This movie is posted on Tampa Racing
Mad Max

George Miller of Mad Max: Fury Road | Michael Yarish/Warner Bros/Getty Images

Any of the of the Mad Max movies could be on this list, especially the most recent one. But that would have taken up a lot of space, so we’ll use the first film from 1979 as a stand-in. Mad Max featured a number of cool motorcycles and cars, solidifying it as a serious car movie for all eternity.

But the 1973 Ford Falcon XB GT nearly overshadows Mel Gibson in his breakout role, and deserves all the recognition it gets. Too bad the model was never sold in the U.S.

Too bad Mel Gibson went crazy in real life.

 

This movie is posted on Tampa Racing along with several related videos
American Graffiti

Screenwriter Willard Huyck poses beside a poster that bears a famous line from his film American Graffiti | Charley Gallay/Getty Images

Most people know George Lucas for the Star Wars movies, but before he made it big with spaceships, Jedi, and the Sith, Lucas directed this coming-of-age story set in the car crazy California of the early 1960s.

The 1973 film is about high school kids on their final night out before they head off to college. Racing and mayhem ensues. On top of all the vintage iron, American Graffiti features a star-studded cast, including Richard Dreyfuss, Ron Howard, Paul Le Mat, and Harrison Ford.

 

Christine

The trailer:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T_zZ4lpovNs

In this thriller, a nerdy kid winds up behind the wheel of a 1958 Plymouth Fury that turns out to be pure evil. As the movie goes, on the introverted teen begins to become as evil as his beautiful car. Based on a Stephen King book, this 1983 film features Keith Gordon, John Stockell and Alexandra Paul as the main characters. If you like weird horror movies, you can’t miss this one.

 

[h=2]Vanishing Point (original version) Barry Newman[/h] Vanishing Point | Twentieth Century Fox



This 1971 action movie is centered on a car delivery driver named Kowalski played by Barry Newman. The film follows him as he attempts to deliver a car from Denver to Los Angeles in record time. The film features some excellent driving scenes and a beautiful 1970 Dodge Challenger R/T 440 Magnum. There isn’t a whole lot of plot, but it’s worth the watch just to see a classic Challenger in action.

 

Tucker: The Man and His Dream

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ty93RYkzYQQ

This biographical drama is about Preston Tucker and the radical car that he attempted to build during his brief but infamous time in the auto industry. Directed by Francis Ford Coppola, the film features Jeff Bridges as Tucker. It’s a well-done movie about an iconoclast trying to disrupt the American auto industry at the height of its power.

 

[h=2]Death Race 2000[/h] Actor David Carradine | Mark Mainz/Getty Images



This 1975 movie predates reality TV and depicts a dystopian future where a cross-country deadly car race is the main form of national entertainment. In the race, driver’s earn points for running over pedestrians on live TV. This film is campy, violent, and sometimes hilarious, which is why it’s worth a watch. Also, there are plenty of cool custom cars and the cast, featuring David Carradine, Simone Griffeth and a young Sylvester Stallone, make it hard to forget.

 

[h=2]Drive[/h] Ryan Gosling in Drive | FilmDistrict



Starring Ryan Gosling, Carey Mulligan and Bryan Cranston, the 2011’s Drive is an intense film about a Hollywood stunt driver moonlighting as a getaway driver, who gets wrapped up in a dangerous criminal underworld. On top of being visually stunning, it also has an excellent ’80s-inspired soundtrack.

 

Return to Macon County

movie trailer:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bv4OtKwIaxQ

Starring a young Nick Nolte and Don Johnson, Return to Macon County follows two teenagers who take their 1957 Chevy on a cross country journey to enter it into the National Championship Drag Races in California. Along the way they get in all kinds of trouble. While the Chevy alone is a beautiful thing, it’s hard not to love everything about this B-movie.

 

This movie is posted on Tampa Racing
The original title has been changed

The Last American Hero

Movie poster for The Last American Hero starring Jeff Bridges. | Rojo Productions

You aren’t going to find a more American story than this. 1973’s The Last American Hero stars Jeff Bridges as a young trouble maker who quits the moonshine business to become a NASCAR racer. Based on the true story of legendary racer Junior Johnson as written by Tom Wolfe in the 1965 essay “The Last American Hero Is Junior Johnson. Yes!” this film is a must-watch for NASCAR fans and Jeff Bridges fans alike.

 

This movie is posted on Tampa Racing along with special location history
Thunder Road

Another car-heavy moonshine flick is 1958’s Thunder Road. Starring Robert Mitchum as a Korean War veteran that comes home to run his family’s moonshine business. He quickly gets in trouble with some big time gangsters. Few movies have done a better job making the connection between moonshining and brutally fast driving.

Trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IccPoAKICXs

"Each time they thought they had him, his engine would explode,
and he'd go by like they was standin' still on Thunder road"