Ford vs ferrari

James Gelido

James Gelido

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If anyone has seen the new FORD V FERRARI movie then go see it. Highly reccomend! About the Le Mans 24hr race and the dethroning of Enzo Ferrari as the dominant race team for over a decade.

There is a 403 featured in the early scenes parked in the garage Ken Miles is working in the U.S. Strange they picked the 403 to shoot, as they were not a popular car in the states. Also a 203 is featured when they first travel to France for lemans. A homage to the French and their motoring history. Great stuff :)
 
My brother in-law took my sister to see it and she really liked it, said it had a good story line and I have heard couple of other wives also liked it, so might be the chance to take the Mrs along.
 
James Gelido said:
Strange they picked the 403 to shoot, as they were not a popular car in the states.
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About 40,000 403s were sold in the USA, and probably close to 10,000 of those in California, over the period 1958-1962. So it in fact was not a strange choice at all.

The movie is excellent and my non motorhead wife enjoyed it too.
 
Yes seen it and loved it, I wondered if the 403 was important, was it someones car, seems od that in a land full of land yachts they put a Pug there.
Saw to 203 as well and the Alpine on the trailer when they got to Lemans, even the Renault people I went with missed that.
 
Threads about the film (or its perceived shortcomings) have proliferated but with a different title elsewhere, of course I used that;
http://www.aussiefrogs.com/forum/toad-pond/137972-le-mans-66-review.html
As set dressing for a Ken Miles garage, a Porsche may have been more appropriate but Phil Hill's endorsement of the 403 was fulsome, and Madison Avenue ran hard with it in at least Road&Track and Sports Illustrated. The print campaign compares well with those like Jaguar and the famous VW one, and asserts sales and service at up to 600 "Pooj-oh" dealers.
Maybe rather than being ' not a popular car ' they were a foreign car so in that market, marginal.
 
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What do people think of the results? On facebook some are saying Miles was robbed by cheating Ford to get there man home first.

I think they stuffed up. I blame Shelby, he's a LeMans veteran, past winner, he knew it was distance covered in 24hrs not the fastest. He should have realised that Fords 123 finish would give McLaren the win.

Also, if Ford wanted there man to win wouldn't they want an American to win? American wins in American car makes a better headline then Kiwi wins in an American car. American coming third is saying the're no match for the British and Kiwis in the same car.

My thoughts anyway, what do others think? Conspiracy or stuff up?
 
Films take liberties for a story but all of the above could be true. Writing in Motor Sport six weeks later Jenks, Mille Miglia veteran, past winner after explaining at length what happened, felt Miles/Hulme the moral winners.
https://www.motorsportmagazine.com/archive/article/august-1966/18/le-mans-aftermath
While LM66 continues to generate Ford publicity, it was ever thus, as Clive James points out after an Austrian GP finish with team orders;
https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2002/may/14/formulaone.comment
 
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I think Ford wanted drivers from a small unknown country (at the time) to beat Ferrari to show Ferrari their car is superior. .
But a little far fetched me thinks that Ford planned for 2x Kiwi (Bruce/Chris) to will the debut race for their 1st race car, but obviously they didn't want Ken to be the poster boy for the GT40.

Still want to know which Ford executive woke up with a horses head in there bed and told to get out of Italy ��
 
David Cavanagh said:
Yes seen it and loved it, I wondered if the 403 was important, was it someones car, seems od that in a land full of land yachts they put a Pug there.
Saw to 203 as well and the Alpine on the trailer when they got to Lemans, even the Renault people I went with missed that.
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That's what I was thinking. It got a close range full shot which couldn't help but make me think they included it for a reason, especially, as you said, there was a handful of land yachts to choose from :joker:
 
fnqvmuch said:
Threads about the film (or its perceived shortcomings) have proliferated but with a different title elsewhere, of course I used that;
http://www.aussiefrogs.com/forum/toad-pond/137972-le-mans-66-review.html
As set dressing for a Ken Miles garage, a Porsche may have been more appropriate but Phil Hill's endorsement of the 403 was fulsome, and Madison Avenue ran hard with it in at least Road&Track and Sports Illustrated. The print campaign compares well with those like Jaguar and the famous VW one, and asserts sales and service at up to 600 "Pooj-oh" dealers.
Maybe rather than being ' not a popular car ' they were a foreign car so in that market, marginal.
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That makes sense. Phil Hill was the only ever American to win F1 and apparently he had and loved his Pug 403. Seemed to speak very highly of them.

https://www.velocetoday.com/phil-hi...YcAWEXm2X6XHaaPyawi4sjQAHrYMWzfBq38moJkAJ-XmI
 
James May has a very good video on youtube about the fight if you'd like some more realistic history.

And yes, I also remember Columbo's convertible 403. I think there is a story about that as well, if I remember correctly they picked it up from the back of a California dealership where it was collecting dust because they wanted something to reflect the detective's unusual personality.
 
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Many years ago I read an account of an Australian Gold Star round at Oran Park, Sydney during the late 50s. I think it was written by David McKay. He noted that on his arrival the car park was dominated by 403 Peugeot’s, “the family man’s sports car”. I should have kept it !!
 
schlitzaugen said:
James May has very good video on youtube about the fight if you'd like some more realistic history.

And yes, I also remember Columbo's convertible 403. I think there is a story about that as well, if I remember correctly they picked it up from the back of a California dealership where it was collecting dust because they wanted something to reflect the detective's unusual personality.
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Another page in history ticked off for Peugeot! Thanks, I'll have a look. Do you have the link?
 
Not sure either but I think it's got something to do with streams and rivers.
 
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