The first World Touring Car Championship ran for a single season in 1987, open to Group A touring cars. Rounds were held across Europe, Australia, New Zealand, and Japan, drawing factory-backed teams from Ford, BMW, Maserati, and Alfa Romeo. The Australasian leg proved controversial when local teams protested the interpretation of Group A rules used by the leading European entrants; the Eggenberger Ford Sierra RS500 cars were ultimately disqualified from the Bathurst 1000 results. The provisional champion pairing of Klaus Ludwig and Klaus Niedzwiedz was overturned in March 1988, with Roberto Ravaglia declared champion in his Schnitzer Motorsport BMW M3. The championship lasted only a single year, reportedly dropped by the FIA over concerns it would compete financially with Formula One.
The path back to a world-level series began in 2001 with the revival of the European Touring Car Championship under FIA backing, running to Super 2000 technical regulations. The ETCC attracted Alfa Romeo and BMW as primary manufacturer protagonists and gained significant audience through Eurosport live broadcasts. At manufacturer request, the FIA elevated the series to world championship status beginning with the 2005 season.
The revived WTCC continued with Super 2000 and Diesel 2000 regulations. Andy Priaulx and BMW were dominant in the opening three seasons, with Priaulx taking the Drivers Championship in 2005, 2006, and 2007. In 2008, Yvan Muller won the title at the final round in Macau driving a SEAT León TDI — the first time an FIA-sanctioned world championship in any category was won by a diesel-powered car. SEAT repeated the double in 2009 with Gabriele Tarquini.
From 2010, Chevrolet emerged as the dominant force using the Cruze model. Muller won again that year for Chevrolet, beginning a long run of success for the American manufacturer. He took a second title in 2011, and Rob Huff won in 2012, with Chevrolet sweeping both Drivers and Manufacturers honours across those three seasons. Technical rules were revised in 2011 to permit 1.6-litre turbocharged gasoline engines, with the larger 2.0-litre and turbodiesel units outlawed from 2012. New TC1 regulations were introduced in 2014, bringing larger aerodynamic aids and increased power outputs.
The series visited circuits across six continents during its lifespan, holding events in Argentina, Morocco, Hungary, Russia, Japan, China, Thailand, Qatar, and elsewhere. Scoring was aligned with the FIA Formula One points system from 2010.
Following the 2017 season, an agreement was reached for the WTCC to adopt TCR technical regulations and merge with the TCR International Series. The successor series, the World Touring Car Cup, launched in 2018. The change brought lower-cost machinery and broader participation but removed full World Championship status as official factory entries were no longer permitted under the new structure.
The WTCC established a global footprint for production-based touring car racing at the top level of international competition, bridging the gap between national championship formats and a genuine world series. Its diesel championship victory in 2008 remains historically unique among FIA world championships. The TCR technical formula it ultimately adopted went on to underpin dozens of national and international touring car series worldwide.