Directed by James Mangold and starring Christian Bale and Matt Damon, Le Mans ’66 is a thrilling evocation of Ford’s legendary battle with Ferrari at the world’s greatest motor race. Naturally the movie focuses on the American experience, albeit with a British-born hero, but the real story was rather more complicated.
It began in early 1963, when Henry Ford II was persuaded that his company could acquire sporting prestige by buying Ferrari. Enzo Ferrari was open to offers, but when he examined Ford’s $10 million proposal he spotted a clause that gave control of his precious racing division to the Americans. Unleashing a tirade of insults at Ford emissary Don Frey, he got up and walked out.
Back in Michigan, Ford was not impressed: “All right, if that’s the way he wants it, we’ll go out and whip his ass.” Frey suggested building a mid-engined GT. It was a sign of things to come that Ford took five minutes to approve the car and 55 minutes on the marketing strategy.
Seeking motorsport expertise, British-born engineer Roy Lunn was despatched to England, where he hired John Wyer, manager of the Aston Martin team that had won Le Mans in 1959. Wyer had been recommended by winning driver Carroll Shelby, a wily Texan who was also committed to beating Ferrari, developing the Ford V8- engined Cobra roadster and Daytona Coupe at his Los Angeles speed shop, Shelby American.
Lunn then visited Lola Cars of Bromley, whose Mk6 GT had shown promise at Le Mans. Powered by a midmounted 4.2-litre Ford V8, it was just what he was looking for, so he purchased two and brought Lola boss Eric Broadley into the new Ford GT project based in Slough. While Ford set about modifying the Lola Mk6, Broadley struggled with its corporate approach. He left the project and, sure enough, in testing at Goodwood and Monza the car demonstrated both a tendency to lift at speed and chronic braking problems due to its weight. Nevertheless, now with a 4.7-litre engine, the Ford GT was unveiled in Slough on April 1 1964 before appearing at the New York Auto Show.