Williams · 1986 · Early solid state (1977 to 1990)
Design: Steve Ritchie · Art: Python Anghelo, Mark Sprenger
Steve Ritchie really was chased by the police at 146 mph in his 1979 Porsche 928, and High Speed is the game he built from it. Williams shipped it in January 1986, one of the first three System 11 games, and made 17,080. It was Williams' first pinball with alphanumeric displays, though only the top two are, and the first with a multiball jackpot that carried over from game to game. It was also the first solid-state game to adjust its replay score automatically. You turn the stoplight to red, run it on the ramp, then get away. Python Anghelo painted the backglass and Mark Sprenger did the rest, hiding a four-leaf clover near the traffic light to break Ritchie's no-green rule. Early playfields had no hard clearcoat, so many survivors are worn.
Bench check
Alkaline battery damage on the MPU and a worn, uncleared playfield are the big two. Plasma displays that have faded or stopped lighting come next.
Buying your first one? Red flags in a pinball listing covers the photos and videos to ask for, and the battery corrosion guide shows what leaking batteries do to an old CPU board.
We haven’t been through this game’s listings yet. Search eBay and run every listing through the checklist above. Ask for a video of a full game, a photo of the CPU board and photos of the playfield in good light, and ask what’s been replaced. Pass on any seller who won’t answer.
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