Ford v Ferrari is the true tale of American car designer Carroll Shelby (Matt Damon) and British driver Ken Miles, played by Christian Bale. They were the oddball team put together by Ford to design a race car that could blow perpetual Le Mans winners Ferrari off the track.
If the new trailer for the upcoming film is any indication, Shelby and Miles were not a match made in racing heaven.
Even though—as seen in the trailer—Ford execs issued a clear mission: “We’re gonna bury Ferrari at Le Mans,” Shelby and Miles had a contentious relationship that could have torpedoed their partnership. That seems to be played for laughs as Bale and Damon wrestle like schoolboys in this preview, only to wrap it up with shared cokes and insults.
Here’s the synopsis from 20th Century Fox:
American automotive designer Carroll Shelby and fearless British race car driver Ken Miles battle corporate interference, the laws of physics and their own personal demons to build a revolutionary vehicle for the Ford Motor Co. Together, they plan to compete against the race cars of Enzo Ferrari at the 24 Hours of Le Mans in France in 1966.
The true story is definitely worth knowing—there’s a reason it was deemed worthy of the Hollywood treatment. From CarThrottle:
Henry Ford is at a motor race at Sebring to gain information on racing cars. During that race, he saw the Ferraris come through the field to win, and told himself, “We need those red cars.”
Ford had planned to buy out Ferrari, and Enzo Ferrari had agreed to this deal. Enzo was happy with the deal, knowing he won’t be alone in sharing power of the company. However, the contract stated that Ford would take complete control of the racing department, which Enzo was against. He wanted to keep control of his racing cars. Therefore, he turned down the deal, leaving but an angry Henry Ford II.
Ford told his designers to build a car that would crush Ferrari on the world’s biggest stage, the 24 Hours of Le Mans.
In addition to Bale and Damon, Ford v Ferrari stars Jon Bernthal, Caitriona Balfe, Tracy Letts, Josh Lucas, Noah Jupe, Remo Girone, and Ray McKinnon.
It blasts into theaters everywhere November 15, 2019.
