Top car movies and documentaries to watch during Coronavirus lockdown

With the coronavirus forcing us to stay indoors, here’s a list of some of the best car movies / documentaries / series you can watch. From the Steve McQueen starrer Le Mans, to the second season of Drive to Survive, this should help kill boredom for the week long lockdown. You're welcome 

1.) Victory by Design: In this docuseries, former racing driver Alain de Cadenet walks you through the history and design of some of the most famous sportscar brands in the world – Porsche, Maserati, Aston Martin and the likes. While the video footage is quite raw and unedited, it is a series worth watching for anyone who loves cars. Victory by design can be found on YouTube, albeit in parts. 

2.) The Speed Merchants: Directed by former race car driver Michael Keyser, the Speed Merchants takes you behind the scenes of the 1972 manufacturer’s championship. Former racers Mario Andretti and Val Elford narrate share their insight on all the action from the Le Mans, Nurburgring, Daytona, Targa Florio and a few other races that season.      

3.) Grand Prix (1966): Although it won three Oscars and four more nominations, Grand Prix may not be the right movie to watch for its fictional story-line. Watch it, however, for the cinematography, racing scenes and of course the beautiful Formula 1 cars of the 1960s. Cameos by Graham Hill, Bruce McLaren, and a few other racers add more stardom to the film. 

4.) Le Mans (1971): This Steve McQueen starrer is based on a fictional rivalry of Michael Delany and Erich Stahler (played by Siegfried Rauch), driving the Gulf Team Porsche 917 and the Ferrari 512LM respectively at the renowned 24 Hours of Le Mans. Director Lee H. Katzin gets his hands on a lot of actual footage from the race to make the documentary-style film more authentic.  

5.) Dust to Glory: Dust to Glory is all about the 2003 running of the gruelling and dangerous Baja 1000 off-road race in Mexico. First founded in 1967, the Baja 1000 stands is one of the most prestigious off-road races in the world, right alongside the Dakar Rally. Documentary filmmaker Dana Brown does a brilliant job of capturing all the action as drivers attempt to finish the 1000-mile race in less than 36 hours.

While some of these aforementioned titles can be a bit difficult to get your hands on, here’s a list of some more documentaries that you can also watch on Netflix or Amazon. 

1.) Drive to Survive: Season 2 of the Drive to Survive has just gone live a few weeks back. This one takes you behind the scenes of the 2019 Formula 1 season. From the inclusion of Ferrari and Mercedes in the series, the sad demise of former Formula 1 champion Niki Lauda, to the unfiltered speech of Guenther Steiner, Team Principal of the Hass F1 Team, Season 2 is surely worth watching.   

2.) Williams: This documentary chronicles the highs and lows of the Williams Formula 1 team and its founder, Sir Frank Williams. Unlike some documentaries that purely focus on the technical side of the sport, this one touches upon the human side as well which makes it a truly inspiring film to watch even for non-Formula1 fans.  

3.) The 24-hour War: Watched the Ford vs Ferrari last year? Want to know more about the two teams’ rivalry as it actually was? Then this is the documentary for you. For those uninitiated, this is the story of 24 hours of Le Mans in the 1960s and the greatest rivalry in the history of the sport between the two iconic brands. 

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