The decision to end the race in a manner that would solidify Ford’s growing racing supremacy and openly display Ferrari’s strength as a track leader was made in the pits with Ford now poised to dethrone Ferrari. In order for three Ford cars to cross the finish line at once, Leo Beebe, then-director of Ford racing, came up with the idea of staging a dead heat by having the leading teams slow down and pull alongside one another.
Despite being informed by track officials that a dead-heat stunt win like the one intended would not be possible owing to the race’s staggered start, Beebe persisted, and the vehicles crossed the finish line side by side. Ford had finally defeated Ferrari in front of a large audience.
Ford won every podium position in 1966 at Le Mans after traveling more than 3,000 miles at an average pace of almost 130 mph. The Miles crew came in a little bit behind the McLaren squad after slowing down to account for the Ford finish decision. In the event that they had arrived simultaneously as anticipated, McLaren would have won despite starting the race a few positions behind Miles and covering a little more ground overall.
“Regrettably, Ken Miles, who passed away subsequently, didn’t take first place that year. To be honest, I struggled a lot with that “Hemmings quotes Beebe as saying that the decision to have a dead heat was made. “He was, however, a daredevil, so I drew him in and essentially arranged the end of that race, with the numbers one, two, and three. I called Ken Miles in and kept him back out of concern that the drivers would collide. All it takes is one fortunate mishap to wipe out all of your investment.”
Two months after the Le Mans race, Miles lost his life while testing the new Ford GT40 at Riverside International Raceway in Southern California. His car abruptly flipped and burst into pieces as he neared the back straight of the race at full speed, ejecting Miles, who perished instantly.
Ford’s convincing victory over Ferrari in the 1966 24 Hours of Le Mans has not been subject to speculation despite decades of heated debate over the decision to conclude the race in such a carefully orchestrated manner. Ford would return to Le Mans in 1967, 1968, and 1969, capitalize on its investment and podium finish, and win the event once more in each year.
In This Article...
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.
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.
Ferrari first defeats Ford.
Henry Ford II set out to defeat Ferrari on the racetrack in an effort to vent his resentment toward him. He put together his executive team and was ready to commit all of his financial resources to the project.
Within days of testing, the first two Ford GT40s were damaged. It had a 4.2L V8 and could reach 170 mph. But it was terribly erratic. After several failed attempts, Ford finally prepared three vehicles to enter the 1964 Le Mans.
Unfortunately for Ford, Ferrari won the race and captured first, second, and third, and two of his three vehicles caught fire. What a blow to the stomach.
Has Ford ever won a race over 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.
Ford versus Ferrari: Who prevails?
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!
Ford versus Ferrari: Does Miles prevail?
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.
Is Ferrari wealthier than Ford?
- On Monday, Ferrari’s share price increased by as much as 7% as a result of good first-quarter earnings.
- With a market valuation of over $30 billion, it outperformed Ford and General Motors.
- The corporation reduced its annual revenue and earnings.
On October 21, 2015, in New York City, a Ferrari was parked outside the New York Stock Exchange to commemorate the IPO of the Ferrari Automotive Company.
Ferrari’s market value increased significantly on Monday morning to about $30 billion, making it more valuable than General Motors or Ford.
As much as 7% of Ferrari’s shares increased on Monday after the Maranello, Italy-based sports car manufacturer announced earnings that exceeded expectations. Despite closing its manufacturing in March, the company shipped a total of 2,738 automobiles, a 5% increase. Revenue decreased by 1% to $1.02 billion, above analyst expectations of $852 million.
The business also began its Maranello and Modena operations on Monday; full production is anticipated to resume on Friday.
Investors are betting that Ferrari’s legendary brand name, high prices, and sizable profit margins will likely power the stock through the coronavirus crisis better than other auto brands, despite the fact that Ferrari produces only 10,000 cars annually, compared to General Motors’ production of approximately 7.7 million vehicles last year.
The market value of Ferrari rose to $30.1 billion in early trade on Monday before falling to $29.8 billion later in the day. Ford’s market cap dropped to $19.2 billion, while General Motors’ dropped to under $29.3 billion. The market capitalization of Fiat Chrysler, which separated Ferrari in 2015, has decreased to less than $13 billion. Since becoming public, Ferrari’s share price has more than tripled.
Investors praised Ferrari’s relatively mild revisions to the year ahead, despite the fact that it cut its profitability outlook for the year and warned of further downturn in its Formula One business and other areas in the second quarter.
Ferrari declared a dividend in April, increasing it by 10% to 1.13 euros ($1.23) per share. Ferrari stated in its earnings statement that it was cutting its earlier forecast for net revenue from 4.1 billion euros ($4.5 billion) to between 3.4 billion and 3.6 billion euros ($3.7 billion to $3.9 billion). From a top range of 1.43 billion euros ($1.56 billion) to a top range of 1.2 billion euros ($1.31 billion), it reduced its expectation for adjusted profits before interest, taxes, depreciation, and amortization.
In contrast to most automakers, whose margins are under 5%, Ferrari has been able to retain margins of 24% thanks to the value of its brand and the demand for its sports cars, which range in price from $215,000 to more than $1 million.
Although there have been “few cancellations” of car orders in the United States and Australia, according to Ferrari CEO Louis Camilleri, “so far there are no red lights flashing in any location.”
The item has been amended to reflect that analysts had predicted a decline in Ferrari’s revenue to $852 million.
Ford or Ferrari: which is superior?
Mike Salmon and Eric Liddell’s 4.7-liter Ford GT40 was being pursued by a Matra MS630 and an Alfa Romeo T33B 2 at Le Mans in 1968.
The Ford feels what it is: stronger and heavier, even before you have traveled anywhere. The Ferrari has custom controls, an open gate gearbox, and an amazing view forward over those sculpted front wings. It feels like a delicate jewel. The Ford functions much more like a tool.
However, drawing the incorrect conclusion that the Ferrari was inevitably the more vulnerable of the two would be a mistake. Yes, if I had to crash one, I would much prefer to be in the monocoque Ford, but if I had to bet on one to last 24 hours, I would always support the Ferrari. Contrary to what I believe most people believe about American V8s, the ZF gearbox is not the strongest, and the Ford engine is easily damaged, especially if you downshift a little too early. Ferrari’s faster revving, freer spinning V12, on the other hand, could be pounded into the ground and not fail its driver.
The client Ferrari would have most certainly outperformed the customer GT40 in terms of speed, but it was a pure prototype as opposed to the Ford, which was produced in far greater quantities (dozens as opposed to a small number of 412Ps). However, it’s important to keep in mind that Ford had to wait till a 7.0-litre engine to ultimately pound its way to a performance edge over its competition.
Chris Amon and Nino Vaccarella’s Ferrari 330P4 at Le Mans in 1967, followed closely by Giancarlo Baghetti and Pedro Rodrigues’ Ferrari 412P.
My memories of the Ferrari are of a car with light steering, a super-precise gearbox, the most wonderful sound, and a sense of occasion that is rivaled by very few others in fact. I haven’t driven both on the circuit at the same time. Due to its synchromesh ‘box, the Ford is heavier to handle and shifts more slowly, but it has a sound that is equally as fascinating despite being more like Detroit thunder than Maranello song.
The Ferrari would be my first choice to drive again due of its rarity, exquisite sound, and thoroughbred-like feel. However, very few people in that era would have had that option: Ferrari only provided 412Ps to its preferred teams, including Ecurie Nationale Belge, North American Racing Team, Scuderia Filipinetti in Switzerland, and Maranello Concessionaires in the UK. Ford, on the other hand, would give everybody who wanted one a GT40. They are both wonderful automobiles.
A Ferrari is faster than a Ford GT, right?
Although we won’t constantly use the F8 as a primary benchmark, Ford tops it at top speed by 5 mph to start. 211 mph in the prancing horse against 216 mph in the blue oval-badged automobile. Although 5 mph may not seem like much, it actually expedites travel.