A truly good car movie is a rare thing indeed, and it's been a long time (six years, in fact) since we automotive enthusiasts were treated to one that looks as good as the trailer for Ford v Ferrari -- which was announced today.
Most of you have probably heard the story of Ford's mad quest to beat Ferrari at Le Mans after Il Commendatore himself, Enzo Ferrari, backed out of a deal for his company to be purchased by the Blue Oval at the last minute, and that Carroll Shelby -- of Shelby Cobra fame -- helped Ford pull it off.
Fewer of you probably know about the incredible cast of characters that worked tirelessly on an insane timeline to make that victory possible, and that's where this movie looks to truly shine. It's the story of what went on in the background, and what those people sacrificed that helped make Ford's GT40 the legend it is today.
A couple of years ago, the Petersen Museum in Los Angeles decided to put together a short documentary on Ford's effort to win at Le Mans. It's a perfect primer to get yourself all fired up for a deep dive into the history of one of racing's greatest rivalries.
The documentary is called 8 Meters, and it's worth checking out, as is A.J. Baime's definitive book on the subject. It's called Go Like Hell: Ford, Ferrari, and Their Battle for Speed and Glory at Le Mans and it was allegedly the source material for the Ford v Ferrari script before 20th Century Fox decided to go a different way, though according to Variety the rights to the book have now been transferred to Legendary Pictures to be made into a TV show.
Finally, you can seek out The 24 Hour War directed by renowned car nut Adam Carolla. It's a feature-length telling of the Ford-versus-Ferrari story and it's absolutely worth the couple of bucks it'll cost to rent online.
Once you've digested all of that, then comes the hard part: waiting until November.
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Discuss: Can't wait for Ford v Ferrari? Check these out in the meantime
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