Jaguaaaaah!

The Atari Jaguar now has a cult following that many, more popular consoles can only dream of (y'know, if inanimate bits of plastic could dream), and in some ways the failure of the console to penetrate the market like Atari's earlier ventures has been a bit of a blessing. There's a lot of homebrew development going on and some amazing system modding being done by members of the Jaguar community. However, there is one aspect of the Jaguar's legacy that is truly bizarre: The Imagin Systems Hot Rod. The story goes that after the bankruptcy of Atari, the original Jaguar shell moulds were sold to the highest bidder - and that just happened to be a manufacturer of dental imaging cameras. Here's how the Jaguar ended up fighting plaque and cavities on a global scale:





Even the cartridge moulds were used as expansion modules! I'd love to see one of these in the flesh (well, plastic), and it seems that some Jaguar owners have managed to get their hands on one of those beautiful white cases and transplanted their Jaguar innards into them for a truly unique-looking console. I did see an eBay auction for these cases a few weeks ago, but the seller was based in the US and shipping costs were extortionate...which is a shame because my Jag is a bit bashed up and could do with a new shell.

Watch this space!

2 comments:

  1. I'd love to own this! hahah one day!

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  2. Same here! There was a guy selling them on ebay as a 'buy it now,' but the auction has ended now :(

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