Motorsports and cinema have recently proven to be a match made in heaven. Over the past decade, the battles between Ford and Ferrari (in Ford v Ferrari, of course), and Hunt and Lauda (Rush) have captivated cinemagoers and home watchers alike. Now, another famous motorsports rivalry is headed for the big screen, and this time it’s a little more sideways than we’re used to. I’m talking about the 1983 World Rally Championship, the story of which will be told by the upcoming Race for Glory: Audi vs. Lancia.
The trailer for this epic rally film just dropped, and this silver screen portrayal of a phenomenal motorsports rivalry actually looks extremely promising. Color me pleasantly surprised.
On the odd chance you aren’t familiar with the 1983 World Rally Championship, here’s what happened. In 1982, Audi changed the sport of rallying forever by winning the world championship with the four-wheel-drive Quattro. Not to be deterred, Italian automaker Lancia trotted out the 037 for mid-1982, falling on its face with seven DNFs, a ninth-place finish, and a fourth-place finish. Hey, that’s what happens when you test in competition.
For 1983, Lancia had learned what it needed to and pulled out all the stops to win one last manufacturers’ championship with a two-wheel-drive car. Sure, Lancia driver Walter Rohrl may not have clinched the drivers’ championship, but that wasn’t necessary to cement the car’s legacy. Granted, clinching that championship was a nail-biter, as just two points separated Lancia and Audi at the end of the season.
In the film, Daniel Bruhl (who starred as Niki Lauda in Rush, you may recall) plays Audi race director Roland Gumpert, Riccardo Scamarcio (you may recognize him from John Wick: Chapter 2) plays Lancia HF Squadra Corse boss Cesare Fiorio, and the whole film is directed by Stefano Mordini. The result? A surprisingly epic trailer with period-correct Group B cars sliding about, glamor shots of the last two-wheel-drive car to ever win a World Rally Championship season, and some, ahem, foreshadowing regarding ice. It’s also cool to see some scenes filmed on actual important locations, such as the Balocco Proving Ground.
Expect “Race for Glory” to hit the big screen incredibly soon. The trailer touts a release date of Jan. 5 for this motorsports thriller, which is only a month away. While the greater history of automotive films has been shaky to say the least, it’s been a great decade for motorsports films so this rally tale holds some proper promise. I, for one, am cautiously hopeful to see it on the silver screen.
(Photo credits: Lebowski SRL)
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Amazing! I couldn’t even care less about the acting, all I need is some professional cinematography of Lancias!!
Looks awesome! Looking forward to it
Had to join to complain, as one does. I guess you have to cut corners and details in movie scripts, but the story seems a bit limited. The trailer shows just the team chiefs and Walter Röhrl. Not the eventual champion Hannu Mikkola, or other drivers contributing to the team points. Markku ”Maximum attack” Alen (Lancia) was 2 pts behind Röhrl in the final standings and not even mentioned in the cast in (IMDB at least); Michele Mouton (5th) is mentioned as the ”the audi driver”, Stig Blomqvist (4th) not at all… They would be quite interesting characters: the most succesful female driver etc. And the rally experience is not authentic without the Finnish rally accent… Mikkola is played by an Italian. The cut with the flames in the forest reminds a bit too much about certain Tour de Corse events.
But, still a rally film. Not too many of those.
The best place to see this movie is behind the wheel at a drive-in theater.
If it was summer, for sure. But I am NOT spending 2 hours in my unheated Scorpion in January, haha!
The acting in the trailer seems kinda questionable but oh boy is this exciting.
Looks good! Since I know nothing of rally or the history of Audi versus Lancia, I can watch it with unprejudiced eyes. Ignorance is bliss.
Movie theaters are far too people-y for me, but I’m def in for 2 hours of entertainment with a whiskey in my hand at home though.
Same. I can’t remember the last time I saw something in a theater.
Yeah I’m good on sticky floors and overpriced Milk Duds.
“Winning isn’t everything, its the only thing” accompanied by heavy drum beats (inspired by a true event!) etc…
I am not holding my breath but hopefully it isn’t too cringy to those of us who actually paid attention to world rally in the ’80s.
I’m going to be the pedant who says, “I don’t know why there are so many scenes with the 037 side-by-side with the Quattro. This isn’t rally-x.” And it kind of looks like this is going to be more “inspired by true events” like Ford vs Ferrari was.
That said, give me Bruhl as Gumpert any day of the week and twice on weekends.
I’ve been eagerly anticipating this film since I first heard about it several months ago. Needless to say I will be taking my Scorpion to the first available screening and I will be ridiculously proud to park my 1/3rd of an 037 in the theater parking lot.
First thing I did in comments was go looking to find yours. I knew it would be there.
If it’s Lancia related Autopian content, I am always right there!
There’s a joke to be made about finding something reliable about an Italian car here.
This movie premise was aimed squarely at me, and it looks like it might be great, but the “Inspired by true events” tag makes me nervous.
This looks somewhere between very good and great.
One thing I wish they’d cut back on in these movies is the “driver’s eyes framed by the helmet” views. It’s overused in most racing films, and there are too many in the trailer. It’s a small complaint that doesn’t dampen my enthusiasm for seeing the film in a theater at all.
It’s one of those things they’re kind of stuck doing. There’s always a need in a film to capture the human element, and when you’re racing that’s really the only bits of person you can see. So you use the eyes framed by the helmet.
I can’t argue the limitations of the subject matter, but it’s become trite, like the Wilhelm.
A clever director will still use these shots, but also find other ways to show the drivers’ emotions in the heat of the action.
I think there’s a different between a fundamental part of cinematic language – the reaction shot – and an audio in-joke – the Wilhelm.
Certainly it’s possible to work without eyes – see the Mandalorian – but if it’s not necessary why would you? The window to the soul and all that.
I look forward to a scene where they need to win more, for plot reasons, so they push the throttle down further and/or change down/up a gear.
I’m a terrible racing driver, but I’ve never done nearly all of an event at 70% throttle and one gear too high.
It’s almost certain to happen. Just like the hero car suddenly pulling away from the camera car that is filming the scene, but only after several long moments spent with the chase car on the hero car’s rear bumper.
Between this and the Fallout trailer, I’m quite pumped
OOOOh another race car movie with Daniel Bruhl! Count me in.
I hope his squeeze (AKA Hitler’s secretary in Downfall) comes back too.
Looks fantastic!