How accurately the carnage is depicted in Ford v. Ferrari’s treatment of Le Mans (and other races like Sebring) is one of the most surprising aspects of the film. Major collisions caused no fewer than seven vehicles to crash out of the 24-hour race, many of which were brought on by the rain that began to pour as night fell. There was an incident involving Ferrari racer No. 20 that included a Porsche and a French Matra MS620. Many more cars, including the Ferrari and Ford competitors featured in the movie breaking gaskets and destroying their engines, did not finish the race due to less terrifying mechanical malfunctions.
Among those terrifying mechanical issues, Miles did had difficulties closing the door of his Ford GT40 Mk II, apparently because he bent the door by smashing it on his own (helmeted) head. Despite this, Miles still managed to break numerous lap records. The car’s “brake fade” problem and the pit crew’s unconventional plan of replacing the complete front brake rotors — to the surprise of French racing officials but apparently not the strong objections of Ferrari’s own pit crew that are featured in the movie — are both real-life events. Shelby’s theft of the Ferrari team’s precise Swiss stopwatches, a flourish that is regretfully missing from the source material, did not worsen the risky, untested aspect of this attempt.
However, there was less internal fighting among the Ford crew regarding Beebe’s order for Miles to slow down so that the second- and third-place Fords could catch up for a three-way photo finish, in keeping with the numerous instances of dramatic license already reviewed. Beebe’s recommendation was accepted by Shelby at the time, however he later regretted it in light of Miles’ untimely passing a few months later. He states in Go Like Hell that “Leo Beebe and Henry Ford convinced me to allow the three cars to cross the street at the same moment, and I will always regret that decision. Ken would have won the race if he had been one and a half laps ahead. His heart was broken. Then, in August, he passed away.”
Despite being aware that he had been fucked, Miles was also more accommodating in real life than in the film. He skillfully attempted to explain to Bob Thomas of the Los Angeles Times “Be careful how you report what I said, please. For these people, I labor. They have treated me quite well.” A little hagiographic Hollywood dramatization like this, with just a little extra polish, may be appropriate for a man this affable and skilled, who was denied respect in his lifetime owing to small technicalities and a fatal accident in his late 40s.
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Ford v. Ferrari: The True Story in the Making
The 24 Hours of Le Mans is a race that stands apart from others. The legendary French race is the pinnacle of machine testing for automakers. In a punishing endurance test that tests the limits of vehicle engineering, drivers at Le Mans navigate tight bends and reach speeds of 200 mph on straightaways loop after lap and hour after hour.
The mid-1960s racing match between Ferrari, the reigning Le Mans champion from Italy, and American industrial giant Ford is the subject of the new film Ford v. Ferrari, directed by James Mangold (out in theaters Nov. 15). Despite its size, Ford wasn’t exactly a racing force, with a reputation more associated with family vacations than French endurance competition. The American company hired racing icons Carroll Shelby (Matt Damon) and Ken Miles (Christian Bale) to assist them win the European championship in order to have a shot in the 24-hour circuit. The real tale behind Ford v. Ferrari is told here.
What’s False About Ford Vs. Ferrari Is This
Like every other reality-based film, Ford Vs Ferrari’s main plot was liberally laced with made-up side stories.
The most thrilling film to watch in 2019 was Ford vs. Ferrari. Starring Matt Damon, Christian Bale, Jon Bernthal, and Caitriona Balfe in a sports drama directed by James Mangold. The movie Ford vs. Ferrari was based on the actual event of Ford’s first-ever victory over Ferrari, an Italian rival, at the 1966 24 Hours of LeMans.
The factual book Go Like Hell: Ford, Ferrari, And Their Battle For Speed And Glory at LeMans by A. J. Baime served as the basis for the motion picture. Christian Bale was cast in the role of race car driver Ken Miles, while Matt Damon took on the part of car designer Carroll Shelby.
Ford actually recruited Shelby and Miles to develop, modify, and race the car against Ferrari, who had essentially proven itself as unstoppable forever. Fun fact: Brad Pitt and Tom Cruise were first cast as the lead actors. In November 2019, Ford vs. Ferrari was made available in the US.
It was well welcomed by both the public and the critics, earning over $225 million worldwide. Particularly amazing and really appreciated were the racing scenes and the direction. Unsurprisingly, the National Board of Review named it one of the top 10 films of the year.
September 2022 revision: There aren’t many movies that can keep you on the edge of your seat and make you feel things at the same time. One such film that pushes the boundaries of storytelling is Ford Vs. Ferrari, which depicts the legendary rivalry between Ford and Ferrari in the 1960s. However, not everything depicted in the film is entirely accurate. More information about the overstated and inaccurate material presented in the film has been added to this article.
The acclaimed film Ford vs. Ferrari is a pure joy to watch. Everyone enjoys the film, whether they are car enthusiasts or wizards, but how much of this drama drenched in gasoline is fake?
In actual life, the competition between Ford and Ferrari was just as acrimonious.
The main focus of “Ford vs. Ferrari,” Slate’s exploration of reality vs. fiction, was on the animosity between Henry Ford II of the Ford Motor Company and Enzo Ferrari of Ferrari, which was almost as terrible in real life as it was on screen.
The “Ford vs. Ferrari” story begins when Ford makes an acquisition bid for Ferrari but is rejected and insulted by Ferrari. Enzo Ferrari actually called Ford II and the other owners of the company “pig-headed bosses” and “worthless sons of w***es” in person. It was described as “a rant that I had never seen or heard before in my entire life and have not done so since” by Ferrari’s attorney, Franco Gozzi.
In contrast to the movie, when he declares that Ferrari will be buried “100 feet under the finish line at Le Mans,” Ford reportedly responded to the affront with more grace in real life. Ford actually allegedly said, “Okay, we’ll kick his ass. We’ll compete against him.”
In addition, Shelby approached Ford in real life, unlike the movie, when Iacocca sought Shelby to help Ford design a race car that could defeat Ferrari. Shelby submitted the idea to Iaccoca and requested $25,000 to build two cars, according to the book “Go Like Hell: Ford, Ferrari, and Their Battle for Speed and Glory at Le Mans,” which is the basis for the film “Ford vs. Ferrari.”
How Historical Accurate Was Christian Bale and Matt Damon’s Racing Film, Ford V. Ferrari?
The film Ford v. Ferrari chronicles the Ford Motor Company’s quest to establish itself as a racing titan by taking first place in the 1966 24 Hours of Le Mans. Both Carroll Shelby, a car designer played by Matt Damon, and Ken Miles, a race car driver played by Christian Bale, were hired by Ford to create and race a vehicle that would be able to defeat the unstoppable Ferrari. But how accurate is the story depicted in the movie?
The fundamental premise is factual, as with most “based on a true story” films, but some specifics have been changed, time has been stretched, and a few elements have been wholly invented or left out to make the story function better as a motion picture. Ford v. Ferrari performs admirably in that aspect, but here is the actual tale.
Ford vs. Ferrari: How realistic is it?
Yes. The three Ford race vehicles that finished the 24 Hours of Le Mans race together have been captured on film and in photographs. Although Ken Miles had been several minutes ahead of the competition, Miles was awarded second place rather than first due to self-serving Ford orders and a technicality.
Is the Ford vs. Ferrari story really over?
The actual world Le Mans ’66 came to a thrilling conclusion with a historic result as all three Ford vehicles tied for first place when they passed the finish line.
Ford reportedly tried to purchase Ferrari.
No, to put it simply. Ferrari is not owned by Ford. However, it turns out that there is a very good reason why you could have believed they do. The New York Times claims that Ford actually made an attempt to buy Ferrari in the past. Sadly, the Ford-Ferrari merger didn’t go as well as the carmaker had intended.
Instead, according to The New York Times, Enzo Ferrari finally rejected Henry Ford II’s attempt to purchase Ferrari in 1963. Ford apparently felt embarrassed by the incident, which prompted Ford to put together a racing squad under the direction of Carroll Shelby, a former racer turned designer. At the 1966 French 24 Hours of Le Mans, the team was instructed to compete against Ferrari. If you’ve ever seen the movie “Ford v Ferrari,” there’s a good chance that you already have some knowledge of Ford’s propensity for getting back at Ferrari.
At Le Mans, did Ford defeat Ferrari?
In 1964, Ford Motor Company began making an effort to defeat Ferrari at Le Mans. After two disastrous seasons in which Fords were unable to even complete the race, the American carmaker experienced an exciting 1-2-3 sweep in 1966. On the podium, Henry Ford II celebrated the decisive victory alongside the two New Zealand-born race winners, Bruce McLaren and Chris Amon.
What did Henry Ford hear from Enzo Ferrari?
Tell your pigheaded employer that all of his, eh, pompous executives are worthless sons of whores, said Ford Italian Translator Gary. Italo Ferrari Inform him that he is not Henry Ford
Shelby may have indeed taken Ford on a trip.
Even while we wish it were true, it just never did. Henry Ford II bursts into a mixture of sorrow and hilarity when Carrol Shelby takes him for a joyride in his creation in the movie. It is portrayed as being a part of a scheme to get Miles a seat in the 1966 Le Mans race. However, as we already established, Ford didn’t object to the British driver participating, thus the incident was needless.
The president of one of the biggest automakers in America being taken for a joyride in a race vehicle without a helmet is also quite unusual. Back then, safety restrictions were somewhat lax but not so lax.
There is no evidence that this scene ever occurred, which puts the icing on the cake in terms of facts. You’d think someone would have noticed if Henry Ford II jumped into a GT40.
cried Mr. Ford actually?
In the film, Shelby seizes Beebe and drives Henry Ford II away in the prototype to demonstrate the GT40’s capabilities. Henry Ford II breaks down in tears throughout the film. Although we are unsure if that actually occurred, a high speed of 210 mph in the 1960s would have been enough to make any adult man cry.
Who actually prevailed at Le Mans in 1966?
On the occasion of the 55th anniversary of Bruce McLaren’s victory at Le Mans, it is important to remember that the driver of a works Ford competed in the race eight times, winning at his sixth try in 1966.
Miles and Shelby truly fought, right?
Some racial incidents were just included to advance the plot and strengthen the characters. The Willow Springs Raceway in California was one such instance. The conflict between Shelby, Miles, and Beebe was also exaggerated.
Although they did occasionally disagree with one another on their working practices, risk factors, etc., their disagreements weren’t as heated as they appeared in the film. Shelby and Miles also never actually argued, in contrast to how the movie depicted their relationship. Those scenes were just included to heighten the tension.