in toys to a kid who's parents wouldn't let him have one!

[NickG]

Holy Crap MERLIN!  That was such a neat game(s)!

[NiN^_^NiN]

I've got the orignal Arcade version under the house called Speed Race first verticle car racing game it's B&W and made in 69 i think?

is this it?

http://www.klov.com/game_detail.php?letter=S&game_id=9709

oh, and i remember looking enviously on while the richer kids played that tomy game! that steering wheel was teh kewl...

Thats the game thoese pics on klov came from me

the pics suck tho but least there are some pics instead of none 

I think the reason there aren't any around (i'm the only one with one on the net atleast) is that the game will only work if the board for the coin mech and the score board are working if they aren't working or connected the game refuses to play.

Plus it be pretty hard to find a unit which still works

I only have to relaminate the sides and fix up afew scratches on the metal and on the playing card.

[s4tay]

Would you believe I still have my Digital Derby (20+ yrs) and it still works. I also have that missle game where you are a tank at the bottom and were shooting at different planes and a helicopter that scrolled from side to side.  Great games for their time, I spent hours playing them.