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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Ex-Free Press Photographer: ‘Ford v Ferrari’ Has Me Furious As Hell!
The author was a photographer for the Detroit Free Press before becoming a photojournalist and documentary filmmaker.
Now I’m really angry. I watched the film “Ford v Ferrari,” and I disagree with some of the character casting.
I had the good fortune to meet Carroll Shelby, a renowned automobile designer and racing driver, as well as Lee Iacocca and Henry Ford II.
Simply put, Tracy Letts, who plays Ford, does not resemble him at all. He resembles former Free Press publisher Neal Shine more than Neal.
He breaks down in tears during one scene when Matt Damon drove his Ford GT too quickly. Sorry! But the Duece was as resilient as a rock. I have raced Henry Ford’s products, and I simply do not agree. The Deuce was a leader in business. Why does Hollywood want to screw with our regional heroes, I wonder? These men had strong personalities and were powerful individuals. Lee Iacocca was the coolest person ever.
The movie was a terrific buddy movie with lots of action and great race scenes, but when it came to expressing the truth, it felt a little out of place and on the wrong side of the fence.
“Old man Ferrari,” according to Shelby, would do everything to win a race. He had ambition. If necessary, he would lie. As a result, Shelby is shown in the film by Matt Damon to be cheating by taking stopwatches and throwing bolts into the track.
The office set for Henry Ford was one item that was 100% authentic. Various jobs for the Detroit Free Press or People magazine kept me in that office. They got it right. That is exactly how it was. Ford could use the elevator to get directly to his office, which was located behind the front desk.
Usually, they cast cooler or more handsome persons to portray the parts of renowned people. Matt Damon is not even close to being as cool as Caroll Shelby was.
Rocket1991
I’m assuming you haven’t watched the film. Carroll Shelby is timing Ken Miles’ laps in the pits when he decides to use the Ferrari stopwatches rather than his Heuer in the incident in question.
It is also simpler to read and makes more sense. Unfortunately, I haven’t had the opportunity to see Move yet despite my plans. Damon and Bale are both excellent actors, so it should be amazing.
Real-life friends complain that one of the Ford v Ferrari characters received unfair treatment.
Real-life drama just cannot always compete with fictitious drama. There are good reasons why movies about real-life events are so well-liked. Having said that, real life situations don’t always play out in a way that would make for a fantastic movie. This means that the story we see on the big screen is rarely entirely true; some details or characters are constantly changed, as some claim happened to a significant player in Ford v. Ferrari.
The newly released film, which is currently receiving a ton of awards attention, is about Ford Motor Company’s attempt to create a vehicle that can win the 24 Hours of Le Mans road race. While the underdog story is very real, some have come forward and claimed that Josh Lucas’ portrayal of one character, Leo Beebe, is not accurate.
Although the conflict between the two automakers may be the film’s ultimate purpose, the most of the action takes place between Caroll Shelby and his friend Ken Miles and the automaker that hired them but may not fully trust them to execute the job. Leo Beebe, a Ford Motor Company executive who was a real person but not at all like the character in the movie, according to many who knew him, serves as the main adversary.
Leo Beebe, who plays the antagonist in the movie, never liked Shelby or Miles and deliberately tried to ruin their chances of winning. The person Ed Cloues knew was not like that. Beebe and Cloues both worked on a board together, and Cloues revealed to the Philadelphia Inquirer that Beebe was actually exactly the opposite—someone who encouraged others to do their best.
It most certainly would not have been the first time that a real-life individual had their true character diminished. The truth is that a movie isn’t much of a movie if the major characters aren’t engaged in conflict with each other. Regardless of whether it was truly correct, Leo Beebe was cast in that capacity.
And it’s not that surprising to learn why Leo Beebe was selected for the villainous part. There is evidence that Beebe and Ken Miles did argue, and it was Beebe’s idea to have Miles slow down during the 1966 race at Le Mans so that the Ford cars could finish in a tie, which ultimately led to Miles losing the race, albeit unintentionally. The historical record surrounding the famous race is, to put it mildly, murky.
However, it is also natural that people who knew Leo Beebe would object to how he is shown in the movie. Ford v. Ferrari will be perceived as the “real tale” in many aspects by those who are unaware of the actual occurrence, which will lead to Beebe being viewed negatively even though his friends claim that wasn’t the case. Ron Jaworski, a former NFL player who is now an entrepreneur, described it thus way:
When reality appears on the big screen, it will always be altered by a Hollywood lens. A “true story” movie that alters the past isn’t always negative, but it’s good to be aware of these alterations so that viewers can see how closely the Hollywood version adheres to the original.
Carroll Shelby may have operated a Ferrari.
In 1956, he continued to win races with the Ferrari, began to drive for John Edgar, and established Carroll Shelby Sports Cars in Dallas. In 1956, he set a record in the Mount Washington Hillclimb Auto Race by driving a specially modified Ferrari 375 GP roadster to a winning time of 10 minutes, 21.8 seconds.
Which Shelby car defeated the Ferrari?
Gurney’s triumph signaled the start of the infamous Cobra-Ferrari Wars, which came to an end in 1965 when Shelby American overcame Ferrari to win the championship, the first and only time for an American team.
Shelby may have indeed taken Ford on a trip.
Carroll Shelby drove Henry Ford II in a thrilling vehicle, right? At Sebring in 1966, did Dan Gurney have to push his car past the finish line? Yes. Even though it isn’t in the movie, research into the factual story shows that it really did happen.
What was Carroll Shelby’s annual income?
Due to the nature of Carroll Shelby’s vehicles, some of them sold for ludicrously high prices and others for less than you might anticipate.
America’s introduction to the world of motorsports was made possible in large part by the illustrious Carroll Shelby. Shelby was a more than capable driver, but because to his involvement in the development of the numerous Cobra models and the Le Mans-winning Ford GT, he is probably best remembered as a constructor. Perhaps you are familiar with him from Ford V Ferrari, when Matt Damon played him. Whatever the situation, the man is legendary.
Even if you are unaware of Mr. Shelby’s background, you can undoubtedly infer from his achievements that he amassed considerable riches. Shelby had a net worth of about $40 million at the time of his death in 2012, and some of that money was invested in a collection of 23 automobiles. Shelby’s autos were sold at auction by Bonhams in Greenwich, Connecticut, six years after his passing, in 2018. Those in attendance at the sale saw that none of the cars on the auction table were particularly rare, exceptional, or valuable. However, the fact that Shelby personally owned and drove each of the vehicles up for auction held significant value for a lot of collectors.
Revised: April 2022 The final sale prices of Carroll Shelby’s autos are now included in this page. But how much did these vintage automobiles fetch at auction? Deals were made, if any? Who purchased them? And what was the selling price of the most costly car in his collection?