1966 Ford vs Ferrari

Lore & Background

In 1963, Ford Motor Company vice president Lee Iacocca proposes to Henry Ford II to boost their car sales by purchasing Ferrari, who are dominant in the annual 24 Hours of Le Mans. Owner Enzo Ferrari uses Ford's offer to secure a deal with Fiat that allows him to retain ownership of the firm's racing team, Scuderia Ferrari, and insults Ford and his whole company. This leads Ford into ordering his racing division to build a car to compete against Ferrari at Le Mans and Iacocca hiring Shelby American owner Carroll Shelby, a retired driver who won Le Mans in 1959. Shelby enlists his friend Ken Miles, a hot-tempered English racing driver and mechanical engineer. Shelby and Miles develop the UK-built Ford GT40 Mk I prototype at Los Angeles International Airport while the latter gives advice on how to enhance the car's performance. At the launch of the new Ford Mustang, Miles gives a witheringly rude appraisal of it to Ford senior vice president Leo Beebe. Beebe campaigns against sending Miles to the upcoming race at Le Mans as a public relations liability. Shelby reluctantly excludes Miles and sends Phil Hill and Bruce McLaren to Le Mans; none of the Fords finish. Miles, who is listening on radio, realizes that he was right on all the car's flaws. When Ford demands why he should not sack Shelby, Shelby explains that despite the GT40's reliability problems, it instilled fear in Enzo Ferrari by reaching 218 mph (350.8 km/h) on the Mulsanne Straight before breaking down. He says a race car cannot be designed by committee. Ford tells him to continue the project and report directly to him. During testing of the GT40 Mk II, the recurrent problem of brake fade causes a crash and fire, which Miles survives. The team realizes the rules permit replacing the whole brake assembly during the race. In 1966, Beebe takes over the racing division. When he and Ford arrive to inspect the program, Shelby locks Beebe in his office and gives Ford a ride in the GT40. Shelby makes an agreement with Ford: if Miles wins the 24 Hours of Daytona, then he will race at Le Mans. If not, Ford will take full ownership of Shelby American. At Daytona International Speedway, Beebe enters a second GT40 supported by a NASCAR team with quicker pit stops. However, Shelby clears Miles to push his car beyond the 7,000 RPM redline, and he wins. At the next race at Le Mans, Miles struggles with a faulty do

In Their Own Story

The morning mist clung to the Mulsanne Straight as the engines roared to life, a cacophony of V8s and flat-twelve cylinders echoing off the grandstands. Bruce McLaren sat in his Mk IV, the cockpit vibrating with raw power, while Chris Amon checked his mirrors one last time. The green flag dropped, and the pack surged forward, but it was not about who led at dawn; it was about who would survive until dusk.

Reader's Guide

The film focuses on the 1966 24 Hours of Le Mans race. The winning car was the Ford GT40 Mk II, driven by Bruce McLaren and Chris Amon, entered by Shelby American Inc. Ford achieved a 1-2-3 finish overall, but McLaren and Amon only won the race. The Ferrari works team did compete at Le Mans in 1966, but their cars retired.

Did You Know?

• The film was originally titled Go Like Hell, based on the book by A. J. Baime.
• Filming took place in California, Louisiana, Georgia, and Le Mans, France.
• The film won Academy Awards for Best Film Editing and Best Sound Editing.