Cars have been an important aspect of American society for centuries and have often been a key component of many renowned movies. Cars have played greater parts in certain films than others, but the reality is that they may be the highlight of a whole film occasionally. The correct automobiles can carry a whole movie from the dark green Ford Mustang in Bullitt to the orange Toyota Supra in The Fast and the Furious, even when the performers are sometimes unable. This post will also provide you a clear picture of the top 20 Best Car Racing All Time movies.
Do not worry if you have been without a thorough dive into automobile movies. All you need is a few spare weekends, a TV, and lots of popcorn to snack while watching. Here, Senna (2010) is leading the list known for the documentary focusing on the life of Brazilian Formula One driver Ayrton Senna. Then the list is followed by Rush (2014) in second place and then American Graffiti (1973) in the third place.
Which is the best car racing movie of all time streaming on Amazon Prime Video?
The Documentary, Biography, Sport 2010 movie Senna is the best car racing movie that streams on Amazon Prime with 93% Rotten Tomatoes ratings.
Is there any good car racing movies available on Netflix?
Rush (2014) is the best car racing movie on Netflix with 8.1 IMDB score.
So, let’s round up to such Top 20 Best Car Racing Movies of All Time Ranked:
20. Return to Macon County
Returning to Macon County, a youthful Nick Nolte (The Mandalorian Season 2) and Don Johnson accompany two young men who take Chevy to the California National Drag Races in 1975 on a cross-country excursion. They get into all sorts of difficulties. While the Chevy alone is a wonderful thing, it’s hard not to love everything about this B-movie. However, it is one of the best car racing 70s movies of all time.
| Director: | Richard Compton |
| Released date: | 1975 |
| IMDB Rating: | 5.6 |
| Rotten Tomatoes: | – |
| Cast: | Nick Nolte, Don Johnson, Robin Mattson |
| Genre: | Drama |
| Currently streaming on: | Amazon Prime Video |
19. Thunder Road
The Thunder Road in 1958 is another big automobile moonshine film. Robert Mitchum is the warrior in the Korean War who comes to head the moonshine business of his family. With some powerful mafia, he goes swiftly into problems. Few films have made the connection between luminous and brutally fast driving better. We must say that it is an ultimate watch that will thrill and cry you simultaneously.
| Director: | Arthur Ripley |
| Released date: | 1958 |
| IMDB Rating: | 6.6 |
| Rotten Tomatoes: | 70% |
| Cast: | Robert Mitchum, Gene Barry, Jacques Aubuchon |
| Genre: | Crime, Drama, Film-Noir |
| Currently streaming on: | Amazon Prime Video |
18. Vanishing Point
This 1971 action film focuses on Barry Newman’s vehicle delivery driver Kowalski. The movie followed him as he tried to transport an automobile in record time from Denver to Los Angeles. The movie has fantastic driving moments and a lovely Dodge Challenger R/T 440 Magnum 1970. There’s not much in there, but simply seeing a vintage Challenger in action is worth seeing.
| Director: | Richard C. Sarafian |
| Released date: | 1971 |
| IMDB Rating: | 6.2 |
| Rotten Tomatoes: | 79% |
| Cast: | Barry Newman, Cleavon Little, Charlotte Rampling |
| Genre: | Action, Crime, Thriller |
| Currently streaming on: | Amazon Prime Video |
17. Death Race 2000
This 1975 movie precedes the TV reality and shows a dystopian future when the main source of national entertainment is a cross-country hazardous auto race. During the race, pilots get points for riding on live television on pedestrians. This film is campy, violent, and occasionally funny, so it deserves a look. Many interesting custom-made sports cars and casts make it hard to forget, including David Carradine, Simone Griffeth, and a teenage Sylvester Stallone.
| Director: | Paul Bartel |
| Released date: | 1975 |
| IMDB Rating: | 6.2 |
| Rotten Tomatoes: | 81% |
| Cast: | David Carradine, Sylvester Stallone, Simone Griffeth |
| Genre: | Action, Comedy, Sci-Fi |
| Currently streaming on: | Netflix, Amazon Prime Video |
16. Drive
2011’s Drive is an explosive movie about a stunting Hollywood driver lying on the moon as a travel driver and immersed in a deadly criminal underworld, Starring Ryan Gosling, Carey Mulligan, and Bryan Cranston. It also features wonderful music influenced by the 80s, in addition to being aesthetically appealing. Overall, it is one of the best car racing movies of all time.
| Director: | Nicolas Winding Refn |
| Released date: | 2011 |
| IMDB Rating: | 7.8 |
| Rotten Tomatoes: | 93% |
| Cast: | Ryan Gosling, Carey Mulligan, Bryan Cranston |
| Genre: | Crime, Drama |
| Currently streaming on: | Netflix, Amazon Prime Video |
15. The Last American Hero
You aren’t moving to find more American fiction than this. 1973’s The Last American Hero stars Jeff Bridges as a young troublemaker who quits the moonshine business to become a NASCAR racer. According to Tom Wolfe, in his article of 1965, “Last American Hero Is Junior Johnson.” Junior Johnson was a renowned runner. Yeah!” This movie is a must-view for both the lovers of NASCAR and Jeff Bridges.
| Director: | Lamont Johnson |
| Released date: | 1973 |
| IMDB Rating: | 6.4 |
| Rotten Tomatoes: | 67% |
| Cast: | Jeff Bridges, Valerie Perrine, Geraldine Fitzgerald |
| Genre: | Drama, Sport |
| Currently streaming on: | Amazon Prime Video |
14. Christine
A geeky child gets himself in this thriller at the wheel of Plymouth fury 1958, which turns to be pure evil. The reclusive young man is as bad as a magnificent automobile as the movie continues. In 1983, Keith Gordon, John Stockwell, and Alexandra Paul were the major protagonists, this picture is based on a book by Stephen King. You can’t miss this one if you appreciate the strange horror and car racing blend.
| Director: | John Carpenter |
| Released date: | 1983 |
| IMDB Rating: | 6.7 |
| Rotten Tomatoes: | 69% |
| Cast: | Keith Gordon, John Stockwell, Alexandra Paul |
| Genre: | Horror, Thriller |
| Currently streaming on: | Netflix, Amazon Prime Video |
13. Gone in Sixty Seconds
The original 1974 Gone in Sixty Seconds is a cult favorite, although a little was difficult to follow. Nicolas Cage and Angelina Jolie make the 2000 restoration easier to look at and funnier. Tell Nick Cage what you will; you have to root for him when he runs from the Eleanor Police, his legendary Mustang of 1967. Overall, it is one of the best car racing movies of all time.
| Director: | Dominic Sena |
| Released date: | 2000 |
| IMDB Rating: | 6.5 |
| Rotten Tomatoes: | 25% |
| Cast: | Nicolas Cage, Angelina Jolie, Giovanni Ribisi |
| Genre: | Action, Crime, Thriller |
| Currently streaming on: | Amazon Prime Video |
12. Le Mans
You undoubtedly know how heartfelt the competition was during the 24 Hours of Le Mans in the 1970s if you know a lot about motorsports. In 1971, in the film Le Mans, Steve McQueen funded and showed what the toughest 24-hour race in the world is like. This fictitious narrative is frequently seen as a wonderful motorsport movie close to a documentary level of attention to detail, despite its flopping in the box office.
| Director: | Lee H. Katzin, John Sturges |
| Released date: | 1971 |
| IMDB Rating: | 6.7 |
| Rotten Tomatoes: | 67% |
| Cast: | Steve McQueen, Siegfried Rauch, Elga Andersen |
| Genre: | Action, Adventure, Drama |
| Currently streaming on: | Netflix |
11. Mad Max
Any Mad Max movie, especially the most recent, might be included on this list. But that would have needed a lot of room, and we’re going to take a stand on the classic picture from 1979. Mad Max has some fantastic motorbikes and sports cars that seal it forever as a major automotive movie. But in 1973, Mel Gibson was almost overlooked by Ford Falcon XB GT and deserved all appreciation. The model has never been marketed in the United States very badly.
| Director: | George Miller |
| Released date: | 1979 |
| IMDB Rating: | 6.9 |
| Rotten Tomatoes: | 90% |
| Cast: | Mel Gibson, Joanne Samuel, Hugh Keays-Byrne |
| Genre: | Action, Adventure, Sci-Fi |
| Currently streaming on: | Netflix, Amazon Prime Video |
10. Tucker: The Man and His Dream
This historical drama concerns Preston Tucker and the unconventional car he was trying to develop during his brief but famed automobile business period. Directed by Francis Ford Coppola, the movie highlights Jeff Bridges as Tucker. It is a good film about an iconoclastic who is trying to upset the US automobile business. Overall, it is one of the best car racing movies of all time.
| Director: | Francis Ford Coppola |
| Released date: | 1988 |
| IMDB Rating: | 6.9 |
| Rotten Tomatoes: | 84% |
| Cast: | Jeff Bridges, Joan Allen, Martin Landau |
| Genre: | Biography, Comedy, Drama |
| Currently streaming on: | Amazon Prime Video |
9. The Fast and the Furious
You probably saw this one if you are under the age of 40. It was one of the best car racing movies since 2001 despite the badly written language and macho silliness. This film introduced the culture of tuners for many individuals and encouraged a generation to get into vehicles. It also began one of the most lucrative film franchises ever. All of the Furious movies could be on this list, but since that’d take up too much space, just the first movie cuts here.
| Director: | Rob Cohen |
| Released date: | 2001–present |
| IMDB Rating: | 7.1 |
| Rotten Tomatoes: | 53% |
| Cast: | Vin Diesel, Paul Walker, Michelle Rodriguez |
| Genre: | Action, Crime, Thriller |
| Currently streaming on: | Amazon Prime Video |
8. Two-Lane Blacktop
This 1971 movie is accompanied in drag racing by a teenage James Taylor (yes, musician) and Dennis Wilson (drummer of The Beach Boys). The two started racing a grey Chevy in 1955 around the United States. Although the triangle of classical jealous love ensues, the girl played by Laurie Bird will meet her. Also, in a Pontiac GTO, they meet a strange, perhaps insane man who makes things even more fascinating. Overall, it is one of the best car racing movies of all time.
| Director: | Monte Hellman |
| Released date: | 1971 |
| IMDB Rating: | 7.2 |
| Rotten Tomatoes: | 92% |
| Cast: | James Taylor, Warren Oates, Laurie Bird |
| Genre: | Drama |
| Currently streaming on: | Netflix, Amazon Prime Video |
7. Bullitt
The part of Frank Bullitt in the 1968 film Bullitt was probably Steve McQueen’s most well-known and loved one. A gruff San Francisco officer portrayed McQueen. While the tale of this film is overwhelming, it includes a highlight of the picture that is the chassis between the green Ford Mustang McQueen and the black Dodge Charger driven by the two major villagers. The vehicle pursuit sequences were told to be modified permanently.
| Director: | Peter Yates |
| Released date: | 1968 |
| IMDB Rating: | 7.4 |
| Rotten Tomatoes: | 98% |
| Cast: | Steve McQueen, Jacqueline Bisset, Robert Vaughn |
| Genre: | Action, Crime, Thriller |
| Currently streaming on: | Netflix, Amazon Prime Video |
6. Dust to Glory
Another best car racing movie, Dust to Glory, is a 2005 documentary about the world-famous Baja 1000 off-road competition. Even if you couldn’t worry less about the off-road track, this film will get your pulsation up and maybe even prompt you to do a few adventures of your own. Plenty of great racers and automotive business folks make appearances, including Mario Andretti and Sal Fish. This unique experience, which takes place every year, draws fans and enthusiasts to the hard course. This documentary also includes interviewing drivers from all kinds of bikes to trucks, from racing celebrities to those who are looking for their first glory shot.
| Director: | Dana Brown |
| Released date: | 2005 |
| IMDB Rating: | 7.5 |
| Rotten Tomatoes: | 60% |
| Cast: | Chad McQueen, Mario Andretti, Sal Fish |
| Genre: | Documentary, Action, Adventure |
| Currently streaming on: | Amazon Prime Video |
5. Love The Beast
Australian actor Eric Bana likes automobiles and competitions like Steve McQueen. In 2009 he chose to make his documentary about his 25 years of history with a 1974 Ford XB Falcon Hardtop he acquired at 15. In the course of his career, he searched for roles that tie in with automobiles. The film is well-known among automotive fans and features celebrities such as Jeremy Clarkson, Jay Leno, and Dr. Phil.
| Director: | Eric Bana |
| Released date: | 2009 |
| IMDB Rating: | 7.5 |
| Rotten Tomatoes: | 61% |
| Cast: | Eric Bana, Jeremy Clarkson, Steve Coad |
| Genre: | Documentary, Sport |
| Currently streaming on: | Amazon Prime Video |
4. C’etait un Rendez Vous
The French short movie C’etait un Rendezvous is very mild. It’s a high-speed ride through the busy lanes of Paris. At the film’s point, the driver seizes out of the car, and you see him wander toward a woman and hug her. You’ll be on the side of your seat the entire event, and the soundtrack of the car’s vibrant engine will keep your heart beating in your chest.
| Director: | Claude Lelouch |
| Released date: | 1976 |
| IMDB Rating: | 7.9 |
| Rotten Tomatoes: | 91% |
| Cast: | Claude Lelouch, Gunilla Friden |
| Genre: | Short/Auto racing |
| Currently streaming on: | Amazon Prime Video |
3. American Graffiti
Many people know George Lucas for the Star Wars movies. Still, Lucas directed this coming-of-age narrative in California’s crazy automobile in the early 1960s before it grew huge with space ships, Jedi, and the Sith. The film 1973 covers high school children on their last night before they go to school. There follows a race and a chasm. A star-studded cast comprising Richard Dreyfuss, Ron Howard, Paul Le Mat, and Harrison Ford is also included on top of vintage iron.
| Director: | George Lucas (Willow) |
| Released date: | 1973 |
| IMDB Rating: | 7.5 |
| Rotten Tomatoes: | 96% |
| Cast: | Richard Dreyfuss, Ron Howard, Paul Le Mat |
| Genre: | Comedy, Drama |
| Currently streaming on: | Netflix, Amazon Prime Video |
2. Rush
Another great F1 film was Rush in 2013. It is a sports drama in biographies that focuses on the competition between Niki Lauda and James Hunt. Hunt’s and Lauda’s famous rivalries in the 1970s were made to live on a screen by Chris Hemsworth (Hunt) and Daniel Bruhl (Lauda). This film is amazing aesthetically and very exciting. It is one of the best car racing movies of all time.
| Director: | Ron Howard |
| Released date: | 2014 |
| IMDB Rating: | 8.1 |
| Rotten Tomatoes: | 89% |
| Cast: | Daniel Bruhl (The Alienist Season 3), Chris Hemsworth, Olivia Wilde |
| Genre: | Action, Biography, Drama |
| Currently streaming on: | Netflix, Amazon Prime Video |
1. Senna
Ayrton Senna, the three-time F1 World Championship driver who lost his life behind his wheel when he was 34, is the centerpiece of the 2010 racer documentary. The film starts in 1984 and continues through its deadly last lap in 1994, just before its debut. This is a dynamic and uplifting narrative that everyone may enjoy even while you’re not a motorsports fan.
| Director: | Asif Kapadia |
| Released date: | 2010 |
| IMDB Rating: | 8.5 |
| Rotten Tomatoes: | 93% |
| Cast: | Ayrton Senna, Reginaldo Leme, John Bisignano |
| Genre: | Documentary, Biography, Sport |
| Currently streaming on: | Amazon Prime Video |
Conclusion!
So, if you’re stuck with nothing to do inside this weekend? Well, if you love cars, there are a handful of movies we can’t recommend enough. Over the years, Hollywood has released several premium racing and vehicle movies, which are top 20 favorites!
