Peter Palmer: 5 Best Car Movies & Shows on Netflix for the Coronavirus Outbreak

So you’re a gearhead and a car enthusiast, and you’re looking for something good on Netflix. We all have time on our hands now, but instead of wasting it endlessly scrolling through a bunch of stuff, here are five car-themed titles currently on Netflix.

Now, to be clear, these are not the five bestmovies or shows we’ve ever found on Netflix, just five gearhead-centric ones that are worth your time. We also have a list of the best classic car movies to watch during the Coronavirus outbreak, if that’s more your style.

Off the top of our collective heads (and in no particular order), here are five really good car movies and/or shows currently on Netflix.

#1: Fastest Car

Like all “reality” shows, take it with a grain of salt; but overall, Fastest Car is watchable and has heart. Three sleepers go up against a supercar (Ferraris, Lambos, McLarens and such) in a quarter-mile. If you win, you head to the championship race at the end of the season. There’s lots of personality between the competitors, even if you don’t find the cars interesting.

Take this one for a test drive: Here are both seasons.

#2: Formula 1, Drive to Survive

This 10-part series, although not overly profitable for F1, has attracted people to Grand Prix racing who otherwise wouldn’t be. And in five minutes, you can see why. Formula 1, Drive to Survive gives unprecedented access before, after, and during the races, and the camera never blinks. The series is executive-produced by Academy-Award winner James Gay Rees (Senna) and Paul Martin for Box to Box Films with Sophie Todd as the showrunner.

The first season covers the 2018 FIA Formula One World Championship, beginning in Melbourne and culminating in Abu Dhabi. The second season picks up right where the first one left off, covering the 2019 World Championship.

If you want to know what Formula 1 racing is, and what it’s all about, this is one of the best ways to feel like you are actually there.

Get behind the wheel: Here are both seasons.

#3: Initial D

The 2005 movie version of the hit manga series is a definite watch for those with a Netflix account. Initial D shows how the car culture in Japan is a lot like the car culture in America; and a lot like the car culture in England; and even a lot like the car culture in places you would not expect, like Cuba.

There are great driving sequences, and even the plot works (a rarity in car movies). By day, Takumi Fujiwara (Jay Chou) is a high school student who works as a delivery driver for his father’s tofu shop. By night, everything centers on a totally different world of racing and drifting.

Take this one for a spin: Here’s the title page on Netflix.

#4: Fast & Furious Spy Racers

Now, stay with me here. Sure, it’s not the highest of highbrow faire, but it’s good for a laugh and really good if you have kids. Fast & Furious Spy Racers is an animated spin off of The Fast and the Furious movies, centering on Tony Toretto, Vin Diesel’s cousin.

Young Tony, voiced by Tyler Posey, is recruited by a government agency, along with his friends, to infiltrate an elite racing league that’s a front for a crime organization called – get this – SH1FT3R. They are, of course, bent on world domination!

Fast & Furious Spy Racers is as nutritious as a bag of potato chips, but just as bingeworthy.

Go undercover with Toretto and his friends: Here is season one.

#5: The 24 Hour War

Seriously, forget Ford v Ferrari, watch The 24 Hour War instead. Adam Carolla and Nate Adams direct a documentary that tells the whole story about the Le Mans rivalry between the two great car makers, while also showing how endurance racing influenced the performance cars we drive today.

The 24 Hour War is as fast-paced and as exciting as any contemporary racing series or movie. You’ll watch this one more than once.

See it for the first time: Here’s the title page on Netflix.

What Car Movies Do You Like?

So there’s five gearhead-focused joints from Netflix to keep you entertained for a bit. Let us know what car movies or shows you are watching and if you have any suggestions for our list on Twitter. Until then, stay safe, stay home, and wash your hands!

Tony Borroz has spent his entire life racing antique and sports cars. He is the author of Bricks & Bones: The Endearing Legacy and Nitty-Gritty Phenomenon of The Indy 500, available in paperback or Kindle format. Follow his work on Twitter: @TonyBorroz.

Cover Photo: From The 24 Hour War via Chassy Media.

Original article: 5 Best Car Movies & Shows on Netflix for the Coronavirus Outbreak