Greatest Ever 1980s Rally Battle Is 2024’s Must-Watch Racing Flick

Screengrab of Race For Glory: Audi vs Lancia trailer (YouTube)

Racing films are hard to nail, especially when you’ve got a broader audience to address. However, there have been exceptions, namely films like 2013’s Rush and 2019’s Ford v Ferrari. Now, a third might join this list, and it’s one made for fans of 1980s Group B rally racing.

As the title aptly suggests, Race For Glory: Audi vs Lancia is set to retell the epic battle between the German four-ringed powerhouse and historic Italian rally masters in the wild era of Group B racing in the early 1980s. At this time, both the racing and the cars, as well as the fanfare for which, were equally deadly as it was thrilling.

Avid rally and motorsport fans would already know what went down in the 1983 World Rally Championship. However, if you need a more condensed version of this story, a certain Jeremy Clarkson has done his very own retelling for his Amazon Prime-exclusive The Grand Tour show not too long ago:

Now that you’re up to speed, it’s perhaps worth noting that the cast bill for Race For Glory: Audi vs Lancia is respectably stellar. German actor Daniel Brühl, perhaps best known for his portrayal of F1 legend Niki Lauda in director Ron Howard’s Rush film mentioned, takes up the role of Audi team boss Roland Gumpert.

Next to him comes Italian star Riccardo Scamarcio who you might remember for his role as mob boss Santino D’Antonio in 2017’s John Wick: Chapter 2 alongside Keanu Reeves’ titular character. For this latest endeavour, Scarmacio portrays Lancia’s infamous and flamboyant team boss Cesare Fiorio.

Joining this stellar duo too is Volker Bruch, and the German actor has been casted to portray legendary German rally racing ace Walter Röhrl – yes, THAT Walter Röhrl – who was the lead driver for Lancia in their infamous and historic 1983 World Rally Championship campaign.

The 1983 World Rally6 Championship hosted a titanic battle between Audi and Lancia through their respective Quattro and 037 rally machines, as well as their stellar line-up of legendary drivers. (Images: AutoEvolution)

At the centre of the plot is the titanic battle between both Audi and Lancia through their respective Quattro and 037 Group B monsters. The former was the ultimate reflection of German industrial and technological might. It was also the sport’s first ever four-wheel-drive (4WD) entrant.

As the for the latter Lancia, it was a complete opposite from the rivalling Audi mentioned, namely in its adoption of rear-wheel-drive (RWD) borne out of its midship powertrain layout. Clearly, this Italian fighter was nowhere near as advanced as its four-ringed rival, but it was arguably more stylish.

How these two cars, their drivers, and teams fought each other in 1983 was indeed epic, and now we get to relive it through this upcoming flick that hits silver screens worldwide starting Jan 2024. Ahead of which, you can watch the trailer for Race For Glory: Audi vs Lancia below…