WRC Season Archive

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Summary

  1. 1
    Season Info
  2. 2
    Calendar
  3. 3
    Championship Standings

WRC Season 1973 - The Championship Begins

Jean Claude Andruet, Alpine A110, 1973

Jean Claude Andruet, Alpine A110, 1973

© McKlein

01

Season Info

The inaugural FIA World Rally Championship season marked a turning point in motorsport history, replacing the International Championship for Manufacturers. Alpine-Renault etched its name into the record books as the first official WRC title-winner, scoring 147 points with its iconic A110 Berlinette to finish 63 clear of Fiat. The 13-round calendar laid the foundations for today’s championship, with legendary events like Rallye Monte-Carlo, Sweden, Tour de Corse and the RAC Rally all making their WRC debuts.
At this stage, only manufacturers competed for the title, with a drivers’ championship still six years away. Jean-Claude Andruet took victory on the season-opening Monte, kickstarting Alpine-Renault’s dominant campaign. Although the French marque never repeated this success, it remains a historic milestone—becoming the first and only French manufacturer to win the WRC until Peugeot’s triumph in 1985.

Key Facts

Manufacturers’ Champion

Alpine-Renault (A110)

Rallies

13 events

Alpine Renault A110, Jean-Luc Thérier, 1973

Alpine Renault A110, Jean-Luc Thérier, 1973

© McKlein

02

Calendar

Round

Country

Event Name

Date

Winner

1

Monaco

Rallye Monte-Carlo

19 - 26 January 1973

Jean-Claude Andruet (Alpine-Renault A110)

2

Sweden

Swedish Rally

15 - 18 February 1973

Stig Blomqvist (Saab 96 V4)

3

Portugal

Rallye de Portugal

13 - 18 March 1973

Jean-Luc Thérier (Alpine-Renault A110)

4

Kenya

Safari Rally

19 - 23 April 1973

Shekhar Mehta - Lofty Drews (Datsun 240Z)

5

Morocco

Rallye du Maroc

8 - 13 May 1973

Bernard Darniche (Alpine-Renault A110)

6

Greece

Acropolis Rally

23 - 28 May 1973

Jean-Luc Thérier (Alpine-Renault A110)

7

Poland

Rajd Polski

12 - 15 July 1973

Achim Warmbold (BMW 2002 Tii)

8

Finland

1000 Lakes Rally

3 - 5 August 1973

Timo Mäkinen (Ford Escort RS1600)

9

Austria

Österreichische Alpenfahrt

12 - 14 September 1973

Achim Warmbold (BMW 2002 Tii)

10

Italy

Rallye Sanremo

10 - 13 October 1973

Jean-Luc Thérier (Alpine-Renault A110)

11

United States

Press-on-Regardless Rally

31 October - 4 November 1973

Walter Boyce (Toyota Corolla)

12

United Kingdom

RAC Rally

17 - 21 November 1973

Timo Mäkinen (Ford Escort RS1600)

13

France

Tour de Corse

1 - 2 December 1973

Jean-Pierre Nicolas (Alpine-Renault A110)

Shekar Mehta, Datsun, Safari Rally 1973

Shekar Mehta, Datsun, Safari Rally 1973

© McKlein

03

Championship Standings

Manufacturers'

Pos.

Manufacturer

Monaco

Sweden

Portugal

Kenya

Morocco

Greece

Poland

Finland

Austria

Italy

United States

United Kingdom

France

Total Points

1.

 Alpine Renault

20

12

20

-

20

20

-

-

15

20

-

8

20

147

2.

 Fiat

4

8

10

3

6

15

20

3

6

15

-

1

-

84

3.

 Ford

10

-

2

-

-

4

-

20

-

-

10

20

10

76

4.

 Volvo

-

2

-

-

2

-

-

15

-

-

15

10

-

44

5.

 Saab

-

20

-

-

-

-

-

10

12

-

-

-

-

42

6.

 Datsun

2

-

-

20

-

-

-

-

-

-

12

-

-

34

7.

 Citroën

-

-

12

-

15

6

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

33

8.

 BMW

-

4

-

-

-

-

-

-

20

-

-

4

-

28

9.

 Porsche KG

-

-

8

-

-

-

-

12

4

-

-

-

3

27

10.

 Opel

-

1

4

-

-

-

-

8

-

2

-

6

4

25

=

 Toyota

-

-

-

-

-

2

-

-

3

-

20

-

-

25

12.

 Polski Fiat

-

-

-

-

-

-

12

-

-

-

6

-

-

18

13.

 Lancia

3

10

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

4

-

-

-

17

14.

 Wartburg Motorsport

-

-

-

-

-

-

15

-

-

-

-

-

-

15

=

 Volkswagen

-

6

-

-

-

8

-

-

1

-

-

-

-

15

16.

 Peugeot

-

-

-

12

1

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

13

17.

 Mitsubishi

-

-

-

4

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

4

18.

 Škoda

-

3

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

3

19.

 Audi

-

-

-

-

-

1

-

-

-

-

-

-

1

2

=

 Alfa Romeo

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

2

2

Alpine Renault A110, 1973

Alpine Renault A110, 1973

© WRC / Automobilist

Profile - Alpine Renault A110