Grand Prix

The Grand Prix is an extremely rare solid-state prototype built by Williams Electronics in May 1977. Only five units were made — reportedly given to members of the original design team after the game was brought back from test — making it one of the rarest machines associated with Williams. It is a solid-state conversion of Williams' 1976 electromechanical Grand Prix, sharing playfield similarities with Williams' 1976 Liberty Bell, and it ran on the unique 'System 1' MPU used for no other game.

Key features include dual flippers, two pop bumpers, two slingshots, four drop targets, three kick-out holes, and two spinning targets. A unique tilt rollover sits in the upper left lane, and the sound package uses four chimes, a knocker, and a hidden score reel that reproduces electromechanical-style scoring sound effects — reflecting its transitional position between EM and true solid-state scoring.

Because Grand Prix never saw production beyond these five prototypes, it never achieved mainstream popularity in its own right; its significance instead lies in its status as a design-team artifact and an early solid-state experiment at Williams during the auto-racing theme's brief run in 1970s pinball. Details about its individual history remain sparse, and any surviving examples are considered exceptionally rare collector pieces.