Yes. In the movie, Christian Bale plays Ken Miles, who passed away two months after the 1966 Le Mans. While testing the Ford J-car, the replacement for the Ford GT40 Mk II, he was killed in a strange accident.
In This Article...
Is the Ford vs. Ferrari myth true? Continue reading to learn the real story behind how Ken Miles, who was portrayed by Christian Bale in the film, passed away in 1966.
Ford vs. Ferrari, an Oscar-winning sports action movie, earned an impressive $200 million at the box office. Ford V Ferrari is a tale of two auto industry titans competing for a ground-breaking race car in 1966. The famed British car racer Ken Miles, played by Christian Bale, drove a Ford to victory against a Ferrari in a race. Matt Damon portrays an auto designer who creates a Ford vehicle in order to leave his mark on history. Continue reading to find out if there is any truth to this epic tale of competition between the automobile corporations and racing superstars.
Miles, Ken (Christian Bale)
The real Ken Miles isn’t all that different from the bubbly, Brummie-accented Ken Miles that Christian Bale portrayed in Ford v. Ferrari. In reality, Miles transitioned from operating stodgy tanks for the British Army during World War II to setting records in some of the quickest sports cars made over the subsequent two decades. He genuinely relocated to Hollywood and made friends with the hot-rodding racing community there. He did, in fact, operate a tuning shop in North Hollywood called Ken Miles Unlimited, gladly but unsuccessfully, up until the beginning of 1963, when the IRS locked the doors due to unpaid taxes. He did have a kid named Peter and he did married a woman named Mollie. And, regrettably, on August 16, 1966, while testing Ford’s J Car at the Riverside Raceway, Ken Miles did pass very soon after Le Mans ’66.
Ford v. Ferrari’s character arcs and dramatic tension come from the countless small incidents and dialogue exchanges that distinguish the fictional Miles from the real-life Miles. Here’s one pointed example: The Shelby American team knuckles down at an airplane hangar near LAX to put different prototype dragsters through their paces after Ford II gave Carroll Shelby and his team a blank check to develop, manufacture, and road test a race vehicle to best Ferrari at Le Mans. In the movie, Miles loses all patience with Ford’s corporate gearheads when they try to weigh down his experimental Ford GT40 with an advanced aeronautical computer in the passenger seat, ripping the entire device out in annoyance and choosing to work with the rest of Shelby’s team to use a more tried-and-true, traditional approach: taping pieces of string to the vehicle’s exterior and observing their wriggling movements for signs of drag. There was no conflict at all. The computer collected data on the internal air pressure and temperature, and the string approach collected data on the vehicle’s exterior and exhaust. Ford’s aeronutronic technicians and Shelby’s team manager, Carroll Smith, collaborated to combine these two techniques.
One of the most famous and strikingly applicable lines from the late Ken Miles is one of the many jagged edges that were smoothed over in the process. The actual Miles stated, “I fear I’ve been screwed,” after discovering that he had given up his well-deserved victory at Le Mans ’66 to another Ford driver by caving in to a PR ploy. Bale’s delivery of that sentence would have been great.
vs Ferrari
In order to construct a new race car for Ford and beat Ferrari at the 2002 Le Mans 24 Hours, American automobile designer Carroll Shelby and driver Ken Miles face corporate meddling and the rules of physics. View all To overcome Ferrari at the 1966 24 Hours of Le Mans, American vehicle designer Carroll Shelby and driver Ken Miles struggle against corporate interference and the laws of physics to create a breakthrough race car for Ford. To overcome Ferrari at the 1966 24 Hours of Le Mans, American vehicle designer Carroll Shelby and driver Ken Miles struggle against corporate interference and the laws of physics to create a breakthrough race car for Ford.
Race car driver Ken Miles was employed by Shelby as a test driver.
The other half of the Ford v Ferrari motorsport bromance was Ken Miles (Christian Bale), an English race car driver who ended up being the victor for an American automaker. According to Motorsport, Miles was born in 1918 in Sutton Coldfield, England, and as a youngster worked as an apprentice at an engine manufacturer before enlisting in the British army at the outbreak of World War II and finally taking part in the 1944 D-Day landings.
One of Miles’ last competitions would be Le Mans in 1966. Later that year, a new experimental Ford was being tested in California when it overturned while traveling at 150 mph, killing the driver.
What Christian Bale Added to the Ken Miles Story from His Own Childhood in “Ford v. Ferrari”
The real account of how Ford Motor Company created a race car for the 1966 Le Mans that could defeat Enzo Ferrari’s reigning champions is told in the movie Ford v. Ferrari. Ford commissioned Carroll Shelby (Matt Damon), who then hired Ken Miles (Christian Bale), to create the GT-40. The movie generally sticks to history, although like any adaptation, there are certain theatrical liberties taken.
Currently available on DVD, Blu-ray, and 4K UHD are the director James Mangold, Bale, and Damon’s commentary tracks for Ford v Ferrari. Mangold shared one sequence in the movie that is pure Bale, and Bale talked about how he studied the actual Ken Miles to play the part accurately.
Son of Ken Miles Discusses Working With Christian Bale On Ford V Ferrari
Christian Bale has played numerous real-life characters during his career, some of whom are still living and others who have passed away. The New World featured John Rolfe, Rescue Dawn had Dieter Dengler, The Fighter featured Dicky Eklund, and Vice featured Dick Cheny. In his most recent movie Ford v. Ferrari, Christian Bale takes on the role of motorsport icon Ken Miles once more. Peter Miles, the son of Ken Miles in real life, assisted him in that role. Peter Miles said the following when asked about working with Christian Bale on Ford v. Ferrari:
Ken Miles is no longer alive and he wasn’t a public figure in a way that would have led to their being a lot of films of him, unlike Dicky Eklund who Christian Bale was able to get to know or Dick Cheney, for whom there is a wealth of available footage upon which to base his performance. So to assist Christian Bale in preparing for the role, Peter Miles helped the actor come to know who his father was.
Christian Bale’s portrayal of Ken Miles in Ford v. Ferrari had a foundation thanks to the sum of all these resources that contributed to create a picture of who Ken Miles was, what he did, what he looked like, what he sounded like, and his personality. Peter Miles claimed that the chameleon-like Christian Bale sought to be as true to Ken Miles as possible, which is to be expected. Therefore, his son and him working together was probably quite beneficial.
In all but one way, Christian Bale’s portrayal of Ken Miles in Ford v. Ferrari was aided by the information from Peter Miles. In the movie, the actor didn’t actually do any of the driving. Although Ken Miles’ son did assist Caitriona Balfe, who plays his mother Mollie Miles in the movie, I guess Peter Miles couldn’t help with that.
To help the actress understand the role she was playing, he showed her pictures of his mother and described how she was. It is unknown if Peter Miles met with Noah Jupe, who plays him in the movie, to discuss what it was like to be a child. In any case, the acting in the movie is superb all around, and Christian Bale’s portrayal as Ken Miles will undoubtedly put him in the running for an Oscar.
Ferrari vs. Ford is currently airing. Visit our 2020 Release Schedule to learn what movies will be in theaters in the following year.
Nick, who was up in Maryland, holds degrees in both communications and film studies. He wants to travel the world, meet people, and have adventures. If anyone has a lead, he’s still seeking for Season 3 of The Adventures of Pete and Pete on DVD.
In Ford vs. Ferrari, does Ken Miles triumph?
In the end, Ken Miles, who is portrayed by Christian Bale, does find himself in that cockpit in the skies. At the conclusion of the film, he perishes in a fatal accident after being defrauded of a victory at Le Mans due to an ineffective PR strategy.
Ken’s actor in Ford vs. Ferrari?
Yes. In the movie, Christian Bale plays Ken Miles, who passed away two months after the 1966 Le Mans. He was killed in an unexpected accident while testing the Ford J-car, the replacement for the Ford GT40 Mk II.
Ken Miles, a competent driver?
Given that he finished second at Le Mans in 1966 and won at Sebring and Daytona, Ken Miles is primarily recognized as a brilliant racing car driver (only over a technicality). Miles, however, thought and behaved more like a mechanic, which is why Carroll Shelby hired him to test drive and oversee competitions at Shelby American Inc. He was a skilled driver, but his mechanical mind also enabled him to fine-tune the cars so they would perform at their peak during a race.
Did Ken Miles truly triumph?
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.
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
Ken Miles appeared to slow down.
Leo Beebe insisted on having all three Ford vehicles cross the finish line together even though Ken Miles was in the lead. Miles grudgingly consents to slow down in the film so that the other two can catch up. Although it is a myth that Miles actually slowed down, the myth was printed in the film.
In a conversation with historian David Lewis that was cited by Hemmings, Beebe expressed his own concern that the Ford drivers would collide if they were all vying for first place.
Beebe admitted, “I had some tremendous troubles about that. “He was a daredevil, so I drew him in and essentially produced the numbers one, two, and three to bring that race to an end. 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.”
How true to reality is the film Ford vs. Ferrari?
At the 1966 24 Hours of Le Mans, one of racing’s most contentious incidents occurs, and as bizarre as the deliberate photo finish may seem, it actually did take place. Since Ken Miles was laps ahead of the pack, he purposefully slowed down so that all of the Ford cars would arrive at the finish line together. However, because to a mysterious regulation, Christian Bale’s character actually places second rather than tying for first.
All of that actually did occur. While the film depicts a three-way photo finish, only two vehicles actually crossed the finish line together, with the third Ford vehicle following closely after. It is stated that the picture finish in the Ford v. Ferrari race was a PR trick, and that is exactly what it was. Leo Beebe, the man who orchestrated it and who plays the main antagonist of Ken Miles in the film, has always maintained that it was also done to prevent the cars from breaking down or crashing as the drivers tried to race each other to the finish line, as that would have completely denied Ford the victory.
It’s difficult to pinpoint exactly what transpired near the finish line of the race because there are so many diverse and occasionally contradictory accounts.
Many of the facts depicted in Ford v. Ferrari and the personalities portrayed by Matt Damon and Christian Bale are true. Last but not least, the real Ken Miles, played by Christian Bale, perished in a collision barely two months after the 1966 race. Undoubtedly, it was a heartbreaking conclusion to a heroic tale.