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.
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The Real Meaning of “Ford v. Ferrari”
A battle of the automobile titans took place. At the 1966 24 Hours of Le Mans endurance event, a long-awaited battle pitting upstart Ford against reigning champion Ferrari for the checkered flag and bragging rights.
Enzo Ferrari, a former race car driver and the creator of the brand bearing his name, was the representative of the old world. The Ford GT40, a new version of a car that would go on to become a classic of international motor racing, and the skills of automotive designer Carroll Shelby were used by Henry Ford II to carry the torch for the new world.
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.
Who was the driver of the Ferrari-beater?
After Enzo Ferrari (right) declined Ford’s offer to purchase his business, Henry Ford II (left) became motivated to defeat Ferrari in Le Mans. What is the Le Mans 24 Hours?
Which Shelby car defeated the Ferrari?
Carroll Shelby raced the quickest and most costly sports cars of the day during his international career. The Ferraris, Maseratis, Aston Martins, and Jaguars were enormously expensive and had extremely complicated engines despite being undoubtedly quick.
Shelby was pleased by these sports cars’ acceleration, but not by their problematic engines, which necessitated frequent upkeep and repair. With this in mind, he questioned why no one in the US had created a sports vehicle that combined European handling and balance with an American V-8 engine that could be easily maintained at any independent or car dealership. He started to consider creating such a sports automobile and selling it for half as much as those made by European brands. He came up with the name “Cobra” for his vehicle in a dream.
Carroll When Shelby discovered that AC Cars in Britain had lost the engine source for its Bristol sports car, his concept became a reality. Shelby reached out to AC Cars and shared his concept. They were enthusiastic and advised him to get in touch once he had a manufacturer for the engines in mind.
Ford Motor Company accepted Shelby’s offer to build a sports vehicle because they were interested in competing with the Chevrolet Corvette. Carroll, who has always been competitive, described his desire to race Cobras in the United States against Corvette and against Ferrari in Europe. The World Manufacturer’s GT Championship, Ferrari’s exclusive possession since it began, was something he aspired to win.
Shelby founded Shelby American in 1962 as a brand-new business to produce his automobile in California. The Cobra, powered by Ford’s 260 and subsequently 289 cubic-inch engines, was a hit with Ford dealers and racetracks all over the world.
In North America, the Cobras dominated the Corvettes, taking first place in every race. As the team easily overcame Ferrari, the Cobra (in roadster and coupe form) won the World Manufacturers’ GT Championship on July 4, 1965. The only American automaker to have achieved this distinction in the past or present is Shelby American.
Pictured driving the first Cobra ever made, CSX2000, is Carroll Shelby. Shelby promoted the Cobra in a number of ways to generate interest, such as in numerous magazine articles and with prominent placement in the Ford Motor Company exhibit at the 1962 New York Auto Show.
Three of Carroll Shelby’s competitive Cobras are displayed proudly behind him. The 289 Cobra roadsters defeated the Chevrolet Corvette, its main rival, across America, giving the Cobra brand and Shelby American a solid reputation for performance.
Shelby American required a more aerodynamic Cobra in order to defeat Ferrari on the extremely fast European race tracks. Peter Brock, a Shelby American employee, created the coupe body. The Cobra Coupe had its public premiere at Daytona International Raceway, earning the nickname “Daytona Coupe” in the media.
Throughout the Daytona Coupe’s racing career, Shelby American used it to defeat Ferrari’s hitherto unchallenged 250 GTO. The Cobra Daytona Coupe assisted Shelby American in capturing the World Manufacturers’ GT Championship on July 4, 1965.
Did Ferrari lose to the GT40?
This article is about the winning racing vehicle from the 1960 Le Mans. See Ford GT for the supercar that was inspired by it. See DEC GT40 for more information about the graphic computer terminal made by Digital Equipment Corporation. Ford GT is a trademark (disambiguation).
The Ford Motor Company commissioned the high-performance endurance racing Ford GT40. It developed from the “Ford GT” (for Grand Touring) project, an attempt to fight against Ferrari in renowned 24 Hours of Le Mans races in Europe from 1960 to 1965. Ford had success with the GT40, winning the competitions from 1966 until 1969.
The project got underway when Ford Advanced Vehicles in Slough, UK, started producing the GT40 Mk I, which was based on the Lola Mk6. The engineering team was relocated to Dearborn, Michigan in 1964 as a result of dismal race performances (Kar Kraft). Several American-built Ford V8 engines that had been adapted for racing powered the range.
The GT40 Mk II ended Ferrari’s winning streak at Le Mans in 1966, becoming the first American manufacturer to win a significant European race since Jimmy Murphy’s Duesenberg victory at the 1921 French Grand Prix. The Mk IV was the only vehicle wholly developed and produced in the United States to take home the overall Le Mans victory in 1967.
The Mk I, the oldest of the vehicles, won in 1968 and 1969, becoming the second chassis to do so. (Until the Ferrari 275P chassis 0816 was found to have won the 1964 race after winning the 1963 race in 250P format and with an 0814 chassis plate, this Ford/Shelby chassis, #P-1075, was thought to have been the first.) With the addition of bespoke alloy Gurney-Weslake cylinder heads, its American Ford V8 engine’s 4.7-liter displacement capacity (289 cubic inches) was increased to 4.9 liters (302 cubic inches).
The “40” stood for its minimum permitted height of 40 inches (1.02 m), measured at the windshield. The initial 12 “prototype” cars had serial numbers ranging from GT-101 to GT-112. The Mk I, Mk II, Mk III, and Mk IV were officially referred to as “GT40s” once “production” started and were given the numbers GT40P/1000 through GT40P/1145. J1–J12 were the Mk IVs’ serial numbers.
Ford vs. Ferrari: Who won?
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!
Which automobile is in Ford vs. Ferrari?
The Ferrari 330 P3 and Ford GT40 Mark II are just the beginning. In the recently released film Ford v. Ferrari, Christian Bale and Matt Damon recreate the real-life events surrounding one of the most well-known auto races of all time: the 1966 24 Hours of Le Mans.
Ferrari or Lamborghini, which is faster?
These manufacturers are also closely related to speed and horsepower. The 488 Pista, which can accelerate from 0 to 60 mph in under 3 seconds and has a top speed of little over 210 mph, is the fastest street-legal Ferrari as of 2019. The Lamborghini Aventador SVJ, on the other hand, narrowly surpasses that with a top speed of 217 mph and a comparable acceleration time. Additionally, Lamborghini often builds cars with more horsepower.
Owning a car involves a lot of maintenance. Regular maintenance keeps costs from spiraling out of control, increases a car’s lifespan, and maintains a pleasant driving experience. For brand-new vehicles, Ferrari provides a free 7-year maintenance plan, and your dealership offers yearly vehicle inspections. For its cars, Lamborghini offers a variety of maintenance packages that include damage insurance. Supercar maintenance is more expensive than ordinary vehicle maintenance, so be sure to discuss maintenance schedules with your dealer. Fortunately, Lamborghini has a solid reputation for dependability, and new Ferrari cars typically exhibit comparable dependability.
Which is better, a Ferrari or a Ford?
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.