Street Rod
DOS - 1989
Also released on: Amiga - Commodore 64
Description of Street Rod
Street Rod is California Dreams's masterpiece and one of the very best racing games ever made for the PC.
What set the game apart from other racing games of the era (and even now) is the addition of gameworld: instead of letting you pick a car, then drive it in various tournaments, the game lets you live the life of a street rod lover in the '70s. Instead of winning the championship, your goal is beat the King and his black '63 Corvette. You can only afford an old car at the start, but as you win races, you will gradually be able to upgrade for better components and cars.
The car customization screen in Street Rod is undoubtedly the game's best feature, and one that hasn't been duplicated successfully since. You can replace engine and transmission, chop your roof for that open-air look, and strip the bumpers. You can even change the decals and color to personalize your hot rod.
After you find an opponent (from hanging out in front of a local fast food joint), the view shifts to a standard first-person view, with very good level of detail that rivals Accolade's Test Drive 1. You can drive a drag race or Mulholland race (along LA's famed scenic road of the same name), for money or with your car as the stake. The only "weak" point in the game, and this depends on personal preferences, is the fact that most races are very easy, and the King himself is not hard to beat. This obviously makes the game ideal for beginners, but experts will be able to finish it in a few sittings. The excellent customization options and solid gameplay more than make up for this, though, and make Street Rod one of the few racing games that you can play over and over again without getting bored.
If you are a racing enthusiast looking for something different from your run-of-the-mill F1 games, Street Rod is a must-have.
Review By HOTUD
Street Rod 1 is available on the official website: https://streetrodonline.com/downloads/.
External links
Captures and Snapshots
Comments and reviews
Born in 81 2024-01-20 1 point
Wisty mentionned eralier in the comments......Incidentally, there is a cheat. If you buy the 'Basic transportation' car listed in the paper, take out the engine and transmission, you can sell it for $6000 and basically buy the best car available.
But I did the same... but sold it for what ever number it lets you write like 30K so you are free to buy or do anything in the game. And when money runs out do the same again and again.
ooh yeah free download on freegameempire.com good luck with your game.
EL LOCO 2023-08-11 2 points
Just buy a 1940 Chevrolet 2-dr coupe, sell all parts of the car and sell the car for almos $30K
Dr Funk 2023-06-14 2 points Commodore 64 version
I loved this game on my Commodore 64 in the 80's. I actually bought the original. It was an absolute blast!! I played this game every day I had a chance. I couldn't wait till SRII came out but couldn't find it anywhere. I tried Electonics Boutique, Toys R Us, COMP USA...everywhere. By then I had moved on to a PC and DOOM entered my life.
Nakula 2021-05-29 2 points
I grew up with this game, and I remember playing it on my XT PC with hercules graphic card. Then I remember seeing part 2 on my friends home, on a c=128 with disk drive, and I thought, for some reason, that it looked more cute than the PC version, even if it was more slow overall to load and such.
I got into it again, not long ago, after a lifetime without touching it. I played the Amiga version, and I must say, it looks great but the controls are all over the place.
The PC version controls are a 1000 times better, but it doesn't have the music nor the graphics of the Amiga version.
Cooper911 2019-10-20 1 point
"BUT almost unplayable, there was no way to win that game normally"
This game is very hard. When I was a child, me and my friend beat the king several times with the '63 Covette. Then my friend challenge me "Who can beat the king with the worst car" I did it with the Tbird, he did it with Pontiac silver streak, and then with other car, I think Dodge polara. We play this game whole summer.
Later I was beat the game one time in PC. Then I try million times to beat the Street Rod II but never succes.
I tried to play with Amiga version but not started in emulator :(
Killbilly82 2019-08-01 -1 point
The ultimate best old game for petrolheads that had never had modern equivalent, which is a horribly sad thing. It has the feeling of the "american graffiti" movie, which is it mainly based on. The cars are beautiful, the fact you can upgrade and tune them even more. The sequel was great with more cars and upgrade possibilities, BUT almost unplayable, there was no way to win that game normally.
Sad that the project Street rod 3 of the early 2000s went nowhere.
But seriously, you want money for this? I downloaded it as free abandonware 20 years ago already, this is so vintage and mega-old, you cannot be serious. I really dont understand todays PC world.
JC9 2019-03-10 0 point
This game came with a computer my father purchased at an auction. Very entertaining.
Rob 2017-07-06 1 point DOS version
The first screen is a code asking for the color of a key on page whatever. What use is this if I can't play it? I am using a Tandy 1000TX.
Gaudete Games 2017-05-28 -3 points
Street Rod is nostalgia overload for me, maybe you also remember? We made a card game out of the classic video game and it’s on Kickstarter right now!
https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/117402901/street-rod-the-card-game
Wisty 2015-04-17 4 points DOS version
I LOVED this game when I got a (pirated) copy in '89. I played it to death. I could only win drag races, would crash and burn in anything else but it was so much fun to buy the cars and swap all the parts. Incidentally, there is a cheat. If you buy the 'Basic transportation' car listed in the paper, take out the engine and transmission, you can sell it for $6000 and basically buy the best car available.
nostalgic 2011-08-14 0 point DOS version
Only many years later we saw this features again in a game: need for speed!
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Share your gamer memories, give useful links or comment anything you'd like. This game is no longer abandonware, we won't put it back online.
Buy Street Rod
Street Rod is available for a small price on the following website, and is no longer abandonware. You can read our online store guide .
Other Releases
Street Rod was also released on the following systems:
Amiga
- Year: 1990
- Publisher: California Dreams
- Developer: Magic Partners, P.Z.Karen Co. Development Group
Commodore 64
- Year: 1989
- Publisher: California Dreams
- Developer: Magic Partners, P.Z.Karen Co. Development Group
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