My 9 favorite car movies (that aren’t Le Mans or Bullitt)

Thunderbolt

Jackie Chan, JDM Mitsubishis, rad-as-heck montages and plenty of beat-’em-up action. What more do I need to say?

You might need to turn on subtitles or watch it dubbed in English, but “Thunderbolt” is totally worth it for the cast of golden-age JDM icons that appear on screen.

All the hero cars are Mitsubishis–blame Jackie Chan’s longstanding relationship with the Japanese carmaker–including a GTO (known here as the 3000GT) VR-4, FTO and Lancer Evo III.

The bad guy? He drives an R32 Nissan Skyline.

The icing on the cake, however, is the end racing sequence. It’s almost entirely in double speed and includes several spins, flips, crashes and even a car flipping upside down and landing on the roof of another car.

Drive

The focus of the film might be less on driving and more about the main character’s descent into the criminal underworld, but this film makes the list because that opening chase sequence lives in my head rent-free.

In particular, that scene has a very “Bullitt”-esque feel to it thanks to the use of the in-car, over-the-shoulder POV that helps the viewer feel like they’re along for the ride instead of simply watching the chase unfold.

Mad Max

Yes, I know this one is pretty popular, but “Mad Max” deserves every bit of that attention–and all the praise.

What role will the automobile play in the downfall of civilization? “Mad Max” offers a potential outcome.

It’s a shame that the sequel gets all the attention, because the original “Mad Max” features some truly ragged car chases plus some really awesome cars–and yes, I’m talking about the Holden Sandman panel van.

Sure, it might not be the most compelling installment in the franchise for some, but it’s certainly my favorite of the bunch. (RIP, Goose.)

The Art of Racing in the Rain

Spoiler alert: The dog dies in the end. Sorry, I had to.

The good news is that it's because he lived a long, happy life as the companion to an up-and-coming race car driver.

On a more serious note, this one makes the list because my wife and I saw this in theaters during our honeymoon. My wife and I agreed to see it based on our mutual appreciation for Milo Ventimiglia (shoutout to Team Jess)–in addition to my enjoyment of race cars, of course.

And yes, we cried. A lot.

(Side note: Eagle-eyed viewers just might spot a few GRM logos.)

Duel

Road rage, but make it cinematic.

Okay, so that might be a gross oversimplification of one of the earliest films from Steven Spielberg’s professional directing career, but oftentimes the simplest concepts can be the most thrilling: A businessman is chased through a desert expanse by a semi-truck driver intent on killing. (We’ve all been there, right?)

Maybe “Duel” is the reason I often give truckers the benefit of the doubt on the highway; if we got into a fight on the wilds of I-4, I doubt my little Honda Fit would win.

Take-home message: Be nice to other drivers on the road, kids.

It’s a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World

From being chased by a semi through the California desert to racing through it in search of buried treasure. The cars? Yes, there's lots of 'em, including a Dodge Dart 440, a Chevy Impala, a convertible VW Beetle and even a Dodge M37 tow truck.

Add in a cast featuring several Hollywood heavy hitters–plus a few of my favorite actors of the era, like Spencer Tracy, Ethel Merman, Buddy Hackett, Mickey Rooney and Jonathan Winters (who bears a striking resemble to my grandfather, by the way)–and you have a comedic blockbuster from the golden age of Hollywood.

Yes, this one got remade in 2001 as “Rat Race,” but this is the one you want to watch.

Side note: I can only hope that I can have the comedic timing to literally kick a bucket when I die.

Grand Prix

A groundbreaking blockbuster that features some of Hollywood’s finest stars driving formula cars alongside the sport’s real-life drivers? No, I’m not talking about the new “F1” film, I’m talking about “Grand Prix.”

In a day and age when most driving scenes were filmed using a flailing actor, a stationary car and a rear projection of prerecorded driving footage, “Grand Prix” instead attached the cameras to very real race cars being driven by the actors themselves.

The result? A racing movie that looks and feels much more grounded, much more modern and much riskier than many of its contemporaries.

In addition to exuding an old-school charm that only seems to be found in films from the ’60s, James Garner shows off some serious driving chops.

Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby

Is motorsports a serious business? Yes, but it’s also pretty absurd most of the time.

Careers can end and begin seemingly on a whim, and everyone–from the drivers to the pit crew to even the team owners–can’t take anything for granted. And then, on top of that, add in how wacky marketing and sponsors in motorsports can get.

Well, “Talladega Nights” manages to expertly capture all of that absurdity–even if there are a few scenes that haven’t exactly aged well.

I regularly quote this movie, sometimes daily.

Chitty Chitty Bang Bang

The missing link between child Colin and the car-obsessed adult I am today? I trace it back to “Chitty Chitty Bang Bang.”

See, my mother frequently had Turner Classic Movies on the TV for much of my childhood, and “Chitty Chitty Bang Bang” was one of those films she enjoyed enough to watch over and over again. Since I didn’t yet have control over the remote, I simply had to go along with it.

Something about the opening races in the film with those gargantuan prewar race cars really sparked something in my head. Even to this day, prewar racers hold a special place in my heart–especially the ones with massive aircraft engines good for little more than 100 horsepower.

Sprinkle in some catchy tunes, some memorable characters and Dick Van Dyke’s famous physical comedy, and you have a film that instantly takes me back to my childhood.

Thanks, Mom.