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The 5 greatest motor racing films that you need to see
Speed and cameras do mix, as the very best motorsport movies to ever hit the silver screen prove.
Cinema might be dominated by characters from the comic book universe currently, but the movies have also had a long-standing love affair with cars. The cinema staple car chase dates back to the silent movie era, and whole franchises have been built around fast cars so it's no surprise that Hollywood has also focused its lens on the action-packed world of motor racing, too, albeit with mixed results.
To help you sort out the celluloid winners from the also-rans, below are the five greatest motor racing movies that all petrol heads need to see.
Lead actor James Garner with Lorenzo Bandini
© Victor Blackman/Express/Getty Images
01
Grand Prix (1966)
One of the first, and still one of the best motor racing films around today, 1966's Grand Prix tells the story of American driver Pete Aron, who becomes romantically involved with an ex-team-mate's wife. However, it's the racing scenes that really make this movie great.
Cars were fitted with some of the earliest onboard cameras to capture some incredible racing footage from Monaco, Spa-Francorchamps and Monza. Not only that, the film also features cameos from F1 legends such as Phil Hill, Juan Manuel Fangio, Jim Clark, Jochen Rindt, Jack Brabham and Graham Hill.
Le 24 Ore Di Le Mans
© Cinema Center Films
Motor racing films you can watch right now
02
Le Mans (1971)
Steve McQueen's Le Mans may have been a complete flop at cinemas, but it's loved by motorsport fans all over the world for depicting one of sportscar racing's golden eras.
Similar to Grand Prix, the film has a loose plotline (McQueen doesn't even say a word until 36 minutes into the film), but it's more than made up for thanks to the incredible race footage and realistic stunts – so realistic, in fact, that one of the drivers lost the lower part of his leg whilst filming one of the crash scenes.
Tom Cruise filming Days of Thunder
© ISC Archives via Getty Images
03
Days of Thunder (1990)
Tom Cruise is no stranger to high-speed thrill seeking, having driven the Infiniti Red Bull Racing show car back in 2011, but his first major experience behind the wheel of a race car was in his 1990 film Days of Thunder.
The American star plays Cole Trickle, a young racing driver looking for success in NASCAR. Some movie critics even described the film as "Top Gun on wheels".
The late, great Ayrton Senna
© DPPI
04
Senna (2010)
Successful, charismatic and with a career that ended in tragedy, Ayrton Senna's story was perfect for the silver screen. The documentary film, directed by Asif Kapadia, depicts the career of the three-time Formula One World Champion from his early days at the karting track to his untimely death at the 1994 San Marino Grand Prix.
The film won multiple awards, including two BAFTAs, and received an impressive 92 percent score on film review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes.
Chris Hemsworth and Daniel Brühl
© Image.net
05
Rush (2013)
Before Rush, the last time motor racing had the Hollywood treatment was Sylvester Stallone's melodramatic Driven. Thankfully, though, Ron Howard's Rush was a hit with movie critics and Formula One fans alike.
The film tells the story of Ferrari's Niki Lauda and McLaren's James Hunt, as the two rivals fight it out for the 1976 Formula One World Championship.
Frank Williams
© williamsfilm.com
06
Williams (2017)
The documentary about F1 legend Frank Williams, who's created one of the Formula One's most enduring racing teams, has plenty of drama to explore.
Director Morgan Matthews tells the story of Williams, who's obsessed with motor racing from a young age, and has lived a life at high speed and scarred by tragedy. Overall this honest, authentic and incredibly revealing portrait of one of the most extraordinary families in motor sport is a must see for every fan.
