Grand Prix Legends - Game Guide

Chris SIRA
Jul 17
3 min read

Updated: Aug 5

Simulating the 1967 Formula 1 championship, Grand Prix Legends was a PC CD-ROM game for Windows featuring 7 cars (2 of which were 'fictional') and 11 period-accurate tracks. 1 of the tracks -Rouen in France- while period-accurate wasn't used in the '67 season.

A 'holy grail' Sim Racing title as far as SIRA is concerned - GPL was one of the earliest and most advanced racing titles in terms of physics and handling, notwithstanding the earlier series of IndyCar and NASCAR titles which were from the same US developer, Papyrus.

GPL was a title that provided one of the most challenging driving experiences ever seen in a racing game. Completing a single clean lap was an achievement of its own - the physics were uncompromising to say the least. A driver had to master driving on the throttle, weight transfer, and rev matching on downshifts to reap any rewards - but boy, it taught you a lot.

Fortunately the game included 3 assists ; Automatic Shifting, Braking assist and Throttle assist.

Microsofts' Sidewinder Force Feedback Wheel arrived on the market in 1998, with the wheel and force feedback being compatible with GPL, this was a truly great time for Sim Racing as we know it today!

Sadly the game was a commercial failure, selling poorly in the US because the F1 fanbase in that territory was not what it has become today - and also because the game was extremely challenging. No doubt it was better received in Europe for the obvious reasons, but I'm unaware of its relative sales success there.

Grand Prix Legends developer Papyrus was bought out in 2004 by FIRST.net, LLC and in 2008 iRacing would emerge from that company.

To play today, you'll need to find an original CD-ROM version of the game, or download an .ISO file and go from there. GPL is not easy to install on modern PC's - though there are some great guides out there - and plenty of mods to update and improve the title above its original content.

Far easier routes would be to explore the numerous mods for Assetto Corsa to achieve a GPL-like experience, while titles like Automobilista 2 feature a lot of historic content such as historic versions of Kyalami and Nordschleife ; the 1967 Lotus 49C and of course AMS2's unofficial Formula Vintage Gen2 cars.

From a Sim Racing history perspective, SIRA considers GPL to be one of the most significant titles and I'm still proud to have my original boxed game.

Release Date

1998

November 19

Platform(s)

Windows (CD-ROM)

Cars

Tracks

Game Modes

Single Player, Championship, Multiplayer (LAN)

Metacritic Ratings

7.3

(User Score)