Michael Mann’s Ferrari is the only film in the works about special moments in automotive history. A new film called Race for Glory tells one of the most important racing stories of all time, that of Lancia’s war against Audi for the World Rally Championship in 1983.
In short, Audi blew up the WRC scene in 1982 with its four-wheel-drive Audi Quattro. It was a well-funded factory team that included a roster of incredible riders, such as Michèle Mouton, Hannu Mikkola and Stig Blomqvist. But for the 1983 season, Lancia took on the dominant Audi with a rear-wheel-drive Lancia 037. The Italian team was not as well funded as Audi, but it had a perfect chassis and brilliant drivers, such as the now legendary Walter Rohrl. .
The war between Lancia and Audi was one of the most productive in the history of motorsport. Back then, rally racing was much more damaging than it is today and Audi and Lancia cars were sensational. But what made the rivalry even more special were the wonderful personalities of many of the drivers.
Mouton was the first woman to win a WRC circular and went toe-to-toe with Walter Rohrl both on the rally stage and in the newspapers. Both drivers were fast, direct and decided to beat the other. Rohrl even said he didn’t need to be the first man to lose the rally championship to a woman. Rohrl has since apologised to Mouton for the things he had said about him at the time, and they eventually became teammates at Audi, but at the time their rivalry was fierce.
Such a story has all the makings of a brilliant movie: exciting and damaging races, charming cars, and, above all, desirable people. Unfortunately, the official trailer looks like a collection of overused competitive platitudes, and even quotes the NFL’s Vince Lombardi as saying “Winning it all, it’s the only thing. “A rather macho language.
Of course, I’m still going to watch it as soon as possible because I love the story and it’s a movie about the golden era of rally racing. When are we ever going to get that again? I hope it lives up to the hype because if it doesn’t, it would be a huge disservice to one of the best rivalries in motorsport history.
Do you have any tips? Send them to tips@thedrive. com
Some benefits of our Car Shopping program may not be available in your area. See terms and situations for more details.