Although we haven’t revealed it yet, there’s a new Demaras Racing HQ. Finally, a space large enough for all the trophies, memorabilia, car parts, and jumbo oversized cheques for taking pole positions. The 2,000 sq. ft. space also doubles as the location of the ‘family business’ but the warehouse space out back is just perfect for the race team.
The Front Office is really just for work, and The Lounge, which doubles as the lunch kitchenette, is for gobbling down leftover turkey sandwiches in peace. The decision was made to add another space called the Fun Zone. These are all just corners of the warehouse, but it’s still a hoot to give them fancy names.
The first idea was to get a ping-pong table, like that episode of ‘The Office’, but that’s a two-person game, and we stagger our lunch breaks here. Looking at solo games, we started with a dartboard, but wanted something more motorsports-themed. That’s where the 1976 Williams ‘Grand Prix’ pinball machine came in. An affordable, half-century-old, electro-mechanical game for office staff and team members to play during downtime.
A couple of weeks ago, Demaras Racing’s show car, the Synthwave SVX, was set to be displayed at JDM Expo at the Marriott on Derry Rd. As luck would have it, Toronto Pinball is located on Matheson Blvd, only a five-minute drive away. After dropping off the car, it was a quick taxi ride across Mississauga to see a real-life ‘Grand Prix’ pinball machine.
We met with Shane, who had a number of motorsports-themed pinball machines for sale, just as we’d requested. At the top of the price list was Bally’s ‘Indianapolis 500’, costing more than $12,000. We’d actually played this game at a bar next to the SkyDome after the Auto Show a couple of years ago. Released in 1995, it has all kinds of computerized wizardry, including a little model IndyCar on the playfield that looks like the race car Arie Luyendyk drove to his Indy 500 win. Very cool, just too much money!
For $8,500 there was Bally’s ‘Nitro Ground Shaker’, first manufactured in 1980 at the dawn of computer integration into pinball games. This one is all about funny car racing, with colourful illustrations of drag strip life, including the starting lights, hot cars and scantily clad women. After playing a few games, it was clear this machine was a little more difficult because of the sheer speed of the action. Also, the Synthwave SVX only cost $8,000, so there’s no way we’re spending more on a pinball machine than an entire Subaru!
Eventually, at the bottom of the price list, were the old-fashioned mechanical pinball machines from the ’70s, like ‘Grand Prix’. No computerized bells and whistles, just mechanical score reels, flashing lights, and two flippers on the playing surface. The 1976 Williams still needs some repair work to make it perfect, as anyone who’s seen the jungle of wiring and switches underneath one of these machines can appreciate. But at a fraction of the cost of the newer games, the price is right. And the connection to open-wheel racing makes it just so ‘on-brand‘ for Demaras Racing.
After playing pinball games for an hour, it was time to jump back into the taxi and head back to the JDM Expo. The idea is really taking shape now, even though nothing is carved in stone. Still getting the cash together and trying to justify the purchase. But a vintage racing-themed pinball machine in the Fun Zone? That would be so perfect for Demaras Racing HQ!