MGT Sam Coupe

The SAM Coupe was developed by Miles Gordon Technology as a more modern machine which would replace the Sinclair Spectrum as a low cost gaming machine for the home. The name apparently originates from the designers wanting to create a computer which looks a bit like a sports car... it doesn't really, but if you look from the side it is wedge-shaped and the circular blue feet do look a bit like wheels.

The SAM has several features which were modern for the time, such as 256 KB of memory, a built-in 3.5" disc drive, and good graphics with a wide range of colours. Apart from this, it could still run existing Spectrum software as well as new titles which took advantage of its extra power. On paper, the SAM Coupe was very promising but it did not prove to be a commercial success and so today it is quite rare and valuable.

The museum's machine is not on general display, but is taken around various venues as part of our roadshow. It works, and if you come to a roadshow event you can play some games on it.