There has been countless stories about the Le Mans Ford-Ferrari rivalry, and this is the latest one.
Back in the early 1960’s, Ferrari was the name of the game at the notorious 24 Hour race, and everybody else was trying to put an end to the Prancing Horse’s winning streak. To make matters even more complicated, the event wasn’t a walk in the park, making Ferrari even more unbeatable. For instance, between 1960 and 1969, there were six fatalities recorded.
A win at Le Mans translated into a lot of prestige and Ford wanted to boost its sales through racing, but since the American car maker didn’t have any motorsport pedigree, it decided to buy the one with the most: Ferrari. However, after the deal fell through, Ford was determined to beat Ferrari at their own game, thus developing the famous GT40.
The rest is not history, contrary to popular belief, because it wasn’t easy for Ford to get the victory streak going against the Maranello team. In 1964 and 1965, none of the GT40s even finished the race, but everything changed after Carroll Shelby famously said “Next year, Ferrari’s ass is mine”.
Like a fable, you might have heard the tale before, but the new documentary offers an alternative glimpse into the past with interactive, period-correct scenes, and through the words of countless racing drivers and automotive personalities.