Autoduel was likely written in assembly specifically for whichever 8-bit platform was Origin's first choice at the time (my guess would be the Apple II) and then adapted to the various others. What might be most beneficial is a printed copy of WIP source with annotations from the time, even though it won't match the final product.
One thing you can get from disassembling multiple versions, though, is comparing how things were implemented and being able to resolve the bugs between them (or pick the best/most accurate version) when looking at a rerelease. This is the sort of thing that they're doing with the Bard's Tale Trilogy remaster, and the developers posting about some of the weird differences between the versions has been some of the most fascinating things to me. It's a little different when you're looking at a computer game that was partially an adaptation of a physical game, but given the rules weirdnesses in Car Wars over the years it'd probably still useful.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Tom H.
I'm still waiting for "robots" with cameras, sensors, and laser pointers that can referee actual tactile board games. ...
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Like Golem Arcana?
If you have a program that determines the rules, why not turn it into a complete game? That opens it to a much wider audience (and monetization system) and reduces the massive overhead in producing physical items.