This is a vintage Indianapolis 500 pinball machine originally manufactured by Bally back in 1995. It has now been restored back to working condition, and it runs on a 220 volt power supply. 110 volt inverters can be bought if it’s going to be used in a 110 volt region, like the United States.
This pinball machine is intended for between one and four players, it come with the cashbox key, and the controls are as you would expect for a pinball machine from the era, with a push-button ball launch, and buttons on either side to control the flippers (or paddles).
This pinball machine was built in the USA in 1995 by Bally, it has recently been restored back to working condition.
Pinball: A History Speedrun
Interestingly, the history of pinball is intertwined with the history of other seemingly unrelated games, like croquet, bocce, bowls, and golf. Over time some forms evolved into tabletop games like snooker, pool, and shuffleboard.
In the mid-1700s a new game was invented in Western Europe called Billard Japonais or Japanese Billiards. This would be the true origin of species for pinball, it used a spring loaded plunger to launch a ball up an angled game platform to score points by hitting targets.
By the early 1930s the games had developed significantly, and coin-based operation was introduced. This would be the turning point that made the games profitable in parlors, with early manufacturers selling all the games they could produce, with waiting lists stretching out to months or even years.
In 1933 the games were electrified for the first time, with electric bells and electric lights. The vast majority of pinball manufacturers were based in Chicago, at the peak of pinball’s popularity there were over 150 companies making machines, nowadays the number has dropped to fewer than a dozen.
The introduction of arcade computer games would wreak havoc on the pinball industry in the 1970s and 1980s, almost completely destroying the surviving companies. Those that did survive have enjoyed a renaissance in recent years, as retro games like pinball see a surge in interest.
A Indianapolis 500 Pinball Machine By Bally
Bally is one of the largest pinball manufacturing companies in the world, and has been since it was founded in 1932 by Raymond Moloney. The company’s original name was Lion Manufacturing and their first pinball unit was named Ballyhoo. It proved wildly popular, selling over 50,000 units in 7 months, and the company changed its name to Bally soon thereafter.
The ball is launched with a green start button, and as you would expect there are buttons on either side for operating the flippers.
This pinball machine is based on the legendary Indianapolis 500 race, with a racing theme, plus all the bells, lights, and buzzers you could hope for. It was built in the USA in 1995 and restored more recently, it measures in at 180cm high, 140cm long, and 75 cm wide.
It’s now due to roll across the auction block with Bonhams on the 6th of October at their Zoute Sale, the price guide is $6,700 – $10,000 USD, and you can visit the listing here if you’d like to read more or place a bid.
Images courtesy of Bonhams
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Silodrome was founded by Ben back in 2010, in the years since the site has grown to become a world leader in the alternative and vintage motoring sector, with well over a million monthly readers from around the world and many hundreds of thousands of followers on social media.
