Ford GT
How Ford Silenced the Critics, Humbled Ferrari and Conquered Le Mans
Published on 3. December 2015
Book
Hardback
232 pages
978-0-7603-4787-4 (ISBN)
Description
Get the whole story behind the rivalry that inspired the 2019 movie Ford v Ferrari. Ford GT celebrates Ford's iconic victories, providing the detailed back story leading to its historic 1966 win, as well as Ford's follow-up win in 1967 and the GT's continued domination through 1969.
Author Preston Lerner details the ups and downs of Ford's GT program, accompanied by Shelby American photographer Dave Friedman's historic images. The GT40's last two competitive seasons in 1968 and 1969 are also covered, as well as Ford's triumphant return to Le Mans in 2016 for a complete review of this remarkable era in racing.
Henry Ford II, "the Deuce," wanted a race car capable of winning top-flight sports car events in Europe. Specifically, he wanted to win Le Mans. Ford learned that Enzo Ferrari would consider selling his company and negotiations quickly ensued. But after Ford spent considerable time and money reviewing Ferrari's operations and negotiating with Enzo, Ferrari abruptly backed out of the talks.
The Deuce took Ferrari's actions as a personal insult. Word was sent down from on high: beat Ferrari. Ford settled on UK-based Eric Broadley's Lola GT, a cutting-edge car that featured a mid-engine chassis and small-block Ford V-8 power. The Lola GT would morph into the Ford GT. Carroll Shelby helped shape it into the "Mark II" GT40. The result was one of the most legendary wins in racing history: Ford's 1-2-3 sweep of Le Mans in 1966. In fact, GTs went on to win Le Mans each year through 1969.
Relive one of the most exciting stories in all of racing history!
Author Preston Lerner details the ups and downs of Ford's GT program, accompanied by Shelby American photographer Dave Friedman's historic images. The GT40's last two competitive seasons in 1968 and 1969 are also covered, as well as Ford's triumphant return to Le Mans in 2016 for a complete review of this remarkable era in racing.
Henry Ford II, "the Deuce," wanted a race car capable of winning top-flight sports car events in Europe. Specifically, he wanted to win Le Mans. Ford learned that Enzo Ferrari would consider selling his company and negotiations quickly ensued. But after Ford spent considerable time and money reviewing Ferrari's operations and negotiating with Enzo, Ferrari abruptly backed out of the talks.
The Deuce took Ferrari's actions as a personal insult. Word was sent down from on high: beat Ferrari. Ford settled on UK-based Eric Broadley's Lola GT, a cutting-edge car that featured a mid-engine chassis and small-block Ford V-8 power. The Lola GT would morph into the Ford GT. Carroll Shelby helped shape it into the "Mark II" GT40. The result was one of the most legendary wins in racing history: Ford's 1-2-3 sweep of Le Mans in 1966. In fact, GTs went on to win Le Mans each year through 1969.
Relive one of the most exciting stories in all of racing history!
Reviews / Votes
"A fascinating new book documents Ford's attack on Le Mans 50 years ago." - Maxim.com"Lerner, who is a regular contributor for Automobile Magazine, spins a compelling narrative that not only provides the history of the car, but offers a window into the divisive politics that dominated manufacturer-backed racing in the 1960s. Had Enzo Ferrari not been the "vain, domineering, and egotistical" man that he was, and had Henry Ford II not taken Ferrari's rejection as a personal insult, we'd probably be without one of the greatest legends of American racing today." - CheatSheet.com "This book captures the drama and action of the era with a concise narrative, insightful interviews with the people that were there, and photographs that draw the reader in for probably the best look they'll ever get at large-displacement racing in the '60s." - Petrolicous.com "... a new book that should be on any Christmas shopping list that includes a car enthusiast. Long-time magazine writer Preston Lerner read the available source material, then successfully pulled together the significant skeins of this complex tale into a dynamic narrative. Lively and engaging, written in a contemporary voice, Ford GT reads like a 50,000-word magazine article, complete with multiple sidebars that provide deeper shades of meaning." - Forbes.com
"The writing is captivating and the images alone - in both color and black & white - are worth the price of this book." - HotRod.com "The saga of the car that helped transform modern motorsports, and the American drivers and engineers who made history with it at the 24 Hours of Le Mans... " * Automobile Magazine * "Award-winning author Preston Lerner teams with Shelby team- and racing-photographer Dave Friedman for a very thorough compendium of this most iconic American race car." * AutoWeek * "This year will likely see no end of authorship of articles and books on the Total Performance era, but this volume, with its first-person perspective, stands alone." * Hemmings Motor News * "The writing is captivating and the images alone - in both color and black & white - are worth the price of this book." -" * HotRod.com * "Ford GT - How Ford Silenced the Critics, Humbled Ferrari and Conquered Le Mans provides an excellent blend of narrative with deep levels of technical detail, rendering it accessible to the casual motorsport fan but still interesting enough for the true enthusiast." * PistonHeads.com * "If you're intrigued about Ford's campaign to beat Ferrari at Le Mans in the mid-1960's, this is the book you've been waiting for. We're happy to have it on our shelf." * Shelby American Automobile Club * "Lerner is an inspired writer, a wordsmith who never muddles a thought with a cliche, just his original storytelling. The period photography is stunning, soulful and each photo a complete story, with excellent captioning." * The San Diego Union-Tribune *
More details
Language
English
Place of publication
United States
Publishing group
Quarto Publishing Group USA Inc
Illustrations
77 color & 223 b-w photos
Dimensions
Height: 305 mm
Width: 248 mm
Thickness: 32 mm
ISBN-13
978-0-7603-4787-4 (9780760347874)
Copyright in bibliographic data and cover images is held by Nielsen Book Services Limited or by the publishers or by their respective licensors: all rights reserved.
Schweitzer Classification
Persons
Preston Lerner, a regular contributor to Automobile magazine, has written about motorsports for publications ranging from Sports Illustrated to the New York Times. Lerner has co-authored Motorbooks titles Winning: The Racing Life of Paul Newman and History's Greatest Automotive Mysteries, Myths, and Rumors Revealed with Matt Stone.
Dave Friedman was Shelby American's official photographer in the 1960s, accompanying the team to races all around the world. He is a longtime motorsports and film-still photographer and the author of several motor racing books, as well as a photography contributor to dozens more. Friedman lives in Newport Beach, California.
Dave Friedman was Shelby American's official photographer in the 1960s, accompanying the team to races all around the world. He is a longtime motorsports and film-still photographer and the author of several motor racing books, as well as a photography contributor to dozens more. Friedman lives in Newport Beach, California.