Tonight the great racing movie Le Mans 66 – Against All Odds with Christian Bale and Matt Damon is on TV. The story is based on true events.
2019 Le Mans 66 – Against Every Chance started in the cinema and opened an exciting chapter in the history of racing. The plot takes us to the 1960s and introduces us to two important personalities: the US engineer Carroll Shelby (Matt Damon) and the British racing driver Ken Miles (Christian Bale).
Together they are to achieve the impossible: For the Ford Motor Company, they are working on a fast, light and stable racing car that will easily outrun the competition, first and foremost Ferrari from Italy. The fundamental conflict between the two motor houses gives the film its original title: Ford v Ferrari.
Le Mans 66 – Against All Odds tells of the legendary contest between Ford and Ferrari
The Ford GT40 is to be the first car to crash across the finish line at Le Mans 1966. That is the goal. But the road to get there turns out to be more arduous. Private and professional challenges make life difficult for Shelby and Miles. Director James Mangold wraps up the story in a gripping racing blockbuster.
Here you can watch the trailer for Le Mans 66:
Although some details have been adjusted for dramaturgical reasons, large parts of the plot of Le Mans 66 – Against All Odds goes back to true events. It is based on the 2010 non-fiction book Go Like Hell: Ford, Ferrari, and Their Battle for Speed and Glory at Le Mans by A.J. Baime.
Even three years before the 24 Hours of Le Mans in ’66, Ford initiated work on a new sports car, then with Bruce McLaren as lead engineer. Since the first test attempts at Le Mans 64 failed, Shelby took over the development of the Ford GT40 and brought Miles on board.
Before the two could celebrate the resounding success the film recounts, they suffered several defeats. The biggest defeat: at Le Mans 65, all six prototypes broke down on the track and preparations started all over again. It wasn’t until Le Man 66 that the Ford GT40 made history.
