Download
Each download is the whole game: the program and the 1999 game's data, 165 cars among it. You do not need a copy of your own, a CD or DirectX 7.
Windows
Download for Windows- File
- GearheadGarage-PC.zip
- Size
- 141 MB (148,330,473 bytes)
- Build
- 30 September 2026
- SHA-256
2572c3d38a698128752874b2d0cdce435d83499a4383d24e57d81ca9e1acbcfa
- Unzip it somewhere you can write to, such as Documents or the Desktop (not Program Files): the game keeps your mechanics, photos and settings in its folder.
- Run GearheadGarage.exe. It is not code-signed, so Windows may say it does not recognise it: choose More info, then Run anyway.
- Sign in. The game opens on the sign-in sheet: NEW beside an empty row starts a mechanic.
Android
Download for Android- File
- GearheadGarage.apk
- Size
- 168 MB (175,820,911 bytes)
- Version
- 1.0.260930.0126, 30 September 2026
- SHA-256
506f3540f0bca2c5d3c7512203f214bf6d20d20906d41c926fb620f2471af2b9
- Download it on the phone. The browser may ask whether to keep a file of this type: keep it.
- Open the download. The first time, Android asks you to let the browser install apps: allow it for this install. The app comes from this site, not Google Play.
- Open Gearhead Garage. It needs no account and asks for no permissions.
What you need
No account, no CD, no DirectX 7, no copy of the 1999 game.
| Windows | Android | |
|---|---|---|
| System | Windows 10 or 11, 64-bit | Android 7 or newer |
| Graphics | A graphics card with DirectX 12 or 11: AMD, NVIDIA or IntelOpenGL takes over when neither starts | OpenGL ES 3Phones and tablets from about 2014 on |
| Processor | 64-bit (x64) | 64-bit or 32-bit ARM, or x86-64 |
| Storage | 646 MB unzippedYour mechanics and photos are added beside it | 168 MBThe game is read from inside the app |
| Controls | A mouse; the arrow keys and the wheel turn and bring the car nearer | Touch; the phone's keyboard for names |
| Installing | Nothing: unzip and run | The app, from this site; it asks for no permissions |
Updating
Windows: download the new zip and copy its GearheadGarage.exe over the old one. Your Data\Mechanics, Data\SnapShots and settings.cfg stay where they are.
Android: install the new app over the old one. It is signed with the same key, so Android accepts it as an update and keeps your mechanics and photos.
Your mechanics
Mechanics are kept in the 1999 game's own format (0.mek to 9.mek), so they move between the PC, the phone and the original game. On Windows they are in Data\Mechanics beside the exe; on Android in Android/data/org.teamvanilla.ghg/files/Data/Mechanics on the phone's storage.
Checking a download
The SHA-256 above is the file's fingerprint. To compare it on Windows, open PowerShell in the download's folder and run:
Get-FileHash GearheadGarage-PC.zip
The same numbers, and the newest versions, are in version.json.
Removing it
Windows: delete the folder. Nothing is written anywhere else: no registry keys, no installer. Android: uninstall it like any app; that removes its mechanics too, so copy Data/Mechanics off the phone first if you want to keep them.