Modern cars and tracks are great, but what if someone gets into sim racing to recreate eras in motorsport history? Here’s why Automobilista 2 is the game for them.
Image credit: Reiza Studios
There are many reasons why motorsport fans get interested in sim racing. Maybe they have a competitive itch they want to scratch, or they want to get as close as they can to replicating the experience that real racing drivers have.
Whatever the reason may be, all that truly matters is having fun. But, what if someone is a bit of a nostalgia nut? Whatever word you use, whether it’s historical, vintage, classic, or retro, what would be the best game for fans of motor racing from decades past? Well Automobilista 2 may be the perfect game for this niche. Here’s why.
AMS 2 Classic Cars: Historic Grand Prix
Whilst not all fans of historical racing cars are fans of historical F1 cars, all fans of historical F1 cars are fans of historical racing cars. So, there are many cars here to satisfy this bunch: three Brabham, Lotus and McLaren Grand Prix cars.
There is the Brabham BT26 from 1969, the BT44 from 1975 and even the BT46 B fan car that dominated the 1978 Swedish Grand Prix before being banned. Concerning Lotus, AMS 2 has championship winning cars; the 49C, 72E and 79. Finally, McLaren has James Hunt’s M23, the 1982 MP4/1C and 1997 MP4/12.
That’s already a great and varied collection, but how about some of the eras that aren’t covered? Well, unfortunately there aren’t any more official F1 cars but if you can part with some aspect of reality, every possible era can be covered. AMS2 has many unofficial F1-style cars.
First up is Formula Vintage, of which there are four versions. The Gen1 both in Mk1 and Mk2 take the forms of early 60s cars and have no wings. Meanwhile, the Gen2 Mk1 and Mk2 models bear a resemblance to late 60s cars and have wings.
Then there are three versions of the Formula Retro cars, with the first two being the V8 and V12 models. These two resemble mid-70s cars with their big overhead air intake whilst the Gen2 model is more aligned with the late-70s cars.
Formula Classic is next, the Gen1 Mk1 and Mk2 cover the mid 80s whilst the Gen2 Mk1, Mk2 and Mk3 models are late 80s. Unlike the Vintage and Retro though, there is a third set of cars. Gen3 Mk1, Mk2 and Mk3 are all representative of F1 in the early 90s.
The final selection of cars are the Formula V12 which resembles a 1995 Ferrari, then there’s two Formula V10. The Gen1 version represents the first two seasons of the V10 era in 96 and 97, whilst the regular Formula V10 is from the 98, 99 or 2000 season.
Vintage Tin-Tops
Prototypes, Group C, GT1 and Touring Cars are all very well accounted for in AMS2. So much so, we couldn’t get to every single one, so we picked some of the highlights.
For historical Le Mans fans, it’s their birthday and Christmas present rolled into one. First is the McLaren F1 GTR, the 1997 model with the long tail that won in class at Le Mans that year. Then there’s the Sauber Mercedes C9 that won the 1989 24 hour race.
Mercedes also have the CLK LM that won the 1998 FIA GT Championship. Also from 1998, that year’s Le Mans-winning Porsche 911 GT1, and another Porsche in the form of 962C. This is the car that won Le Mans in 1986 and 1987.
Then for fans of historical touring cars, there is the BMW 2002 Turbo, BMW M3 Sport Evo Group A, BMW M1 Procar, Mercedes-Benz 190E 2.5 16-EVO 2 DTM and Porsche 911 RSR from 1974. All of these cars are significant examples from their respective eras. AMS2 is stacked when it comes to vintage cars.
The cars though are only half the battle won, but AMS2 keeps on winning. Because the other part of immersing yourself in a historic race setting is the racetracks, and AMS2 has some of the most accurate depictions of classic tracks in an official setting across the whole sim racing sphere.
Classic Tracks
There are many modern tracks on AMS2 but there are plenty with historical layouts. First up is Adelaide, home of the Australian Grand Prix from 85-95. It features a lot of speed corners paired with concrete barriers, making it very challenging.
Imola also features three historical layouts: first is its oldest layout with no chicanes. Some were added in from 85-94 then from 95-06 with the Tamburello and Villeneuve chicanes.
Reiza Studios is based in Brazil which probably explains the extensive collection of Brazilian-themed content. No surprise to know that Interlagos is in the game, but you can also drive the near five-mile long layout from between 70-77.
There’s also the outer circuit which is for all intents and purposes, an oval. The other track to have hosted the Brazilian Grand Prix is Jacarepagua, and its layout from when F1 last visited in 1989 is available to drive.
A very popular inclusion will inevitably be Hockenheim with its old layouts where the cars would disappear into the woods. Silverstone’s many historical layouts are available, including ones from 75-86, 91-93 and from 97-02.
Monza’s historical layouts are made up of its 66-71 configuration with no chicanes whatsoever, and the 79-93 layout with the old Rettifilio double chicane. Another beloved high speed venue is Spa-Francorchamps, and its 83-93 layout with the old Bus Stop chicane and no run off after La Source.
Next up is the Red Bull Ring, known back in the day as the Österreichring. The original layout of the track is available which was incredibly high speed. It’s pretty likely most drivers can drive it without having to brake or lift off throttle. The second historical layout adds a chicane at the first corner.
The Canadian Grand Prix’s host circuit Montreal has the historical treatment, with its layout run from 88-90. It features a bend in the back-straight and a much straighter final chicane. Last but not least, Kyalami’s old layout which was used from 61-87, it only shares about three corners with the modern configuration.
So it’s safe to say that if anyone is a fan of vintage racing, Automobilista 2 is the sim racing title for them!
What are historical cars and tracks you would like to see in Automobilista 2? Tell us on Twitter at @OverTake_gg or in the comments down below!
