So yeah, you know what I am on about. You probably think I'm going to mention something like Rush or maybe Le Mans... nope. Wrong! Here is my the best racing movie of all time! Now, some of you folks might disagree with me on this, but think about it, in terms of racing, real or virtual, was there ever a more true and inspirational scene then THIS? Second best goes to the Initial D series, there is just something weirdly motivating about Chinese cartoons and Italian disco. *yes this is not a serious post, but I want to have that discussion anyway
Regarding the original topic, I enjoy many movies that aren't strictly theatrical but more documentaries or biopics (is what they'd be classified as I guess). Anyhow I recommend Senna and Genie am Lenkrad: 70 Jahre Walter Röhrl. I'd say Rush was very enjoyable and well made. And once you learn some of the stories surrounding Le Mans it'll be even more impressive than it is anyway, considering this movie is now over 45 years old. (100k if you hit that camera ^^) But probably the all time best driving, racing, overall car film has to be C'était un rendez-vous by Claude Lelouch for me. (PS: Nah, it's just about Peter being Peter, don't worry )
I really love Days of Thunder. It's like the beginning of racing as it should be. Not who have billions of dollar, but having the ability to built a car and to race a car. Yeah, just the good old times in theatralic, US typical clothes. A bit too much, but as a a movie somehow should be.
It's a bit of a Kiwi classic - SMASH PALACE - not entirely about racing - but it does feature this cool sequence Chris
Life On The Limit Really interesting documentary through the post war decades, mainly about speed, survival and safety, some really intense footage and great interviews and comments from many well known and knowledgeable people.
Racing thru the forest, a history of sports car racing in the United states, where it began, pebble beach, after ww2. I just watched it, history, documentary, a description of the time, the cars, the people who became the giants of the early age of racing. Maybe not the best, but it was good.
I'd also recommend the 2013 documentary called '1' (a very torrent search-friendly name ) http://www.imdb.com/title/tt2518788/ When I was a kid, I never understood why Sir Jackie bashed reckless drivers constantly, but this film really puts things into perspective.
I tend to lean more towards documentaries about the design and development of the cars themselves or just some good vintage race footage,
I've seen most of them. Here are 2 that weren't mentioned: Adrenalin It has plenty of DTM footage. The Evolution Of Rallying Great rally documentary. Now I've seen that there's a volume 2 also - I need to see that too.
I’m totally with @Christian Göpfert for sure! Nothing beats biopics and docu’s! Though I can enjoy some theatrical non-realistic movies which got racing is a common theme. But from movies like F&F and Biker Boyz I loose my appetite instantly. No offense to people who enjoy them, but it’s just totally not my cup of tea.