Ranking: 8
Year of release: 1971
The car: Porsche 917k
Why it’s special: It’s the only real decent motorsport movie that’s been made – and Steve McQueen just gets cooler…
Best bit: The stunning camerawork on the racing. Le Mans has no CGI and no stunt doubles – just pure racing.
Pub fact: Plenty of the footage comes from the actual 1970 24-hour Le Mans race. How was this achieved? One of the racing cars had a purpose-fit camera attached. The Porsche 908 which finished second in the 12-hour race at Sebring was covered in a black sheet which can be seen in the race footage. Ironically, the car finished 9th but wasn’t classified.
Plot overview: Documentary style story set around the famous Le Mans car rally.
For: Petrolheads only.
Against: Wasn’t a real success at the time – only now does it have a strong cult following.
CAR verdict: The only racing film for racing enthusiasts.
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