Ford vs Ferrari: at Le Mans 1966 & Racing History of GT40

The story of a monumental battle, as Ford and Ferrari vied for racing supremacy at Le Mans during the 1960s. Following the development of Ford’s GT40, Ken Miles’ involvement, and Ferrari’s No 1 driver, John Surtees, this fascinating book gives the full story of the fight between two giants of the automotive racing history. Synopsis What happened when America's richest car company, producing many thousands of cars per year, went head to head with Ferrari of Italy in the mid ‘60s? This is the story of an immovable force coming up against the stubbornness of an unmovable object – that is, Ford against Ferrari. Enzo Ferrari, whose company produced less than four hundred cars per year in 1963, wasn’t going to bow to Ford after he had turned down its offer to buy his company. The only place left to duke it out was on the racetracks of the world … and one in particular: Le Mans. • Ford versus Ferrari at Le Mans was THE clash of TITANS in the 1960s • This is the story of the events leading up to the battles at Le Mans between 1964 and 1967 • Chronicles the evolution and development of the Ford GT40, alongside the rise of Ferrari in auto racing • The story of Ken Miles, the Englishman who led the Ford team to victory • Follows the career of John Surtees - Ferrari’s number one driver, and champion on both two wheels and four! Additional Information Period Covered: 1962-1969 Models Covered: Porsche, Lola, Ferrari, Sauber, Nissan, Corvette, Group C cars. There has never been a struggle to match the Ferrari versus Ford contest in motor racing history, both in terms of cost and effort. A clash of strong personalities: Enzo Ferrari up against Henry Ford II with all the American company's money. A detailed description of every race the cars entered. The story behind the film “Ford v Ferrari” This new edition of The Ford that Beat Ferrari tells the story of the celebrated Ford GT40 through a remarkable array of over 850 period photographs, many of them in color. After Ford unsuccessfully attempted to buy Ferrari, in 1963, the American car giant instead embarked on its own racing programme in a bid to beat the famous Italian marque at the world’s most prestigious race, the Le Mans 24 Hours, as told in the forthcoming Hollywood movie Ford v. Ferrari. This updated edition of The Ford that Beat Ferrari tells the story of how that mission was eventually accomplished. Development of the GT40: how the prototype Ford GT emerged in 1964 from the previous year’s Lola GT programme. The works teams and the GT40: the car’s racing exploits in its earlier years, first with Ford Advanced Vehicles (1964), then Shelby American (1965) and Alan Mann Racing (1966). The big ones: this section of the book covers the GT40’s evolution into the 7-litre monsters that brought enormous success, including the first two Le Mans victories with the Mark II (1966) and Mark IV (1967), before becoming outlawed by new restrictions on engine size. The Gulf years: against all expectations, the venerable GT40, now back to 5-litre power, raced on with John Wyer’s crack JW Automotive Engineering outfit in the iconic blue and orange colors of Gulf, successes including two further Le Mans wins (1968 and 1969). The production line racer: the stories of the 68 privateers, big and small, who raced GT40s. Chassis and drivers: a data section giving resumés of type designations, chassis histories and all drivers who raced GT40s. The magic lives on: the book’s concluding sections show surviving cars at differing stages in their later life and bring the story up to date with developments since the 2005 edition.