Race for Glory: Epic Trailer Dropped for Film Inspired by Audi and Lancia 1983 WRC Rivalry

The 1983 WRC season may have been the greatest ever, and the new film Race for Glory captures every thrilling moment.

The film Grand Prix was released in 1966. In 1971 Steve McQueen starred in Le Mans. Then about 40 years went by without a solid live-action motorsport movie. Finally, about a decade ago auto racing movies started to come back into vogue. Movies like Rush and Ford v Ferrari gave us racing fans something to sink our teeth into. And now Race for Glory seems set to deliver another thrilling racing story. The difference is this time the racing is not about Formula One or Le Mans. We look to be finally getting an epic rally racing movie.

The official trailer for Race for Glory was recently dropped on the HanWay Films YouTube channel. I have already watched the 2-minute trailer about ten times. This film is all about the intense battle between Audi and Lancia during the 1983 WRC season. Spoiler alert: Audi lost. The Lancia 037 pulled off an incredible upset. It was the last time a two-wheel drive car would ever win the WRC. But even though Audi did not claim the title that year, they won many battles along the way. The movie is jam-packed with vintage Audi vehicles that will leave you drooling.

1983 WRC Season

The Audi Quattro was the first all-wheel drive rally car. With it, Audi won the WRC championship in 1981 and 1982. They were the odds-on favorites to win again in 1983. German driver Walter Röhrl was the World Drivers’ Champion in 1980 and 1982. Lancia lured him to drive for them in 1983 but Röhrl only wanted to drive part-time. Audi was a well-funded team with an incredible car. Lancia had been successful in rally racing, but many thought their two-wheel drive 037 had no chance against the Audi Quattro. But Lancia was savvy. In Monte Carlo they dumped salt on parts of the course to break up the ice and negate the traction advantage of the Audi. Lancia didn’t even bother to show up in Sweden and Audi began to rip off a win streak.

Thanks to brilliant driving by Röhrl and clever rule-bending tactics the Lancia 037 took the championship. It was an epic battle between the two teams that is worthy of a movie. And it looks like we finally have it.

Race for Glory

Daniel Brühl plays Audi engineer Roland Gumpert. Racing fans will no doubt recognize Brühl from his portrayal of Niki Lauda in Rush. But the real stars in this new movie are the cars. The thrilling trailer shows plenty of rally racing scenes featuring historic Audi vehicles. The 1980’s were the peak of rally racing. And the 1983 season is the peak of that peak. We will never see racing like this again in the real world. So, we are thankful for this movie to allow us to remember what it was like. Hopefully the film lives up to the hype created by this incredible trailer based on some incredible racing.

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Joe Kucinski

Joe has been obsessed with cars since he got his very first Matchbox toy in the ‘70s. In 2003, he found a new obsession in track days that led to obtaining his SCCA competition license in 2015. In 2019, he became a certified driving instructor for the National Auto Sport Association. His love for all things four wheels has never wavered, whether it's driving some of the best cars in the world on the racetrack, tackling 2,000-mile road trips in 2-seat sports cars or being winched off the side of a mountaintop in a Jeep. Writing for the suite of Internet Brands Auto Communities sites, including Rennlist.com, Ford Truck Enthusiasts, 6 Speed and more allows him to share that knowledge and passion with others.