Speed Race

Taito
Industry	Video games
Founded	August 24, 1953; 73 years ago in Japan
Founder	Michael Kogan
Headquarters	Japan
Products	Arcade video games, including Speed Race series
Website	www.taito.com

Speed Race is an arcade racing title launched in 1974 by Taito, later introduced to the North American market as Racer and Wheels through distributor Midway Manufacturing in 1975. Created by Tomohiro Nishikado, the gameplay involves maneuvering a car on a vertically scrolling track, where players accumulate points by overtaking other vehicles without crashing; accelerating results in higher scoring. The game session is limited to 90 seconds. Its design drew inspiration from earlier electro-mechanical games such as Kasco's Mini Drive (1958) and Taito's Super Road 7 (1970).

The initial releases of Speed Race and Wheels used upright arcade cabinets, whereas Midway’s version, Racer, featured a sit-down cabinet design. In 1975, Taito introduced an enhanced edition titled Speed Race DX, followed by two-player variants: Midway’s Wheels II and Taito’s Speed Race Twin.

Commercially, Speed Race achieved worldwide popularity. In Japan, it set the precedent for arcade pricing at 100 yen per play. In the United States, combined sales of Wheels and its sequel Wheels II reached 10,000 cabinets, making them the top-selling arcade games of 1975. Both Speed Race DX and Wheels secured positions among the three highest-grossing arcade games in Japan and the U.S. during 1976, with Speed Race DX leading revenue charts in Japan for 1977. The game initiated the enduring Speed Race franchise and influenced later vertical scrolling racing titles.

Gameplay

In Speed Race, one or two players control race cars navigating a vertically scrolling road. Using a steering wheel and accelerator pedal, the goal is to overtake other cars within a 90-second timeframe without collisions. Players earn points by passing vehicles, with higher speeds yielding increased scores. Colliding with other cars resets speed and position. Accumulated points can extend the timer. Two difficulty settings adjust both vehicle speed and traffic volume.

Development

Following Atari’s 1974 release of Gran Trak 10, Tomohiro Nishikado at Taito developed Speed Race, drawing influence from electro-mechanical predecessors like Kasco’s Mini Drive (1958) and Taito’s own Super Road 7 (1970). Nishikado streamlined the control scheme and centered gameplay around an endlessly scrolling roadway requiring players to dodge traffic. The scrolling effect was achieved by animating a background road graphic while varying the speed of oncoming cars relative to player acceleration.

Reception

In Japan, despite its sophisticated hardware, Taito set Speed Race’s price at per play, twice the usual rate at the time. The game became highly successful and established this pricing as standard for arcade machines for many years. Updated editions like Speed Race DX and Speed Race Twin ranked within Japan’s top ten highest-grossing arcade games in 1976—DX placing second and Twin eighth. In 1977, Speed Race DX topped arcade video game earnings in Japan, ranking second overall behind Namco’s electro-mechanical title F-1.

In North America, Midway’s release titled Wheels sold approximately 7,000 units in 1975; its follow-up, Wheels II, added another 3,000 units, totaling around 10,000 cabinets and securing status as that year’s best-selling arcade game. In 1976, both titles were among the highest-grossing arcade games in the U.S., with Wheels versions occupying second place and the Racer edition ranking eighth. Later that year, Wheels was ranked third in gross revenue behind Midway’s hits Sea Wolf and Gun Fight.

Additionally, in Australia, Speed Race enjoyed notable commercial success with strong sales of its arcade units.

Legacy

The vertical scrolling gameplay introduced by this title served as an inspiration for subsequent games, such as Hi-way (1975) from Atari, Inc., which featured a sit-down cockpit-style cabinet reminiscent of earlier electro-mechanical arcade machines.

Series

Speed Race spawned a variety of sequels and enhanced versions produced by both Taito and Midway for arcade platforms:

Title	Manufacturer	Release date
Speed Race	Taito	November 1974
Racer	Midway	February 1975
Wheels	Midway	March 1975
Speed Race DX	Taito	August 1975
Wheels II	Midway	August 1975
Speed Race Twin	Taito	April 1976
Super Speed Race	Taito	December 1977
T.T. Speed Race	Taito	June 1978
Super Speed Race V	Taito	July 1978
T.T. Speed Race CL	Taito	October 1978
Speed Race CL-5	Taito	October 1978
Super Speed Race	Midway	November 1979
Super Speed Race GP V	Taito	December 1979
Super Speed Race Jr.	Taito	June 1985

In the Japanese market, Super Speed Race was among the ten most profitable arcade games in 1977. The following year, Speed Race V achieved the position of second highest-grossing arcade game, surpassed only by Taito's acclaimed Space Invaders. By 1979, both Super Speed Race V and Speed Race CL-5 secured fifth and sixth places respectively in arcade revenue rankings. The title Super Speed Race continued to be listed within the top ten highest-grossing arcade games as late as 1980.

In May 1998, Taito published the Japanese version of Titus Software's Nintendo 64 racing game, originally titled Automobili Lamborghini (1997), under the name Super Speed Race 64.