The 60s car movies you probably forgot about, have never seen, or have never heard of are brought to your attention in this article.
The film industry had created blockbuster car movies since at least 1960, when cars were still highly regarded.
The thrilling moments in the 60s car movies showed various ways that cars could be utilized, as well as their distinctive designs, the engines that powered them, and the materials that went into making them.
This page contains a list of the 60s car movies you should see. If you are elderly and want a reminder of the enjoyable 60s car movies, then read on, or probably you weren’t around then; reading this article will provide a sneak preview of the thrilling 60s car movies you missed.
1. Bullitt (1968)
- Directed by: Peter Yates
- Casts: Steve McQueen, Robert Vaughn, Jacqueline Bisset, Don Gordon, and Simon Oakland
- IMDb Rating: 7.4/10
- Running Time: 1hr 53mins
To bring down mafia boss Pete Ross, Senator Walter Chalmers relies on the testimony of the criminal’s brash brother Johnny.
The latter is being held in protective custody in San Francisco under the supervision of police officer Frank Bullitt.
Bullitt follows a pair of mob assassins’ trail through a confusing web of complexities and double-crosses car chase after Johnny gets killed by the killers.
One of the most renowned vehicle chases ever captured on camera appears in this thriller. This is one of the Blockbuster 60s car movies that is a must-watch.
2. Hot Rods To Hell (1967)
- Directed by: John Brahm.
- Casts: Dana Andrews, Jeanne Crain, Paul Bertoya, Mimsy Farmer, Laurie Mock, and Gene Kirkwood.
- IMDb Rating: 5.2/10
- Running Time: 1hr 2mins
Traveling salesman Tom Phillips can no longer handle the rigors of the Road after suffering a spine injury in a vehicle accident.
He decides to take his family from Boston and relocate them to a Californian desert town where he plans to run a modest motel.
But when he gets there, he’s shocked to see the city filled with spoilt, rogue, and arrogant teens. They attempt to drive Tom out of town “simply for kicks” under the direction of their arrogant leader, the person of Duke. This is an action-filled film and one of the 60s car movies released at the time.
3. Chitty Chitty Bang Bang (1968)
- Directed by: Ken Hughes.
- Casts: Dick Van Dyke, Sally Ann Howes, Lionel Jeffries, Gert Fröbe, Anna Quayle, Benny Hill, James Robertson Justice, and Robert Helpmann
- IMDb Rating: 6.9/10
- Running Time: 2hrs 25mins
Young siblings Jeremy and Jemima encounter the lovely Truly Scrumptious while skipping school. Truly Scrumptious falls for their widowed father, Caractacus Potts, and his various bizarre inventions, including the noisy rebuilt automobile, Chitty Chitty Bang Bang.
Caractacus tells Truly and the kids a fantastical story one day at the beach about the notorious and evil Baron Bomburst and his plans for the Potts family automobile. This movie is a family-based story among the 60s car movies produced.
4. The Italian Job (1969)
- Directed by: Peter Collinson
- Casts: Michael Caine, Noël Coward, Benny Hill, Raf Vallone, Tony Beckley, Rossano Brazzi, and Maggie Blye.
- IMDb Rating: 7.2/10
- Running Time: 1hr 39mins
A stash of gold bullion is being transported through Turin, Italy, when the film’s central character, Cockney criminal Charlie Croker, who has just gotten out of prison, finds out about his buddies’ sabotaged attempted robbery.
He intends to complete the job himself now that the Mafia is chasing him and stealing the gold from an armored security van. This is a crime action movie and is one of the 60s car movies.
5. The Yellow Rolls-Royce (1964)
- Directed by: Anthony Asquith
- Casts: Rex Harrison, Ingrid Bergman, and Jeanne Moreau.
- IMDb Rating: 6.4/10
- Running Time: 2hrs 2mins
This movie features Three very different people that own the same yellow Rolls-Royce, beginning with Lord Charles, who purchases it as a gift for his wife on their anniversary.
Paolo Maltese, a mafioso who bought the car while visiting Italy, is another owner of the same car, and he leaves it with his girlfriend while he travels back to Chicago.
Later, An American widow named Gerda, a member of the Yugoslavian resistance that repels the occupying Nazis, also owns the vehicle. This is an American comedy-drama, one of the 60s car movies released during that time.
6. Fireball 500 (1966)
- Directed by: William Asher.
- Casts: Frankie Avalon, Annette Funicello Fabian, Chill Wills, Harvey Lembeck, and Julie Parrish.
- IMDb Rating: 5.1/10
- Running Time: 1hr 30mins
This auto-racing movie highlights the story of an attractive and courageous Young stock-car driver, Dave Owens, who gets involved in a moonshine smuggling plot as he starts a cross-country race.
Along with his friend Leander Fox and the attractive young lady Jane Harris, Dave devises a scheme to catch the perpetrators.
While Dave races throughout the country, Leander challenges him for Jane’s affections, but racing action is always the main priority. Fireball 500 is one of the racing 60s car movies released.
7. Grand Prix (1966)
- Directed by: John Frankenheimer
- Casts: James Garner, Eva Marie Saint, Yves Montand, Toshiro Mifune, Brian Bedford, Jessica Walter, Antonio Sabàto and Françoise Hardy.
- IMDb Rating: 7.2/10
- Running Time: 2hrs 59mins
Grand Prix features the gathering of the world’s most daring drivers who have been assembled and organized to battle and race for the 1966 Formula One championship.
American wheelman Pete Aron is disqualified in the first of several races after a spectacular crash. He joins a Japanese racing team because he doesn’t know how to give up easily.
However, Pete has to compete against Jean-Pierre Sarti, a French competitor who previously had won two world titles, while balancing his career with a passionate romantic affair with the wife of one of his former teammates. This also is one of the auto-racing 60s car movies that will surely leave you entertained.
8. The Love Bug (1968)
- Directed by: Robert Stevenson.
- Casts: Dean Jones, Michele Lee, David Tomlinson, and Buddy Hacket.
- IMDb Rating: 6.5/10
- Running Time: 1hr 48mins
Mechanic Tennessee Steinmetz and race car driver Jim Douglas come into ownership of a white Volkswagen Beetle that seems to have a soul and consciousness of its own.
By nicknaming the vehicle, Herbie, Jim and Tennessee quickly become the spotlight of the California racing circuit, much to the disdain and discomfort of Peter Thorndyke, a sports-car dealer.
He uses his assistant to cause a rift between the pals and their vehicle. This family-themed film is one of the 60s car movies recommended to be watched.
9. James Bond: Goldfinger (1964)
- Directed by: Guy Hamilton.
- Casts: Sean Connery, Honor Blackman, Gert Fröbe, Shirley Eaton, Tania Mallet, and Harold Sakata.
- IMDb Rating: 7.7/10
- Running Time: 1hr 50mins
James Bond, a special agent for MI6, looks into a gold-smuggling network headed by Auric Goldfinger, a prominent businessman.
The latter has launched Operation Grand Slam, a disastrous plan to raid the gold reserve at Fort Knox and destroy the global economy.
Armed with his specially outfitted Aston Martin, James Bond must defeat several ridiculous foes to foil the scheme. This is an action thriller and one of the blockbuster 60s car movies you should watch.
10. The Lively Set (1964)
- Directed by: Jack Arnold
- Casts: James Darren, Pamela Tiffin, Doug McClure, and Joanie Sommers.
- IMDb Rating: 5.8/10
- Running Time: 1hr 35mins
Cars have always been Casey Owens’ passion and dream in life, up until he met Eadie. They travel to San Francisco, where he begins constructing an engine for a renowned entrant in the Tri-State Endurance Race.
Casey obstinately persists against his boss’ wishes to create a radical turbine-designed motor and wrecks the vehicle.
After being terminated from his job, he finds the engine and gathers the cash to enter his car in the competition. This is an American drama and one of the 60s car movies you can watch.
11. Pit Stop (1969)
- Directed by: Jack Hill
- Casts: Brian Donlevy, Dick Davalos, Ellen McRae, Sid Haig, and Beverly Washburn
- IMDb Rating: 6.7/10
- Running Time: 1hr 32mins
The wealthy owner of a racing company, Grant Willard, recruits Rick, a rash stock car driver, to compete in his expanding Figure 8 stock car racing events, where the driving style ensures accidents and injuries.
Rick is determined to stop at nothing until he wins by any means. This is one of the auto-racing 60s car movies.
12. Two For The Road (1967)
- Directed by: Stanley Donen
- Casts: Audrey Hepburn, Albert Finney, Eleanor Bron, William Daniels, Claude Dauphin, and Nadia Gray.
- IMDb Rating: 7.4/10
- Running Time: 1hr 41mins
To meet with a wealthy customer, architect Mark Wallace and his wife Joanna travel to France. They remember their first encounter, courtship, and road excursions across the French countryside as they reflect on their first ten years of marriage there.
The Wallaces strive to reignite their passion as flirting and fun arguments give way to weariness with the routine of married life, while mutual infidelity threatens to separate them. This is a romance and family-themed film and one of the 60s car movies.
13. Robbery (1967)
- Directed by: Peter Yates.
- Casts: Stanley Baker, Joanna Pettet, and James Booth
- IMDb Rating: 6.9/10
- Running Time: 1hr 54mins
This British crime movie, a fictional narrative based on the notorious “Great Train Robbery of 1963,” follows Paul Clifton as he gathers a crew to pull off a daring cash theft from a government mail train heading from Scotland to London.
Robinson, but then a jailed money specialist must join the crew, so Clifton also arranges a jailbreak to liberate him. Even when the crime is flourishing, Scotland Yard detective Langdon continues to pursue the thieves. This is a crime action movie and one of the Blockbuster 60s car movies you should watch.
14. Thunder Alley (1967)
- Directed by: Richard Rush
- Casts: Annette Funicello, Fabian, Diane McBain, Warren Berlinger, and Jan Murray.
- IMDb: 5.3/10
- Running Time: 1hr 30mins
Tommy Callahan, a race car driver, is banned from professional competition after having blackouts that cause a fatal accident. Tommy meets Francie Madsen and her young boyfriend, Eddie Sands, while working as a stunt driver.
Eddie learns the fundamentals of driving from Tommy. Eddie and Tommy begin a contentious rivalry after Eddie snatches Annie Blaine from him, Tommy’s lover.
As the movie continues, we are kept in suspense to know if Tommy and Eddie can get along again or if they will always be enemies. This is one of the interesting 60s car movies.
15. The Great Race (1965)
- Directed by: Blake Edwards.
- Casts: Jack Lemmon, Tony Curtis, Natalie Wood, Peter Falk, Keenan Wynn, Arthur O’Connell, and Vivian Vance.
- IMDb Rating: 7.2/10
- Running Time: 2hrs 40mins
This is one of the 60s car movies that tell the story of The Great Leslie, a dashing white-suited hero, and the villainous, black-suited Professor Fate, the two primary contenders in a magnificent landrace from New York to Paris in the early 20th century.
Leslie finds an odd friend in Maggie DuBois, a suffragette, and journalist who later becomes a racer, whose car breaks down halfway through the competition as Fate’s minion Max tries to undermine Leslie and the other racers.
16. A Man And A Woman (1966)
- Directed by: Claude Lelouch.
- Casts: Anouk Aimée and Jean-Louis Trintignant.
- IMDb Rating: 7.5/10
- Running Time: 1hr 42mins
After his wife committed suicide, Jean-Louis became a widower and a single parent, while Anne is a widow and a single mother who is still in shock over the unintentional death of her husband.
Both are hesitant to befriend each other when they first run into one another at the boarding school where their kids go, but their friendship swiftly develops into something romantic.
However, despite their efforts to start a new relationship, the couple is still battling to move past their traumas. This is a romance and family-themed movie and is one of the 60s car movies of that time.
17. Faster, Pussycat! Kill! Kill! (1965)
- Directed by: Russ Meyer.
- Casts: Tura Satana, Haji, Lori Williams, and Susan Bernard.
- IMDb Rating: 6.6/10
- Running Time: 1hr 23mins
The cruel go-go dancers, Varla, Rosie, and Billie, are followed in Director Russ Meyer’s cult classic as they escape the nightclub where they perform and dash out to the desert to cause a little mayhem. Varla, a karate master, kills an innocent man.
The rambling trio kidnaps his girlfriend, trying to extort a secret inheritance from a sexist older man and his muscle-bound son, who suffers brain damage. This is one thriller action 6os car movies produced during that decade.
18. The Wild Ride (1960)
- Directed by: Harvey Berman.
- Casts: Jack Nicholson, Georgianna Carter, and Robert Bean.
- IMDb Rating: 4.4/10
- Running Time: 1hr 28mins
As a beginner dirt track racer, Johnny spends most of his time having fun and partying. However, things take an unexpected turn when he gets charged with murder and kidnaps his friend’s lover. The wild ride is one of the 60s car movies and is an American drama movie.
19. Monte Carlo Or Bust! (1969)
- Directed by: Ken Annakin
- Casts: Tony Curtis, Susan Hampshire, Terry-Thomas, Bourvil, Lando Buzzanca, Walter Chiari, Peter Cook, and Dudley Moore.
- IMDb Rating: 6.1/10
- Running Time: 2hrs 10mins
To partake in the yearly race in Monte Carlo, Monaco. Wealthy industrialist Sir Cuthbert Ware-Armitage gambles away half of his business to Chester Schofield just before the rally.
Cuthbert’s suggestion that the race’s victor takes all motivates the other drivers, including a pair of English Army soldiers and a convict involved in illegal treasure-hunting, to push themselves to the limit. This is also one of the 60s car movies filled with action and exciting scenes you should watch.
20. Winning (1969)
- Directed by: James Goldstone.
- Casts: Paul Newman, Joanne Woodward, and Robert Wagner.
- IMDb Rating: 6/10
- Running Time: 2hrs 3mins
Winning is one of the 60s car movies that highlight the story of Frank Capua, a Race car driver who values track triumphs more than anything.
Still, as he participates in the Indianapolis 500, he finds connecting with his wife Elora and his stepson Charley more challenging.
Frank leaves the family after discovering that Elora is having an affair with fellow racer Luther “Lou” Erding, but tenacious Charley decides that he won’t watch. In contrast, his family is being destroyed and taken away from him.
21. The Wild Racers (1968)
- Directed by: Daniel Haller and Roger Corman.
- Casts: Fabian, Mimsy Farmer, and Judy Cornwell.
- IMDb Rating: 4.1/10
- Running Time: 1hr 17mins
Joe Joe Quillico is a promising and talented young race car driver who quits the American stock car scene to compete in Grand Prix events in Europe. He eventually won the Spanish Grand Prix, albeit with little success.
However, his love life is much less successful, and his success on the track only helps to alienate further the lady he loves, which has unfortunate and unhappy results. The wild racers is one of the 60s car movies released during that period.
22. It’s A Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World (1963)
- Directed by: Stanley Kramer.
- Casts: Spencer Tracy, Milton Berle, Sid Caesar, Buddy Hackett, Ethel Merman, Mickey Rooney, Dick Shawn, Phil Silvers, Terry-Thomas, Jonathan Winters, Edie Adams, Dorothy Provine, and Jimmy Durante.
- IMDb Rating: 7.5/10
- Running Time: 3hrs 22minutes.
The plot opens with a significant traffic jam resulting from a careless motorist named Smiler Grogan (Jimmy Durante), who, before passing away, tells the assembled drivers in a coded message that he has hidden a fortune in stolen goods under the Big W.
The drivers all headed out in search of riches. The movie “It’s a Mad Mad Mad Mad World” is a comedy and adventure movie that will surely keep you entertained, and it is also one of the 60s car movies released.
23. Ho! (1968)
- Directed by: Robert Enrico.
- Casts: Jean-Paul Belmondo, Joanna Shimkus, Alain Delon, Alian Mottet, Sydney Chaplin. Tony Taffin.
- IMDb Rating: 6.1/10
- Running Time: 1hr 57mins
This is an American crime movie and one of the 6os car movies that feature François Holin, a race car driver known as Ho, who quits his sports profession after his friend is killed.
He then joins a gang of bank robbers and tries to become their boss, and during events, he eventually abducts a journalist to publish the story.
24. Spinout (1966)
- Directed by: Norman Taurog.
- Casts: Elvis Presley and Shelley Fabares.
- IMDb Rating: 5.7/10
- Running Time: 1hr 33mins
An attractive traveling rock musician named Mike McCoy enjoys the bachelor lifestyle and also happens to be a race car driver.
However, at a concert stop in Santa Barbara, California, three women—auto heiress Cynthia Foxhugh, author Diana St. Clair, and Mike’s drummer, Les—compete with each other for his attention.
Unwilling to commit, Mike must also prepare to participate in the Santa Fe Road Race in his sports vehicle. This is enlisted as one of the 60s car movies that were released at that time.
25. You Only Live Twice (1967)
- Directed by: Lewis Gilbert.
- Casts: Sean Connery, Mie Hama, Karin Dor, Teru Shimada, and Francesca Tu.
- IMDb Rating: 6.8/10
- Running Time: 1hr 57mins
The disappearance of American and Russian spacecraft during the Cold War leads to mutual suspicion between the two nations.
British intelligence discovers that one of the ships has landed in the Sea of Japan as the world teeters on the verge of nuclear war.
James Bond, a secret spy, is ordered to look into the matter after faking his death. He receives assistance from Tiger Tanaka and the stunning young lady Aki in Japan, who assist him in uncovering a dark international plot.
26. The Racing Scene (1969)
- Directed by: Andy Sidaris
- Casts: James Garner, Mario Andretti, and Bob Bondurant.
- IMDb Rating: 7.6/10
- Running Time: 1hr 32 mins
Director Andy Sidaris documents James Garner’s year as a race car driver starting from the time the car is purchased to the time his crew is put together and assembled. The racing scene is a stock car documentary, and it is enlisted as one of the 60s car movies.
27. The Fast Lady (1962)
- Directed by: Ken Annakin.
- Casts: Leslie Phillips, Julie Christie, James Justice, and Stanley Baxter.
- IMDb Rating: 6.1/10
- Running Time: 1hr 35mins
To gain acceptance from his girlfriend’s business tycoon father, Murdoch Troon, a Scottish civil servant, has to learn how to drive a Bentley. The fast lady is a comedy movie and one of the 60s cat movies ever produced.
28. Hell On Wheels (1967)
- Directed by: Will Zens
- Casts: John Ashley, Marty Robbins, Robert Foulk, Frank Gerstle, Christine Tibbott, Chris Eland, Eddie Crandall, and Marvin Miller.
- IMDb Rating: 3.6/10
- Running Time: 1hr 37mins
Marty and Del are brothers, both of who are stock-car drivers and mechanics, respectively. They can pique the interest of their other brother, a country music star. This is also an auto-racing film and one of the 60s car movies.
29. Elvis Speedway (1968)
- Directed by: Norman Taurog.
- Casts: Elvis Presley, Nancy Sinatra, and Bill Bixby.
- IMDb Rating: 5.5/10
- Running Time: 1hr 34mins
Steve Grayson, a slick stock car racer, must make enough money on the track to get his manager Kenny Dunford, who lost money betting on horse races, out of jail.
Steve tries his hardest to win several races at Charlotte Speedway with the assistance of his teacher and trainer, Abel Esterlake.
However, throughout the events, he develops feelings for Susan Jacks, the attractive IRS agent in charge of Kenny’s case. Elvis speedway is a musical-themed film and one of the 60s car movies.
30. The Green Helmet (1961)
- Directed by: Michael Forlong.
- Casts: Bill Travers, Ed Begley, and Sid James.
- IMDb Rating: 5.5/10.
- Running Time: 1hr 28mins
British race car driver Greg Rafferty decides to delay retirement despite a spate of terrifying accidents that have damaged his self-confidence so he can compete with an American tycoon looking to advance his brand.
However, due to his mother’s instructions to Taz, Greg’s younger brother, not to race until Greg stops, Taz is upset by Greg’s decision.
When things start to go wrong, Greg must figure out how to fulfill his family’s needs and his personal obligations. This is a gripping family-themed drama and one of the 60s car movies.
Conclusion
I have done justice to the article above by listing the 60s car movies that the film industry produced during that decade.
If you are a lover of car movies and auto racing blockbuster movies, then you should pick one from the list above and watch it with your family and friends.
