Best Racing Movies. Don’t know what to do? Well, if you love cars, there are a handful of movies that we can’t recommend enough. Hollywood has released some top-notch racing and car movies over the years, and these are our favourites.
May ALso Like: Our Top 80+ Of Historical Movies And TV Shows
1# The Fast And The Furious (2001)
| Action, Crime, Thriller
Los Angeles police officer Brian O’Conner must decide where his loyalty really lies when he becomes enamored with the street racing world he has been sent undercover to destroy.
2# The Racer
| Drame, Sport
A Rider who, after having been excluded from the team, is reinstated following a doping error.
3# Veloce come il vento (2016)
| Drama, Sport
Giulia is a young promise of GT racing. When her life falls apart, her only hope is her brother, a drug addict and former rally champion.
4# Rush (2013)
| Action, Biography, Drama
The merciless 1970s rivalry between Formula One rivals James Hunt and Niki Lauda.
5# Hunt vs Lauda: F1’s Greatest Racing Rivals (2013)
| Documentary, Tv Movie
Told through unseen footage and exclusive interviews with the people who were at the 1976 Formula One Championship, this riveting documentary chronicles the duel between drivers Niki Lauda and James Hunt.
6# Senna (2010)
| Documentary, Biography, Sport
A documentary on Brazilian Formula One racing driver Ayrton Senna, who won the F1 world championship three times before his death at age 34.
7# 1 (2013)
| Documentary, Action, History
Best Racing Movies. Set in the golden era of Grand Prix Racing ‘1’ tells the story of a generation of charismatic drivers who raced on the edge, risking their lives during Formula 1’s deadliest period, and the men who stood up and changed the sport forever.
8# Weekend of a Champion (2013)
| Documentary, Sport
Filmmaker Roman Polanski spends a weekend with world champion driver Jackie Stewart as he attempts to win the 1971 Monaco Grand Prix, offering an extraordinarily rare glimpse into the life of a gifted athlete at the height of his powers.
9# Williams (2017)
| Documentary, Biography, Sport
Focusing on the career and family of its legendary founder Sir Frank Williams, the British sports documentary tells the extraordinary story of the Williams Formula 1 team, from its inception to the present day.
10# McLaren (2017)
| Documentary, Biography, Drama
Best Racing Movies. The story of Bruce McLaren, the New Zealander who founded the McLaren Motor Racing team. A man who showed the world that a man of humble beginnings could take on the elite of motor racing and win.
11# TT3D: Closer to the Edge (2011)
| Documentary, Sport
Motorcycle racers reveal their motivation to participate each year in the Isle of Man Tourist Trophy, the most dangerous and deadliest event in the sport.
12# Truth in 24 (2008)
| Documentary, Sport
“Truth in 24” chronicles the Audi Sport racing teams as they attempt to win a record fifth consecutive 24 Hours of Le Mans. The films gives viewers an unprecedented behind-the-scenes view of the strategies engineers and drivers use as they set out to make history against local favorite, Team Peugeot. “Truth in 24” rides alongside drivers Tom Kristensen, Allan McNish and Dindo Capello as they prepare for the 2008 24 Hours of Le Mans contest. Unlike any sports production, the film brings out all the drama and emotion of the 76-year old race and the people trying to win it.
13# Truth in 24 II: Every Second Counts (2012)
| Documentary
The follow-up film to the original Truth in 24, where the Audi Sport Racing team again attempts to cross the finish line first at the historic 24 Hours of Le Mans.
14# 2 Fast 2 Furious (2003)
| Action, Crime, Thriller
Former cop Brian O’Conner is called upon to bust a dangerous criminal and he recruits the help of a former childhood friend and street racer who has a chance to redeem himself.
15# The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift (2006)
| Action, Crime, Thriller
A teenager becomes a major competitor in the world of drift racing after moving in with his father in Tokyo to avoid a jail sentence in America.
16# Fast & Furious (2009)
| Action, Crime, Thriller
Brian O’Conner, back working for the FBI in Los Angeles, teams up with Dominic Toretto to bring down a heroin importer by infiltrating his operation.
17# Fast & Furious 5 (2011)
| Action, Crime, Thriller
Dominic Toretto and his crew of street racers plan a massive heist to buy their freedom while in the sights of a powerful Brazilian drug lord and a dangerous federal agent.
18# Fast & Furious 6 (2013)
| Action, Crime, Thriller
Hobbs has Dominic and Brian reassemble their crew to take down a team of mercenaries: Dominic unexpectedly gets sidetracked with facing his presumed deceased girlfriend, Letty.
19# Fast & Furious 7 (2015)
| Action, Crime, Thriller
Deckard Shaw seeks revenge against Dominic Toretto and his family for his comatose brother.
20# The Fate of the Furious (2017)
| Action, Crime, Thriller
When a mysterious woman seduces Dominic Toretto into the world of terrorism and a betrayal of those closest to him, the crew face trials that will test them as never before.
21# Death Race (2008)
| Action, Sci-Fi, Thriller
Ex-con Jensen Ames is forced by the warden of a notorious prison to compete in our post-industrial world’s most popular sport: a car race in which inmates must brutalize and kill one another on the road to victory.
22# Death Race 2 (2010)
| Action, Crime, Sci-Fi
Explores the origins of the first “Frankenstein” car driver, Carl “Luke” Lucas, who died in a race at the beginning of the first film.
23# Death Race 3: Inferno (2013)
| Action, Crime, Sci-Fi
Convicted cop-killer Carl Lucas, aka Frankenstein, is a superstar driver in the brutal prison yard demolition derby known as Death Race. Only one victory away from winning freedom for himself and his pit crew.
24# Need for Speed (2014)
| Action, Thriller
Fresh from prison, a street racer who was framed by a wealthy business associate joins a cross-country race with revenge in mind. His ex-partner, learning of the plan, places a massive bounty on his head as the race begins.
25# Faster (2010)
| Action, Crime, Drama
An ex-con gets on a series of apparently unrelated killings. He gets tracked by a veteran cop with secrets of his own and an egocentric hit man.
26# Back to the Future
| Adventure, Comedy, Science Fiction
In 1985, teenager Marty McFly lives in Hill Valley, California, with his depressed alcoholic mother, Lorraine; his older siblings, who are professional and social failures; and his meek father, George, who is bullied by his supervisor, Biff Tannen. After Marty’s band is rejected from a music audition, he confides in his girlfriend, Jennifer Parker, that he fears becoming like his parents despite his ambitions.
27# Gone in Sixty Seconds (2000)
| Action, Crime, Thriller
A retired master car thief must come back to the industry and steal fifty cars with his crew in one night to save his brother’s life.
28# Taxi 2 (2000)
| Action, Comedy, Crime
Police inspector Emilien and his taxi-driver pal Daniel are back, this time on the tail of a group of Japanese yakuza.
29# Taxi 3 (2003)
| Action, Comedy, Crime
Out to stop a new gang disguised as Santa Claus, Emilien and Daniel must also handle major changes in their personal relationships.
30# Taxi 4 (2007)
| Action, Comedy, Crime
Best Racing Movies. Daniel, the driver of a very special taxi in Marseille, gets a famous soccer player to the stadium in time and later helps his clumsy police friend Émilien catch the dangerous Belgian after he escaped on Émilien’s guard.
31# Ford v. Ferrari
| Action, Drama
In 1963, Ford Motor Company Vice President Lee Iacocca proposes to Henry Ford II to purchase the cash-strapped Italian sports and racing car manufacturer Ferrari as a means of boosting their domestic car sales through Ferrari’s participation in the 24 Hours of Le Mans.
32# Baby Driver (2017)
| Action, Crime, Drama
After being coerced into working for a crime boss, a young getaway driver finds himself taking part in a heist doomed to fail.
33# Overdrive (2017)
| Action, Adventure, Crime
Two car thief brothers, who journey to the south of France for new opportunities, wind up in the cross hairs of the local crime boss.
34# Børning (2014)
The illegal sports car race “Street legal” goes 2000 kilometers through Norway from Oslo to North Cape, and Roy has been challenged to participate. At the same time, he has to look after his daughter.
| Action, Comedy
35# Børning 2 (2016)
| Action, Comedy
After two years in prison for participating in an illegal street race, Roy says no to a new illegal winter race from Bergen to Murmansk in the North of Russia. But then he hears that his daughter will participate with a boyfriend.
36# Mad Max: Fury Road (2015)
| Action, Adventure, Sci-Fi
In a post-apocalyptic wasteland, a woman rebels against a tyrannical ruler in search for her homeland with the aid of a group of female prisoners, a psychotic worshiper, and a drifter named Max.
37# Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby (2006)
| Comedy, Sport
Number one NASCAR driver Ricky Bobby stays atop the heap thanks to a pact with his best friend and teammate, Cal Naughton, Jr. But when a French Formula One driver, makes his way up the ladder, Ricky Bobby’s talent and devotion are put to the test.
38# The Gumball Rally
| Comedy
Michael Bannon (Michael Sarrazin), a wealthy but bored businessman and candymaker, issues the code word “Gumball” to his fellow automobile enthusiasts, who gather in a garage in New York City to embark on a coast-to-coast race “with no catalytic converter and no 55-mile-per-hour speed limit” in the shortest amount of time. There is only one rule: “There are no rules”.
39# Drive Angry (2011)
| Action, Fantasy, Thriller
A vengeful father escapes from hell and chases after the men who killed his daughter and kidnapped his granddaughter.
40# Cars (2006)
| Animation, Adventure, Comedy
On the way to the biggest race of his life, a hotshot rookie race car gets stranded in a rundown town, and learns that winning isn’t everything in life.
41# Cars 2 (2011)
| Animation, Adventure, Comedy
Star race car Lightning McQueen and his pal Mater head overseas to compete in the World Grand Prix race. But the road to the championship becomes rocky as Mater gets caught up in an intriguing adventure of his own: international espionage.
42# Cars 3 (2017)
| Animation, Adventure, Comedy
Lightning McQueen sets out to prove to a new generation of racers that he’s still the best race car in the world.
43# Love the Beast (2009)
| Documentary, Sport
The film documents the 25-year history of Eric Bana’s first car, a 1974 Ford XB Falcon Hardtop that he purchased at the age of fifteen for A$1100. In this film, Eric explores the central role that fixing and racing this car has played in his life and the lives of his friends. He describes it as being, “like a campfire for me and my mates”. Celebrities Jay Leno, Dr. Phil and Jeremy Clarkson offer opinions on the emotional attachments that some people form with automobiles.
44# Logan Lucky (2017)
| Action, Comedy, Crime
Two brothers attempt to pull off a heist during a NASCAR race in North Carolina.
45# Stroker Ace
| Comedy, Action
Sometimes it’s hard to think of Burt Reynolds and not imagine him behind the wheel of a car understandable, given his late 70s/early 80s run in the films “Smokey and the Bandit” and “The Cannonball Run”. Lost, perhaps, in the gaunt haze of memory is another Reynolds gem that deserves just as much love, “Stroker Ace” directed by Hal Needham in 1983.
“As a teenager in the 1980s, ‘Stroker Ace’ was always one of my favorites,” LaJoie said of his embrace of the chicken-themed “Ace” look. “As one of my favorite movies of all time, it’s pretty cool Circle B Diecast has come up with a paint scheme to honor ‘Stroker Ace’ … it’s a great opportunity to honor not only Ned Beatty, but Hal Needham, Burt Reynolds, Jim Neighbors, Loni Anderson
This collection of early 80s stars makes “Ace” a lot of fun. Sure, it may not be anyone’s first, second or even third favorite Burt Reynolds car movie, but “Stroker Ace” is an entertaining watch nonetheless.
46# The 24 Hour War (2016)
| Documentary, History, Sport
In the early 1960s, Henry Ford II and Enzo Ferrari went to war on the battlefield of Le Mans(TM). This epic battle saw drivers lose their lives, family dynasties nearly collapse and the development of a new race car that changed racing.
47# Getaway (2013)
| Action, Thriller
To save his kidnapped wife, Brent Magna must drive at the orders of a mysterious man.
48# Days of Thunder
| Action, Romance
Best Racing Movies. Young racer Cole Trickle, from Eagle Rock, California, has years of experience in open-wheel racing, winning championships with the World of Outlaws. Originally setting his sights on the Indianapolis 500, Cole realizes that “to win in Indy I’d need a great car, but stock cars are all the same”. Chevrolet dealership tycoon Tim Daland recruits him to race for his team in the NASCAR Cup Series, bringing former crew chief and car builder Harry Hogge out of retirement to lead Cole’s pit crew (Harry had left NASCAR a year prior to avoid investigation involving the death of driver Buddy Bretherton). After Cole sets a fast time in a private test at Charlotte Motor Speedway, Hogge builds him a new Chevrolet Lumina.
49# Race to Dakar (2006)
| Documentary, Sport
This documentary follows the entry of motorcyclist and actor Charley Boorman into the 2006 Dakar Rally from Lisbon to Dakar.
50# Ferrari: Race to Immortality (2017)
| Documentary, Sport
The story of the Scuderia Ferrari motor team, which was formed by race car driver Enzo Ferrari.
51# Road (2014)
| Documentary, Sport
Best Racing Movies. Brothers addicted to speed. At any price. Motorcycle road racing is the most dangerous of all motor sports. One in which men compete at speeds of up to 200 miles per hour on closed country roads. Roads that are lined with trees, telegraph posts, stone walls. Ireland and the Isle of Man are two of the few places in the world where the sport still survives. Narrated by Liam Neeson, this is the dramatic and poignant story of two sets of brothers from Northern Ireland who have dominated road racing for over thirty years. Two generations of one family that have been united by success. And united by tragedy.
52# Top Gear (2002)
| Adventure, Comedy, Reality-TV
The hosts talk about everything car-related. From new cars to how they’re fueled, this show has it all.
53# Bullitt
| Action, Thriller
Frank Bullitt, a police lieutenant, is instructed by an ambitious politician, Walter Chalmers, to protect Johnny Ross, a gangster whose testimony is crucial in a trial where the politician is involved. Despite the precautions taken by Bullitt and his men, Ross is seriously injured and dies as a result of his injuries on his hospital bed. Bullitt then conducts the investigation to find the murderers.
54# The Grand Tour (2016)
| Comedy, Sport, Talk-Show
Follow Jeremy, Richard and James, as they embark on an adventure across the globe, driving new and exciting automobiles from manufacturers all over the world.
55# Top Gear: The Perfect Road Trip (2013)
| Documentary, Comedy, Tv Movie
Best Racing Movies. The overview was to find the perfect road trip across southern France and Italy and the perfect cars to utilise across the trip. The Perfect Road Trip was filmed in August 2013 and was released first on iTunes and then on DVD in November 2013.
The special saw Richard Hammond and Jeremy Clarkson driving across Italy and France in the some of the greatest cars ever made. The duo rode from Venice to Pau, testing out some of the latest supercars along the way. They were spotted filming with a Jaguar F-Type, E-Type, Lamborghini Aventador Roadster and a Bugatti Veyron Grand Sport Vitesse in Monaco.
56# Le Mans
| Action, Sport
Best Racing Movies. Top flight Le Mans racing driver Michael Delaney spots former rival Piero Belgetti’s widow Lisa buying flowers in the days before the race; he then drives to the scene of the accident which killed her husband the previous year. He has a flashback of Belgetti losing control of his Ferrari, forcing him to crash as well.
57# The Transporter (2002)
| Action, Crime, Thriller
Frank Martin, who “transports” packages for unknown clients, is asked to move a package that soon begins moving, and complications arise.
58# Drive (2011)
| Action, Drama
A mysterious Hollywood action film stuntman who moonlights as a getaway driver, gets in trouble with gangsters when he tries to help his neighbor’s husband rob a pawn shop while serving as his getaway driver,
59# Speed Racer
|Action, Adventure, Comedy
Best Racing Movies. Speed Racer is a young racing prodigy, born to race in a family of drivers. But when he challenges Mr. Royalton, the corrupt CEO of Royalton Industries, the young man discovers that all is not well in the sport he loves.
Soon after, the Racer family is contacted by Detective Inspector and the enigmatic masked driver Racer X, who demand that Speed work with the authorities to frame Royalton and expose the corruption in the automotive world. Their proposal: to enter the Crucible, a dangerous car rally that also cost Speed’s older brother Rex his life.Speed Racer is a young racing prodigy, born to race in a racing family. But when he challenges Mr. Royalton, the corrupt CEO of Royalton Industries, the young man discovers that all is not well in the sport he loves.
Best Racing Movies. Soon after, the Racer family is contacted by Detective Inspector and the enigmatic masked driver Racer X, who demand that Speed work with the authorities to frame Royalton and expose the corruption in the automotive world. Their proposal: to take part in the Crucible, a dangerous car rally that also cost Speed’s older brother Rex his life.
60# Driven
| Comedy, Thriller
A young driver is in the middle of a championship season and is starting to have difficulties. A former CART champion is called to give him advice.