The Ford GT is a major piece of history in American racing. Let me take you back: The year is 1962, and Ferrari have just won the Le Mans 24-hour race. Again. The men in charge at Ford have had enough. For far too long, Italian and German brands have dominated Le Mans, and Ford CEO Henry Ford II knows things need to change. Ford is fighting bankruptcy, and offers to buy Ferrari as a potential way out. Ferrari agrees, and a date is set. However, Ferrari pulls out at the last second, leaving Ford II outraged. He wants revenge, and spends every last penny of the budget on developing a sports car to finally beat Ferrari in Le Mans. 3 Months later, they have a car. It's beautiful, and looks fit for the job. Unfortunately, it's no match for the grueling race, as the car has no structural stablity, and would be unable to drive 24 hours straight in tough conditions. 5 Fired engineers later, they have a stronger car, and register for the event. They hire a unexperienced driver, Ken Miles. He has had little to no pro races under his belt, however, Ford sees something in him. It's race-day, and the tension is high. Ford put all their eggs in one basket, and they are counting on Miles' GT40 to deliver. The GT40 starts out strong, very strong actually. They are in 1st place with 2 hours gone. Ken can almost smell the Ferrari's and Porsche's behind him, and he falls back to 4th place. 5 hours are gone, and Miles picks up some news on the radio: a Ferrari has wrecked on turn 5. Additionally, the other Ford cars are quickly advancing up the leaderboard. Everything is falling into place for Ford. Ken Miles is 30 minutes ahead of the pack as he stops for a pit-stop. The pit-stop crew tells Miles the bad news: the door won't close. Might not seem like a big deal, but when driving at 200 mph, it can screw up the aerodynamics to the point it is extremely dangerous to drive. The Ford team take a risk: they remove the entire door. Miles resumes the race, and the door is complying. The pit-crew made the right call, and Ford are only 45 minutes away from a historic win. 25. 15. Ken Miles smiles brightly as he nears the finish, as he hears another radio message: Ford wants him to slow down, and along with 2 other GT40's, finish the podium spots all for Ford. They want the 3 cars to cross the finish simultaneously, and Miles is having none of it. After all, he deserves this win. Henry II tells him to be selfless, and convinces the stubborn Miles to comply. The 3 Ford's execute the plan perfectly, and Ken Miles looks to the crowd happily, proud he could win at such a famous venue. Later, after the champagne celebrations, a race official approaches him with a medal. a 2nd place medal. Miles loses it. He learns that Henry Ford told the other Ford driver to finish inches ahead of Ken. Miles slowly accepts reality, and returns to the racing scene soon after. It was Thursday evening, and Miles was driving a test lap, and crashes. It didn't seem to be a major accident, and people jog to the wreck, not realizing what happened. Ken Miles has died. After all the sacrifices he made to save Ford Motor Company, he was gone. 70 years later, many still remember him, the legend who saved Ford.
.jpg)
BEAUTIFUL
ReplyDeleteYes, I agree.
ReplyDelete