This 1982 Australian film was released in America under the name ‘Fast Lane Fever’. It tells the story of Mike, a young street racer, and his best friend Tony. Both Mike and Tony have a day job as steelworkers, but their night careers as a racer and a mechanic are their true passion. When dealing with the cars that they do, who could blame them?
When it comes to Australian actors that don’t belong in the Hemsworth family, people may know very little. However, the featured cars are a whole different story: a Ford Falcon GTHO Phase III, a Dodge Challenger and a 57 Chevy are the real babes seen on screen.
Lady Ice
Having a car-themed movie party with your friends? This 1973 feature is a great one to put on your viewing list. Donald Sutherland plays Andy Hammon, an insurance investigator who suspects an attractive young woman (Paula Booth, played by Jennifer O'neill) is fencing stolen diamonds. The romance, as well as the rush of a good heist and even better car chase scenes, are a delight to watch.
The '70s cars seen in the movie are most definitely drool-worthy. Sutherland's character drives a Maserati Ghilbi Spyder, and O'neill's character sports a Ferrari 365 GTB/4 Daytona. Both cars are driven to perfection, which makes for some satisfying scenes for car lovers.
Highwaymen
We know there is a 2019 Netflix film by the same name, but now we are talking about this 2004 feature. 'Highwaymen' tells the story of a man who wants to avenge his dead wife by killing the serial killer who murdered her. One of the main characters in the film is not even human. We are talking about the killer's 1972 Cadillac El Dorado.
The man is driven (see what we just did there?) by revenge as well as his 68 Plymouth Barracuda. While the Barracuda is normally an attractive car that makes heads spin, the man in the movie was intent on laying low, so he modified it in order for it to draw less attention. The epic chase scenes in the film might as well be used in the next 'Fast & Furious' installment.
Days of Thunder
Tom Cruise and Nicole Kidman are only two of the stars playing in this raging motors film, but that's hardly the best part about it. The movie also has guest appearances by actual NASCAR racecar drivers! Cruise plays Cole Trickle, a young racer intent on having a NASCAR driver, and Kidman plays Dr. Claire Lewicki, a neurosurgeon and Trickle's love interest.
The plot here might not be as groundbreaking as some might hope (it was criticized for its similarities to 'Top Gun'), but whatever it lacks in originality, it makes up for in great cars. There were even NASCAR professionals inspecting them and driving them for the racing scenes. Also, Tom Cruise is known for his preference of doing his own stunts, but in this film he had to step aside from that for insurance reasons.
Midnite Spares
Another Australian film on this list is 'Midnite Spares'. Released in 1983, this car flick also serves decent portions of comedy. The tale being told here is that of Steve Hall, a young racer (did you notice how all the racers are young? It's almost as if older people aren't interested in adrenaline or something) whose father disappears.
Hall then finds out about a group of people running a "chop shop" operation, and that those people might have something to do with his father's disappearance. Of course, there is also a romantic side to the story, as well as epic racing scenes, but we'll leave those for you to watch.