In the world of auto racing, Ken Miles was already well-known, but his role in helping Ford beat Ferrari at the 24 Hours of Le Mans in 1966 catapulted him to fame.
Even though Miles’ success was fleeting, he is still regarded as one of the great American heroes of racing, and the movie Ford v. Ferrari was inspired by his exploits.
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How Actually Died Ken Miles (& Why Ford v Ferrari Changes It)
Ford v Ferrari’s depiction of Ken Miles’ passing isn’t too dissimilar from the truth, despite some specifics being altered for the sake of the narrative.
Ford v Ferrari’s depiction of Ken Miles’ passing isn’t too dissimilar from the truth, despite some specifics being altered for the sake of the narrative. The real-life account of Ford’s victory over the defending champion Ferrari at the 1966 24 Hours of Le Mans has long been a Hollywood dream come true, and for good reason. It’s a fascinating story of squabbling egos, backroom dealings, and gifted artists trying to strike a balance between artistic integrity and commercial viability. It all culminates in a thrilling car race where one wrong move could result in a catastrophic collision and possibly instantaneous death for the drivers.
Ford v Ferrari, directed by James Mangold, eventually made it to the big screen after an earlier version starring Tom Cruise and Brad Pitt failed (Logan). In the movie, Matt Damon plays Carroll Shelby, a former racecar driver-turned-automotive designer tasked with creating the Ford GT40, a new racing vehicle that will enable Ford to finally dethrone Ferrari as the winners of the yearly Le Mans competition. Previously collaborating with Mangold on his 3:10 to Yuma adaptation, Christian Bale co-stars as Ken Miles, a highly skilled but temperamental World War II veteran turned professional racer who Shelby (an old friend) asks to assist him.
The film tragically shows how Miles was killed while testing a new Ford automobile (the J-car) at the Riverside International Raceway in Southern California, just a few months after Ford defeated Ferrari in the 1966 Le Mans (and he missed out on being the individual winner on a technicality). In reality, Miles was thrown from the car and killed instantly as it unexpectedly flipped, crashed, and caught fire for reasons that are still unknown to this day. After a full day of test runs, something happened just as the driver was approaching the track’s end. Viewers are dealt a cruel blow as the last laps of Ford v. Ferrari are wrapping up.
How did Ken Miles pass away?
In the film, Christian Bale’s Ken Miles is depicted as having experienced a crash two months after winning the Le Mans. Ken Miles is reportedly killed in the collision, which was reportedly caused by a brake failure. On August 16, 1966, at Riverside International Raceway, he allegedly crashed while testing the J-car.
Legendary driver Ken Miles defeated Ferrari to win the Le Mans race in 1966. It has been claimed that a mechanical issue with the vehicle Ken Miles was testing was to blame for the tragic incident that claimed his life in 1966. However, there are a lot of additional conspiracies surrounding Ken Miles’ sudden demise.
Ford desired to exact retribution on the racetrack.
Ford and his executives devised a strategy to exact revenge on Ferrari at the location of his greatest successes: the racetrack after being humiliated in the boardroom. The American business reportedly put $10 million into the Ford GT’s development as part of its Le Mans program (for Grand Touring). The GT would be renamed to the GT40, where 40 is the legal vehicle height limit, measured in inches at the windscreen.
Ford fell short in 1964 despite the substantial financial investment made in the initiative. None of the four American-built cars that were entered in the 24 Hours of Le Mans a year later ever made it to the finish line. Ferrari extended a winning streak that had been going since 1960, making things worse for Ford.
Ford was still keen to tame Ferrari’s prancing horse despite setbacks and the underwhelming performance in 1964 and 1965, so they hired Carroll Shelby, a former racing driver and automotive designer, for their assistance. Prior to creating the Daytona Coupe in 1964, Shelby had constructed and unveiled the first Cobra sports vehicle to a rapt racing audience. Shelby worked on the MKII version of the car, which had underperformed in the years before to 1966, for the GT40 Sports Prototype racing program, namely fine-tuning the transmission and increasing reliability.
The 2019 movie Ford v Ferrari is inspired by Shelby’s friendship with British-born Ken Miles, one of the drivers on the 1966 Ford team. Miles (played by Christian Bale) had previously worked with Shelby on the Daytona and Cobra development and racing, so he knew just how far he could push a car on the racetrack. The movie follows Shelby and Miles as they train for and participate in the 1966 French race. Shelby is portrayed by Matt Damon.
The Ford v Ferrari film, featuring Christian Bale as Ken Miles and Matt Damon as Carroll Shelby, brought the tale of Ken Miles, Carroll Shelby, and Ford’s GT40 defeating Ferrari at Le Mans in 1966 to the attention of the world. But what was the actual sequence of events that led to what happened?
As you might anticipate from a Hollywood movie, the plotline strayed from reality a bit. What portions of the movie are therefore accurate, and what details were exaggerated for artistic and dramatic effect? Check out the second in a series of videos covering the actual race and the movie in the one up top (part 1 can be viewed below).
At a race in California, did Ken Miles actually throw a wrench at Shelby? Has he ever thrown a punch at him in public? Was Ford management sabotaging Miles after he had a multiple-lap lead at Le Mans because they wanted their other drivers to win? At the finish line, what actually transpired? What did the actual podium scenario look like?
Using exclusive footage from Motorsport.tv’s Le Mans archive and images from Motorsport Images, we tell the story of what actually happened with interviews with a number of motorsport experts, including Miles’s son Peter, who was a young boy when all the real-life drama unfolded. Tom Kristensen, a nine-time winner of the Le Mans 24 Hours, serves as the narration.
Why did Ken Miles lose the Ford vs. Ferrari competition?
In the movie, it is shown that Miles’ door wouldn’t properly close, forcing him to pit after just one lap. That actually occurred as well. After experiencing tire issues, McLaren reportedly yelled at Amon to “drive like hell” and go faster than the agreed upon pace.
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.
Did Ford win with Ken Miles?
After winning the first 24 Hours of Daytona at the Daytona International Speedway in a Ford Mk II for Shelby American Racing, drivers Lloyd Ruby and Ken Miles relax in victory lane. The two had paired up to win the Daytona Continental 2000 KM race the previous year.
Who won the Ford vs. Ferrari battle?
Ford suffers another setback as Ferrari’s new 330 P4 destroys its GT40s in the 1967 Daytona 24 Hours, taking the race in a humiliating 1-2-3 finish, only months after Miles died in testing.
However, Shelby has the solution in the form of a brand-new, American-made vehicle named the Mark IV. It gets its revenge at the next year’s Le Mans with famous drivers Dan Gurney and AJ Foyt after a fantastic race that features a time when the leaders come to a stop out on the course in the most strange stand-off in motorsport history!
Did Ken Miles truly prevail at Le Mans?
Ken Miles, a British native, was a talented race car driver and engineer. Miles became interested with Ford’s GT racing program through his work for Carroll Shelby. In 1966, Miles finished second at Le Mans and claimed victories at the 12 Hours of Sebring and the 24 Hours of Daytona. Later that year, while testing Ford’s J-Car, Miles was killed in a collision.
Why was Ken Miles unsuccessful?
This is due to the fact that race officials decided Bruce McLaren and Chris Amon travelled a longer distance in the same amount of time because they started the race further back. Ken Miles was denied the opportunity to win Sebring, Daytona, and Le Mans all in the same year due to the botched photo finish.
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
Which Ferrari was defeated by the GT40?
In 2016, on the occasion of the 50th anniversary of Ford’s triumph in 1966, Rushbrook’s crew guided Ford to victory in the GT class of the 24 Hours of Le Mans following a fierce battle with a Ferrari 488. The victory has aided in the global sales of Ford vehicles like the Mustang, making it the most popular sports car in the world.
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.
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.