Pamco Speedway

The Pamco Speedway, manufactured by Pacific Amusement Manufacturing Company in January 1936, is an electro-mechanical (EM) payout machine with an auto racing theme. Sold under the PAMCO trade name, it offered 1 or 5 ball play and featured a payout reel located in the backbox, reflecting the wagering-style gameplay common among payout machines of the era.

The machine was advertised at a substantial 50 inches long by 24 inches wide, and buyers could pay an extra $5.00 for an Electropak transformer. As with many machines from smaller manufacturers of the 1930s, detailed information on Pamco Speedway's designer or specific artwork has not survived.

While its auto racing theme was one of several sports motifs explored by pinball manufacturers in the 1930s, it's not established whether Pamco Speedway was among the earliest examples of the theme. Nonetheless, it remains an interesting piece of pre-flipper pinball history from a manufacturer that operated only briefly, from 1932 to 1937.