The seasons

1983 season — Lancia versus Audi

Photo: Thesupermat via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 3.0

1983 was the first true Group B year and an instant classic. Lancia and Audi won ten of the twelve world rallies between them. The Italians bet on a light, nimble rear-wheel-drive car; the Germans on four-wheel drive and turbo power. The outcome: Lancia took the manufacturers’ title, Audi the drivers’.

Grouve Sport documentary

Episode 2 — Rear-Wheel Drive’s Last Stand: Lancia 037 vs Audi quattro (1983)

The duels between the Lancia 037 and the Audi Quattro, from Monte Carlo to the 1000 Lakes.

Two philosophies

Lancia had developed the Rally 037 with Abarth: mid-engined, supercharged rather than turbocharged, with bodywork largely made of composite panels. On tarmac and dry roads it was exceptionally quick. Cesare Fiorio’s team signed reigning world champion Walter Röhrl alongside Markku Alén, with Attilio Bettega as the third driver.

Audi fielded Hannu Mikkola, Michèle Mouton and Stig Blomqvist, first in the Quattro A1 and, from the Acropolis, in the further-developed A2. The Quattro was heavier and understeered on asphalt, but on loose surfaces and snow nothing could match the traction of four-wheel drive.

The 1983 season, round by round

Round 1Monte Carlo RallyWalter Röhrl · Lancia Rally 037Round 2Swedish RallyHannu Mikkola · Audi Quattro A1Round 3Rally de PortugalHannu Mikkola · Audi Quattro A1Round 4Safari Rally (Kenya)Ari Vatanen · Opel Ascona 400Round 5Tour de CorseMarkku Alén · Lancia Rally 037Round 6Acropolis Rally (Greece)Walter Röhrl · Lancia Rally 037Round 7Rally New ZealandWalter Röhrl · Lancia Rally 037Round 8Rally ArgentinaHannu Mikkola · Audi Quattro A2Round 91000 Lakes Rally (Finland)Hannu Mikkola · Audi Quattro A2Round 10Rallye SanremoMarkku Alén · Lancia Rally 037Round 11Ivory Coast RallyBjörn Waldegård · Toyota Celica TCTRound 12RAC Rally (Great Britain)Stig Blomqvist · Audi Quattro A2

The season

Lancia opened with a one-two in Monte Carlo: Röhrl ahead of Alén. The team had gambled cleverly on tyres and tarmac pace, while the Quattros lost time on the dry sections. Then the tables turned: Mikkola won in Sweden and Portugal, and Audi set the pace on gravel. In Kenya, Ari Vatanen won the Safari in the Opel Ascona 400.

In Corsica, Lancia’s favourite hunting ground, three 037s filled the podium (Alén, Röhrl and Adartico Vudafieri of the Jolly Club team). Röhrl then won in Greece and New Zealand. Mikkola hit back in Argentina and Finland. Alén won Lancia’s home event in Sanremo, which sealed the manufacturers’ title.

Lancia skipped the final two rounds (Ivory Coast and the RAC): the makes’ title was decided and the drivers’ crown was not a team priority, even though Röhrl still had a mathematical chance. Toyota scored the first win for the Celica Twincam Turbo in the Ivory Coast with Björn Waldegård, and Stig Blomqvist won the RAC Rally.

The light, rear-wheel-drive Lancia 037 beats the Audi Quattro to the manufacturers’ title, while Hannu Mikkola becomes world champion.

Takeaways

• Lancia 118 points, Audi 116. Still one of the narrowest margins in the history of the manufacturers’ championship — and the last time a two-wheel-drive car won it.
• Mikkola world champion. Four wins and seven podiums. Röhrl and Alén contested far fewer events and finished second and third. See Hannu Mikkola.
• The end of two-wheel drive at the top. After 1983 no rear-wheel-drive car ever won the manufacturers’ title again. The Opel Manta 400, the Nissan 240RS and the Toyota Celica could shine on particular surfaces, but no longer kept pace with four-wheel drive.

All winners and podiums 1983

Rd.	Rally	Winner	Car	2nd	3rd
1	Monte Carlo Rally	Walter Röhrl Christian Geistdörfer	Lancia Rally 037	Markku Alén Lancia Rally 037	Stig Blomqvist Audi Quattro A1
2	Swedish Rally	Hannu Mikkola Arne Hertz	Audi Quattro A1	Stig Blomqvist Audi 80 Quattro	Lasse Lampi Audi Quattro A1
3	Rally de Portugal	Hannu Mikkola Arne Hertz	Audi Quattro A1	Michèle Mouton Audi Quattro A1	Walter Röhrl Lancia Rally 037
4	Safari Rally (Kenya)	Ari Vatanen Terry Harryman	Opel Ascona 400	Hannu Mikkola Audi Quattro A1	Michèle Mouton Audi Quattro A1
5	Tour de Corse	Markku Alén Ilkka Kivimäki	Lancia Rally 037	Walter Röhrl Lancia Rally 037	Adartico Vudafieri Lancia Rally 037
6	Acropolis Rally (Greece)	Walter Röhrl Christian Geistdörfer	Lancia Rally 037	Markku Alén Lancia Rally 037	Stig Blomqvist Audi Quattro A2
7	Rally New Zealand	Walter Röhrl Christian Geistdörfer	Lancia Rally 037	Timo Salonen Nissan 240RS	Attilio Bettega Lancia Rally 037
8	Rally Argentina	Hannu Mikkola Arne Hertz	Audi Quattro A2	Stig Blomqvist Audi Quattro A2	Michèle Mouton Audi Quattro A2
9	1000 Lakes Rally (Finland)	Hannu Mikkola Arne Hertz	Audi Quattro A2	Stig Blomqvist Audi Quattro A2	Markku Alén Lancia Rally 037
10	Rallye Sanremo	Markku Alén Ilkka Kivimäki	Lancia Rally 037	Walter Röhrl Lancia Rally 037	Attilio Bettega Lancia Rally 037
11	Ivory Coast Rally	Björn Waldegård Hans Thorszelius	Toyota Celica TCT	Hannu Mikkola Audi Quattro A2	Per Eklund Toyota Celica TCT
12	RAC Rally (Great Britain)	Stig Blomqvist Björn Cederberg	Audi Quattro A2	Hannu Mikkola Audi Quattro A2	Jimmy McRae Opel Manta 400

Final standings (top 6)

Pos.	Driver	Points	Manufacturer	Points
1	Hannu Mikkola	125	Lancia	118
2	Walter Röhrl	102	Audi	116
3	Markku Alén	100	Opel	87
4	Stig Blomqvist	89	Nissan	52
5	Michèle Mouton	53	Renault	27
6	Ari Vatanen	44	Toyota	24

Continue to 1984 or go back to 1982.

In pictures 2 photos

More from Seasons

1982 season — the year of transitionRöhrl takes the title in the rear-wheel-drive Opel Ascona 400, Audi wins the manufacturers' crown and Michèle Mouton wins three world rallies.Read more →1984 season — the year of Audi and BlomqvistStig Blomqvist wins five rallies and the world title, Audi takes both championships — and Peugeot arrives with the 205 T16, which wins three of the last four rounds.Read more →1985 season — Peugeot takes overSeven wins for the 205 T16, five for Timo Salonen and Peugeot's first titles. But also the year of Bettega's death and Vatanen's terrible crash.Read more →1986 season — the peak and the endThe fastest rally cars ever built, tragedy in Portugal, the deaths of Toivonen and Cresto, the ban on Group B and a title decided only after the season had ended.Read more →

Sources

1. Wikipedia (EN), 1983 World Rally Championship — https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1983_World_Rally_Championship
2. eWRC-results, 1983 season — https://www.ewrc-results.com/season/1983/
3. Stellantis Heritage, Lancia. The rallying legend — https://www.stellantisheritage.com/en-uk/heritage/news/lancia-the-rallying-legend
4. DirtFish, Rally Finland: The Group B Years (documentary, 2024) — https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=94zXOaTeFXg

All text is original writing for Grouve Sports Management Group, based on the sources above. Facts checked on 21 October 2026.

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