The championship that bore the World Sports Prototype Championship name was the continuation of a series stretching back to 1953, when the FIA first organised a world title for sports car manufacturers. Over the following decades the series underwent repeated identity changes, reflecting shifts in technical regulations and manufacturer participation. It ran as the International Championship for Makes from 1968 to 1971, then as the World Championship for Makes from 1972 to 1977 before alternating through several further designations. From 1982 to 1985 it was called the World Endurance Championship, introducing Group C — a new prototype category that limited fuel consumption rather than engine displacement, allowing a wide variety of engineering solutions while theoretically capping performance.
For 1986 the series was renamed the World Sports Prototype Championship. Titles were awarded to teams rather than manufacturers during this era, a policy that had been in place since 1985.
The Group C regulations introduced in 1982 transformed the series. By restricting fuel allocation per race rather than mandating a specific engine formula, the rules attracted a diverse field: Porsche, Jaguar, Mercedes-Benz, Nissan, Toyota, and Mazda all mounted serious campaigns at various points. Porsche dominated the early Group C years with the 956 and 962, but Jaguar and Mercedes-Benz mounted increasingly strong challenges as the decade progressed.
Under the World Sports Prototype Championship banner from 1986 to 1990, races regularly attracted crowds of 50,000 to 70,000 spectators at circuits such as Silverstone, Spa-Francorchamps, and Monza, with the 24 Hours of Le Mans drawing upwards of 350,000. The 24 Hours of Le Mans was a fixture on the calendar for most years of the championship's existence, serving as its most prestigious single event.
For 1991, the FIA — at the behest of FIA vice president Bernie Ecclestone — introduced new technical regulations mandating 3,500 cc normally aspirated engines, designed to bring Formula One powertrains into sports car racing. The series was renamed the Sportscar World Championship for 1991 and took on yet another iteration for 1992. The new Category 1 cars produced around 650 bhp, less than the established Group C machines, but were considered among the fastest sportscars ever built due to their low weight of 750 kg. However, manufacturer uptake of the new rules was slow, and during the transitional 1991 season the older Group C cars were permitted to race alongside the new machines under handicap.
The new engine regulations proved economically catastrophic. Development costs escalated sharply as works teams built cars capable of qualifying midway up a Formula One grid, prompting Mercedes-Benz and Peugeot to abandon sports car racing in favour of Formula One. Without manufacturer support the entry lists collapsed, and the 1993 season was cancelled before the first race was held.
The championship's Group C years represented one of the most technically diverse and internationally supported eras in endurance racing history. The series was directly revived in spirit, if not name, when the FIA reached an agreement with the Automobile Club de l'Ouest to launch the FIA World Endurance Championship in 2012, which continues today.
The period 1966 to 1971, which preceded the formal World Sports Prototype Championship name but belonged to the same lineage, is widely regarded as the Golden Age of sports car racing, featuring fierce battles between the Ferrari 512S, Ferrari 330 P4, Ford GT40, Lola T70, Chaparral, Alfa Romeo 33, Porsche 908, and Porsche 917 across legendary circuits including Sebring, the Nürburgring, Spa-Francorchamps, Monza, Targa Florio, and Le Mans.