Back in 1989, the Street Rod Video Game Offered Aspiring Gearheads an Authentic Taste of Car Culture

Ssshhh…Don’t tell our boss, but we’re not really in the mood to work today.

Instead we’re diving into some DOS-powered nostalgia with a look at the beloved Street Rod PC video game.

While plenty of folks easily recall seminal racing video games like Mario Kart, Pole Position, and Out Run (heck, Excitebike and Dragster deserve some love too), Street Rod flew under the pop culture radar—largely because it was never released on a mainstream home console.

Instead, Street Rod appeared on personal computers. Which, if we’re being honest, actually worked out better for the way that much of the game is played. That’s because, as opposed to a “button masher” arcade-like experience, Street Rod had an in-depth strategic aspect which put it in a unique class of video games.

Part Racing, Part RPG

Though role-playing elements like budget management and “career mode” are commonplace in modern racing video games nowadays, Street Rod was one of the first (if not THE first) to blend a strategic RPG experience with automobile racing—all set against the backdrop of 1960s hot rod culture.

And right from the start, you get a good idea how in-depth the game is. You begin in your empty garage with a modest amount of cash, and your first step is to open the classified section of the newspaper and find a used car.

And for diehard gearheads playing the game, you’ll immediately notice a serious attention to detail here. Not only are the cars and specs reasonably authentic, but common garage colloquialisms like “Runs Good” and “Never Raced” permeate Street Rod.

Once you buy the car, it gets even better, because now you’ve got to hop it up.

So, since the game is set in the early 1960s, you do what hotrodders had to do before the Summit Racing catalog existed—you head back to the classified ads for some used parts.

And lest you think a simple mouse click is all it takes, once you buy your performance parts, you’ve got to “install” them step-by-step by clicking on various bolts to remove the stock transmission pan, carburetor, etc. and replace them with the new ones. Oh, and then you’ve got to tune it all up and ensure your hot rod runs well.

Still in your home garage, you’re able to paint your car and add some custom graphics.

Time to Race

Once you’re ready to go, it’s time to head to the local drive-in and get into some races. You’ll find a range of competitors cruising by—some will race you for free, while some will tell you to buzz off until you’ve got some more cash in your pockets.

You have the option of point-to-point road racing or drag racing, either on the street or strip. (Remember to always keep your street racing to eight bits or less!) The buy-ins to race increase with each racer’s difficulty level and soon enough, you’ll be able to race for pink slips with a chance to win your competitor’s car.

Ironically, the racing itself is the most pedestrian part of Street Rod—it’s pretty basic when you compare it to contemporary PC games like Test Drive II. But it’s fun enough and works well to complement the technical and strategic aspects of the game.

Interestingly, your car will wear down and consume fuel as you race, which means you’ll often find yourself replacing tires and heading to the gas station for fill-ups. More importantly, though your car can be repaired a few times, if you crash often enough, you’ll be forced to sell it for scrap value.

And just like real life—when you run out of money, you lose.

Playing Street Rod

The goal of the game is to beat “The King of the County” in a street race on his home turf. As you’d imagine, the King is a skilled racer and drives a souped-up C2 Corvette Sting Ray—which means you’ve got to build a machine that can best it.

It’s a simple enough premise: Start off with a basic car, soup it up, and win a few small races to earn more money. You take the money and invest in more performance parts to win even bigger races, and pretty soon you’ll be able to buy an even better car to repeat the process.

…Just be mindful of the Police. They are on the lookout for a rowdy gang of street racers and will fine you into oblivion if you’re caught.

Once you have enough money, you’re able to buy a bona fide performance car and add enough upgrade parts (including a dual-quad carburetor setup, racing four-speed, and some drag slicks) to challenge the King’s Sting Ray.

With a little luck, you could be the next King of the County (and maybe even attract the interest of his former gal too).

So what are you waiting for—fire up the command prompt and find out!

Street Rod is available as freeware and can run in an emulator program like DOSBOX on any modern computer (if you don’t have a Compy 386 in your attic).