5 Foreign Automotive Films To Watch This Weekend

Photo by Otis Blank

What do you need in a car film? Cars, hopefully. Some insightful commentary, good engine sounds, and nice camera angles go a long way, but…what if they’re not speaking English?

Here are five videos that are very watchable, thanks to engaging footage of vehicles you don’t often get to see in period footage, like Renault Gordinis, the Toyota 2000GT, and the Mercedes-Benz C111.

“Les Gordinistes” is a period film by Renault about drivers who loved their Gordinis—and you’ve definitely never seen so many of these little pocket rockets in one place.

In 1966, Toyota lined up a test for its achingly beautiful 2000GT. Because it wasn’t the fastest circuit car, an endurance trial ended up being the best way to push its sports car to the limit. With great camera work and engaging soundtrack, it’s a close look at this historic trial.

This is a film from Targa Florio in 1973, and shows the course for everything it was: fast, dangerous, and unpredictable.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lBgU89BKwZY

Another world record film for an endurance trial, only this time, it’s with Mercedes-Benz and its C111 at Nardo. When the company set a world endurance record for a diesel car in 1976 at an average speed of more than 150 mph, the rest of the world finally took notice of “oil burning” technology.

An elusive part of Japan’s automotive history, at least translated into English, are the early Japan Grand Prix events that featured beastly Can-Am-style race cars prepared by the company’s largest automakers. They competed against private entries featuring Porsches and other foreign marques, and the result was fascinating racing.

That’s before, however, these drivers had to negotiate one of the most dangerous corners ever built, Daiichi.