Alongside the opening round of the World Endurance Championship, Imola hosted a collection of modern classic sportscar racers as part of the Legends of Le Mans series this weekend and you can kind of recreate it in Automobilista 2.
For sportscar fans, the pinnacle of motorsport kicked off this weekend as the World Endurance Championship got underway for 2026 at Imola. With a weather-threatened thriller full of strategic variety and battling brands, it was a fantastic way to start the year after a disappointing delay to the season last month.
But the main six-hour race was not the only bit of excitement for sportscar fans this weekend and no, we are not talking about the Long Beach sprint in IMSA. This weekend was also the first round for a new series run by historic racing specialist, Peter Auto, called the Legends of Le Mans.
Legends of Le Mans 2026
This year, the Legends of Le Mans will follow the World Endurance Championship around many of its European rounds, sadly missing out on joining the Le Mans 24 and instead racing at Le Mans Classic in July. It focuses on the modern classic era of machinery from the mid-2000s to the 2010 and encompasses several classes many younger endurance fans will recognise.
Indeed, whilst several series are highlighting the history of the GT3 class, this particular championship gives early GTE models a chance to shine from the Aston Martin Vantage to the Porsche 911, Ferrari 458 and, theoretically, the Ford GT. Sadly, this first weekend only saw two GTE models in a Vantage and a Lotus Evora, but more are expected in future rounds as early as Spa.
Alongside GTE racers, Le Mans Prototypes showed the evolution of the class placing diesel Peugeots on track alongside the V12 Aston Martin DBR1-2 and a host of open cockpit models from the glory days of the class. Meanwhile, previous-generation LMP2 models from Ligier, Oreca, Lola and HPD sat alongside more custom-built chassis from Morgan, Porsche and Pescarolo.
For 2026, the series will continue to follow the WEC to Spa and finish its season in Bahrain on the World Championship's weekend there but not before a break away from the FIA series at Le Mans Classic.
RoundTrackDate1Imola17-19 April2Spa-Francorchamps7-9 May3Le Mans2-5 July4Bahrain5-7 NovemberSurely for any fan that grew up watching the early days of the World Endurance Championship or even the LMS, Legends of Le Mans is a must-watch series. But if you cannot get to the track to watch it, you may want to relive these magical cars in sim racing. There are several games that will recreate elements of the series from Assetto Corsa mods to rFactor 2 and even iRacing in parts. But for the singleplayer thrill and enjoyment of the cars themselves, we would suggest giving Automobilista 2 a go.
Classic Sportscars in Automobilista 2
Obviously, for recreating the real world 6 Hours of Imola in sim racing, Le Mans Ultimate is your go-to. But when it comes to racing historic machinery in an immersive setting, Automobilista 2 has long been a leader.
Certainly, that is the case for running through the history of Formula One but following the launch of the first Historic Endurance DLC last year, it is also true for modern classic sportscars. That latest pack focuses on the 2005 season of several different series including FIA GT, ALMS and the Le Mans 24 Hours and so brings many early-2000s sportscars to AMS2.
Lola LMP2 front ends are all very similar. Image credit: Reiza Studios
As you may be furiously commenting as we speak, the early-2000s and mid-2000s are not quite the same, running different models and classes in many cases and so yes, the Historic Endurance DLC does not perfectly replicate the Legends of Le Mans series. Sadly, the LMP1 machines in AMS2 are a little too old to match the closed cockpit racers of the real championship and the GT1 and GT2 classes do not run alongside the GTE cars that ran last weekend.
That said, with a pair of open-cockpit LMP2 racers, you could just about fool your brain into believing you are racing the likes of the OAK Pescarolo 01, Porsche RS Spyder and Morgan LMP2. Meanwhile, with AMS2's LMP2 models based upon a Lola B05 chassis, the front end has a lot of similarities with the more advanced closed cockpit B11 that ran at Imola.
Elsewhere, Automobilista 2 features one of the most complete GTE classes in sim racing alongside iRacing as it almost features every single model that joined the series in its second era. Only the Ford GT and Ferrari 488 are missing from the list.
- Aston Martin Vantage GTE
- BMW M8 GTE
- Chevrolet Corvette C8.R
- Porsche 911 RSR-19
Re-running these top-flight GT cars in Automobilista 2 is a rather fun experience, having secretly benefitted from recent updates despite most sportscar fans shifting their attentions to GT3 racers in-line with IMSA and the WEC. But aside from the refreshed tyre model and handling upgrades from when they first entered the game, these GTE cars have the exact same effect as the Legends of Le Mans series. They remind you of just how amazing that era of racecar was.
GTE was forgotten too soon but we can relive it in sim racing. Image credit: Reiza Studios
GTE was a ruleset that evolved from GT2 to become the ultimate endurance racing category. They were challenging to drive in an extremely rewarding way. They promoted intense duels thanks to high levels of downforce and a pronounced aerodynamic drag. They rewarded consistency above all else on a long run but could suffer the gruelling challenge of being thrown around in the heat of battle. And more important than any of that, they brilliantly reflected the diverse nature of sportscar racing thanks to its different layouts, engines, sounds and characteristics.
And if you too want to experience the Legends of Le Mans in AMS2, the game features a current version of Imola on which to run the LMP2 and GTE machines making for a thrilling assault on your hearing. Both LMP2 models sound divine whilst the GTE cars drive just as you would want. Sure, it is sad we do not have later versions of LMP1 spaceships but enjoy a race from behind any GTE car and you will learn to forgive the game for that ommission.
Do you prefer the modern machines or classic cars in Automobilista 2? Let us know in the comments or join the discussion in our AMS2 forum!