The inaugural World Touring Car Championship in 1987 was open to Group A Touring Cars and ran alongside the European Touring Car Championship (ETCC). While supported by factory teams from Ford, BMW, Maserati, and Alfa Romeo, the season was marked by technical controversies. During rounds in Australia, local teams protested the European teams' interpretations of Group A rules. This resulted in the disqualification of the Eggenberger Motorsport Ford Sierras from the Bathurst 1000 results.
Although Klaus Ludwig and Klaus Niedzwiedz were provisionally awarded the title, the final results were not confirmed until March 1988. Roberto Ravaglia, driving a BMW M3 for Schnitzer Motorsport, was ultimately declared the champion. The championship was discontinued after one year; the FIA and Bernie Ecclestone reportedly feared it would divert revenue from Formula One. A proposed "silhouette formula" replacement for 1988 failed to gain manufacturer support, with only a single Alfa Romeo 164-based prototype ever built.
In 2001, the ETCC was resumed with FIA support, serving as the precursor to the modern WTCC. The series initially included Super Touring and Super Production classes before evolving into the FIA European Touring Car Championship in 2002. This era utilized Super 2000 rules and was characterized by intense competition between BMW and Alfa Romeo.
The ETCC transitioned to the WTCC for the 2005 season at the request of manufacturers, utilizing Super 2000 and Diesel 2000 regulations. Andy Priaulx and his BMW 320i dominated the early years of the revived series, winning the Drivers and Manufacturers Championships in 2005, 2006, and 2007.
In 2008, Yvan Muller won the title in a SEAT León TDI, marking the first time an FIA-sanctioned world championship was won by a diesel-powered car. SEAT repeated this success in 2009 with driver Gabriele Tarquini. Chevrolet began a period of dominance in 2010 with the Cruze model. Yvan Muller secured titles for Chevrolet in 2010 and 2011, followed by Rob Huff in 2012, as the manufacturer achieved consecutive championship sweeps.
The modern series has held events based all around the world. According to the championship's records, races have been held in Argentina, Morocco, Hungary, Germany, Russia, France, Portugal, Slovakia, Czech Republic, Japan, China, Thailand, and Qatar. Former hosts also include Brazil, Great Britain, Italy, Macau, Netherlands, Spain, Sweden, Turkey, and the United States.
Technical regulations shifted in 2011 to introduce 1.6L turbo gasoline engines, while 2.0L gasoline and turbodiesel engines were phased out by 2012. In 2014, "TC1" regulations were introduced, featuring increased engine power and larger aerodynamic wings.
For the 2018 season, the series merged with the TCR International Series and adopted TCR regulations, rebranding as the World Touring Car Cup (WTCR). Under these rules, the series lost its World Championship status because official factory teams were no longer permitted, though some entries continued to receive manufacturer backing.
WTCC technical regulations emphasized cost control. Super 2000 cars utilized 1.6L turbocharged 4-cylinder engines producing approximately 380 bhp, equipped with 18" wheels and significant aerodynamic devices. Several production-car technologies, such as ABS, traction control, variable valve timing, and variable intake geometry, were prohibited.
Since 2010, the championship has utilized the FIA points system also used in Formula One and the World Rally Championship, with all races awarded equal points. This replaced previous scoring systems used during the 1987 season and the 2005–2009 period.
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