Ford v Ferrari facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Ford v Ferrari |
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Theatrical release poster
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| Directed by | James Mangold |
| Produced by |
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| Written by |
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| Starring | |
| Music by |
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| Cinematography | Phedon Papamichael |
| Editing by |
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| Distributed by | 20th Century Fox |
| Release date(s) | August 30, 2019 (Telluride) November 15, 2019 (United States) |
| Running time | 152 minutes |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Budget | $97.6 million |
| Money made | $225.5 million |
Ford v Ferrari (known as Le Mans '66 in parts of Europe) is an American sports movie released in 2019. It tells the true story of how American car builder Carroll Shelby and British race driver Ken Miles built a brand-new vehicle for the Ford Motor Company. Their goal was to defeat the famous Italian racing team Scuderia Ferrari at the 1966 24 Hours of Le Mans in France.
The movie was directed by James Mangold and stars Matt Damon as Carroll Shelby alongside Christian Bale as Ken Miles. It was a huge success with audiences and movie critics around the world. People loved the exciting driving scenes, the music, and the strong acting. At the Academy Awards, it was nominated for four Oscars, including Best Picture, and won awards for Best Film Editing and Best Sound Editing.
Contents
Plot Summary of the Movie
The Challenge to Build a Winner
In 1963, car company executive Lee Iacocca suggests a bold plan to his boss, Henry Ford II. Ford wants to sell more cars to young buyers. Iacocca believes buying the famous Italian sports car maker Ferrari will make Ford look fast and exciting.
Ferrari was winning almost every major endurance race at the time. However, company founder Enzo Ferrari changes his mind during business talks. He decides to sell part of his business to an Italian company named Fiat instead. Enzo also insults Ford cars and Henry Ford II personally.
Angry about the insult, Henry Ford II orders his company to build a brand-new race car. He wants to beat Ferrari at the world-famous 24 Hours of Le Mans race in France. To do this, Iacocca travels to California to hire Carroll Shelby. Shelby is a retired American race driver who won Le Mans in 1959.
Designing and Testing the GT40
Shelby knows building a winning race car is very difficult. He calls on his good friend Ken Miles, an English mechanical engineer and talented race driver. Miles has a strong personality and speaks his mind, which sometimes gets him into trouble with corporate bosses.
Together, Shelby and Miles begin working on the prototype Ford GT40 Mk I. They test the car on empty airport runways at Los Angeles International Airport. Miles uses his mechanical knowledge to point out design flaws. He explains how to improve the aerodynamics (how air flows around the car) and engine cooling.
At a party introducing the new Ford Mustang, Miles argues with a Ford company executive named Leo Beebe. Beebe thinks Miles is too difficult to control and tries to keep him away from the racing program.
When the Ford team travels to the 1965 Le Mans race, Beebe convinces company leaders to leave Miles at home. Shelby has to enter other drivers instead. The race ends in disaster when all the Ford cars break down because of mechanical problems. Miles listens to the race on the radio and knows exactly what went wrong.
Preparing for the Big Race
Henry Ford II is furious about the 1965 loss and threatens to fire Shelby. Shelby explains that building a great race car takes time and real racing knowledge. He points out that their car was faster on straight roads than the Ferraris before it broke down.
Shelby convinces Ford to let him run the program his own way. The team develops an upgraded model called the GT40 Mk II. During a dangerous test run, the brakes overheat and fail completely, causing a fiery crash. Miles manages to escape safely.
To solve this problem, the team invents a quick-change brake system. Instead of fixing individual brake parts during pit stops, the pit crew can swap out the entire brake unit in seconds. Shelby makes a bet with Henry Ford II: if Miles wins the famous 24 Hours of Daytona race in Florida, Miles gets to drive at Le Mans. Miles pushes his engine hard and wins Daytona.
The 1966 24 Hours of Le Mans
In June 1966, the team arrives in France for the 24 Hours of Le Mans. The race lasts for a full 24 hours, testing speed, teamwork, and machine endurance.
On the very first lap, the driver side door on Miles's car refuses to latch properly. Miles has to make an early pit stop so his crew can fix it with a mallet. Miles falls behind, but he drives brilliantly and sets several lap records to catch the Ferraris.
During the night, Miles battles with Italian driver Lorenzo Bandini in a Ferrari 330 P3. When Miles's brakes wear down, his crew changes the brake system quickly. Ferrari protests to the race officials, but Shelby proves the rules allow the change. Eventually, Bandini pushes his Ferrari engine too hard, and it breaks down.
A Controversial Finish and Legacy
As morning arrives, the three Ford GT40 cars hold the top three positions in the race. Leo Beebe wants all three cars to cross the finish line side by side for a historic photograph. Shelby tells Miles about the request but leaves the decision up to him.
Miles slows down on the final lap to allow his teammates Bruce McLaren and Chris Amon to catch up. All three Fords cross the line together. However, race officials declare Bruce McLaren the winner. Because McLaren had started the race several positions behind Miles on the starting grid, his car technically covered a slightly greater distance.
Miles accepts the outcome with grace, happy that the car proved itself. Enzo Ferrari watches from the pit lane and tips his hat to Miles in respect. A few months later, Miles sadly dies during a test drive of an experimental race car in California. The movie ends by showing how his work helped Ford win Le Mans for four straight years.
Cast and Characters
The movie features a cast of talented actors playing real-life figures from sports and automotive history:
- Matt Damon as Carroll Shelby: A famous American car designer and former race car driver. He won the 24 Hours of Le Mans in 1959 before heart issues forced him to retire from driving.
- Christian Bale as Ken Miles: A skilled British World War II veteran, race driver, and car mechanic known for his deep understanding of engines.
- Jon Bernthal as Lee Iacocca: The forward-thinking vice president of Ford Motor Company who created the Ford Mustang and started the Le Mans racing program.
- Caitríona Balfe as Mollie Miles: Ken Miles's supportive wife who understands his love for racing.
- Tracy Letts as Henry Ford II: The powerful chief executive of Ford Motor Company and grandson of company founder Henry Ford.
- Josh Lucas as Leo Beebe: A senior Ford executive who wants to protect the company image and clashes with Shelby and Miles.
- Noah Jupe as Peter Miles: Ken Miles's young son who shares his father's love for cars and racing.
- Remo Girone as Enzo Ferrari: The proud founder of the Italian car company Ferrari and the Scuderia Ferrari racing team.
- Ray McKinnon as Phil Remington: The chief engineer and master mechanic for Shelby American.
- JJ Feild as Roy Lunn: An English automotive engineer who helped design the early GT40 chassis.
- Benjamin Rigby as Bruce McLaren: The talented New Zealand racing driver who shared the winning Ford car with Chris Amon.
Production and Behind the Scenes
Developing the Script
A movie about the rivalry between Ford and Ferrari had been in development in Hollywood for many years. Early versions of the project were based on the popular history book Go Like Hell: Ford, Ferrari, and Their Battle for Speed and Glory at Le Mans by author A. J. Baime.
At one point, famous actors Tom Cruise and Brad Pitt were attached to star in the film. However, that version stopped because the planned budget was too high. In 2018, director James Mangold took over the project with a new screenplay written by Jason Keller, Jez Butterworth, and John-Henry Butterworth.
Real Cars and Stunt Driving
Director James Mangold wanted the movie to look as realistic as possible. Instead of relying heavily on computer-generated imagery (CGI), the production team built real, working replica race cars.
- Precision stunt drivers operated high-speed camera cars to film right next to the race vehicles.
- Christian Bale took special high-performance driving lessons at the Bob Bondurant School of High Performance Driving in Arizona to prepare for his role.
- The sound design crew recorded real vintage racing engines to make the roar of the cars sound authentic in movie theaters.
Filming Locations
Filming began in July 2018 and took place across multiple locations in the United States:
- California: The crew filmed test track scenes at Willow Springs International Raceway and Auto Club Speedway in Fontana. The historical Shelby American workshop at LAX was recreated inside a hangar at Ontario International Airport.
- Georgia: Roads in Statesboro and tracks at Road Atlanta were used for various driving sequences.
- Le Mans Replica: Because the modern track at Le Mans looks very different from how it looked in 1966, the production team built a huge replica of the 1966 Le Mans grandstands and pit lane at Agua Dulce Airpark in California.
The True History Behind the Movie
Why Did Ford Want to Win Le Mans?
In the early 1960s, American car makers were trying to appeal to younger drivers who wanted fast, stylish cars. Ford believed that winning famous international sports races would show the world that their cars were modern and reliable.
The 24 Hours of Le Mans was the most prestigious endurance race in the world. Cars raced continuously for 24 hours on a 8.3-mile (13.4 km) circuit made of public roads and closed tracks. Winning required speed, fuel efficiency, and mechanical durability.
| Car Model | Engine Type | Top Speed | Origin |
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| Ford GT40 Mk II | 7.0-Liter V8 | ~210 mph (338 km/h) | United States / United Kingdom |
| Ferrari 330 P3 | 4.0-Liter V12 | ~193 mph (310 km/h) | Italy |
The Ford GT40 Winning Streak
The victory in 1966 marked the first time an American manufacturer won the overall title at the 24 Hours of Le Mans. Ford went on to win the race four consecutive times:
- 1966: Bruce McLaren and Chris Amon (with Ken Miles finishing second).
- 1967: Dan Gurney and A. J. Foyt in an updated Ford GT40 Mk IV.
- 1968: Pedro Rodríguez and Lucien Bianchi in a Ford GT40 Mk I.
- 1969: Jacky Ickx and Jackie Oliver in a Ford GT40 Mk I.
Reception and Awards
Box Office and Critical Response
Ford v Ferrari was released in theaters in November 2019. It earned over $117 million in the United States and Canada, and over $108 million in other countries, for a worldwide box office total of $225.5 million.
Movie critics praised the film for its exciting pacing, practical effects, and the chemistry between Matt Damon and Christian Bale. Many racing fans commended the movie for bringing the history of endurance racing to a wide modern audience.
Major Awards and Honors
The movie received many award nominations during the 2019–2020 film awards season:
- Academy Awards: Won Best Film Editing and Best Sound Editing; nominated for Best Picture and Best Sound Mixing.
- Golden Globe Awards: Nominated for Best Actor in a Motion Picture – Drama (Christian Bale).
- BAFTA Awards: Won Best Editing; nominated for Best Cinematography and Best Sound.
- Screen Actors Guild Awards: Nominated for Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Leading Role (Christian Bale).
