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For people of a certain age, Atari’s Pole Position was the GOAT racing arcade game of their youth. Anyone who played will recall the incredible soundtrack that accompanied the action. The game also began with the iconic phrase, “Prepare to qualify,” in that garbled 1980s way video games sounded.

Now, anyone interested in purchasing a Pole Position arcade game can bid on one over at Bring a Trailer. And it’s not one of those plain, upright models, either. It’s the immersive video game cabinet, one of the first seen in old school arcades.

“The seller acquired the game in September 2025 and notes that the G07 monitor has been recapped, the width coil was replaced, and a new piece of plexiglass was cut and installed in the rear canopy,” the description reads.

From its appearance in the accompanying photos, the game cabinet seems to be in nearly brand-new condition. Perhaps more importantly, the listing states that they have currently set up the machine for free play.

Atari ‘Pole Position’ was a groundbreaking arcade game

Pole Position was developed and published by Namco and licensed to Atari for release in 1982. It went on to be the most popular coin-operated arcade video game worldwide in 1983. In 1984, it was still the highest-grossing arcade game in North America.

The developers of Pole Position created the first racing video game to feature a track based on a real racing circuit: Fuji Speedway in Japan. It was also the first racing video game to require participants to complete a qualifying lap.

Atari promoted Pole Position as having “unbelievable driving realism.” Fans agreed. They enjoyed sitting in the cabinet and using a “real” racing steering wheel, accelerator, and brake pedal. Likewise, critics have considered it one of the most influential video games of all time, then and now.

As a result of the game’s massive popularity, it spawned several spin-offs. For instance, there was a Saturday morning cartoon and a board game based on Pole Position. Rare for an arcade game at the time.

So, if you were a big fan of Pole Position back in the day and want a heavy dose of nostalgia, you’d better hurry. The current bid is $3,400, and the auction will end at 1:30 p.m. ET on Saturday.

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MotorBiscuit Senior Editor

Doug Sheckler

Doug Sheckler is a Senior Editor at MotorBiscuit and BroBible. He began his professional career working for an auto racing sanctioning body, and subsequently founded his own racing series, which remains in operation today. He has since spent the better part of two decades creating, editing, and writing for a variety of websites.

These days, he has a special affinity for hypercars and other exotic vehicles that he will never own. He also enjoys delving into stories about the world of criminals, the more foolish and/or clever the better, and is always up for a good conspiracy theory. He earned a Bachelor’s Degree in Marketing from the University of Iowa.

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