Ferraris on the Big Screen?
It could happen, but they may have to share track space with Fords…
By Wallace Wyss
According to a story disseminated by Reuters last week, director Michael Mann is in talks with 20th Century Fox to develop and potentially direct “Go Like Hell,” the real-life story of the famous competition between the Ford Motor Co. and Ferrari that led to Ford winning the Le Mans in 1967. (Ironically the Reuters reporter must have forgotten that Ford first won in 1966.)
The Reuters story says that Ford ” was the first American car maker to win the world’s oldest car race, held annually in France. For years, Ferrari had dominated the contest.”
20th Century Fox plans to base their film on A.J. Baime’s (a Playboy editor) book of the same name, which they describe as the story of when “a young Henry Ford II — determined to infuse new life into his family’s company — decided to get into the European racing scene. With the help of racer Carroll Shelby and Lee Iacocca, Ford built and designed a car that could take on Ferrari cars, known for their speed and style. They ultimately won the Le Mans.”
In actuality, Ford pretty much designed the GT40 without Shelby’s help and ran their first season in endurance racing–1964–without his help but in the winter of ’64 sent the Ford GTs to Shelby to sort out since they had failed so miserably in ’64.
The Reuters story says “Insiders say the initial idea was for Mann to develop the script.” Various stories in the last few days say a script already exists, penned by Jason Keller. He has sold several scripts and is also developing “The Devil’s Throat” with Josh Brolin attached to star, as well as being in pre-production on “Snow White.” Coincidentally Brolin has been reported in being interested in the film, as well as Brad Pitt, though no stars are attached as yet.
Mann is a great friend of Ferrari. He, of course, is famous for featuring the Daytona Spyder in the pilot of the TV show Miami Vice though in the TV series itself it was a replica, later replaced by a Ferrari Testarossa replica. In the later feature film of Miami Vice, he features a Ferrari 430 Spyder. In 2009, Mann produced and directed a 3-minute promotional film on the new Ferrari California Spyder which was played at the American preview in Santa Monica to a Ferrari-owning crowd of invitees. Mann also once displayed his own modern Ferrari 599 GTO at a concours at the Art Center College of Design.
Wallace Wyss, a prolific non-fiction book author, has just signed with an agent to promote his unpublished suspense thriller set in the world of Ferraris.”
[Ed.]
Peter–
Umm- wait a minit here. Wasn’t it LOLA along with Broadly and Lunn who made the first series of Ford GT? I know that I was offered one of the first, but well used
LOLA -Ford GTs. I turned it down, as it was RHD. Not my bag!
John Bentley called me a fool for not buying it– So be it
Jerry
close but no cigar. Eric Broadley impressed Ford in 1963 with his mid-engined Lola GT (also called the Mk. 6) at the London Racing Car show so Ford ordered two of them strictly to use as development “mules,” i.e. to fit on parts they were making for their own GT car to see what broke. Ford made the mistake of using the Colotti gearbox which broke plenty! They also hired on Eric Broadley as a consultant when they started FAV, Ford Advanced Vehicles, but he chafed somuch with John Wyer, the ex-Aston Martin racing boss that Ford had put incharge of FAV, that he asked for an early out to his contract and went back to Lola to buildthe T-70 which he thought would blow the GT40s doors off. He was wrong. Sorry I am bending your ear about this in excess of your requirements but I am the co-author of the book FordGT40 and the New Ford GT so know the history of the GTR40 more than most. And maybe the car you were offered is back on the market–seems I saw an ad for it just yesterday in one of the Brit car mags,though I expect it’s priced a bit higher than when you were offered it.
Confirming that it was a Lola design, with Lunn for the street cars as well as the Ford team cars.
For a true rendition of the GT 40 story the part played by Nick Hartman, in whose shop the GT40s got the 427. The part played by Charlie Mountain, John Drawe and the phenomical computer work of Severn Johnson and some very specialized glues was significant. The development of KarKraft in Livonia as “skunk works” for Ford is a really intriquing story.
In the early ’70s I bought out of a Serenissima storage garage the original Lola tub that Alf Francis got as a gift from Eric Broadley (Alf saw it in Eric’s back garden). It had, according to Alf, the only Massimino-designed F1 engine that Bruce McLaren hadn’t blown up, coupled to a Colotti gearbox. The upper rear section of bodywork was missing, as were the carbs. Ugolini’s assistant couldn’t believe that I accepted their $2,500 price on it. We put a Holley carb on a plenum manifold we built, and it ran well. Ugolini refused to consider selling the two Alf Francis-designed F1 engines in crates. They looked like V8 Bugattis.
You tell ’em Wally!
I am expecting a “Days of Thunder” or worse, but will be delightfully suprised if this is more “Grand Prix”.
Man – a new good car/racing film. How great would that be?
Royston Lunn, who headed up Ford GT engineering, had his paychecks signed by Ford not by Broadley so I would say he is a Ford employee.
I am not giving short shrift to Broadley, I believe the Ford GT should have had an aluminum chassis like he was advocating, but Ford developed the design for the chassis and body over in Dearborn. To confuse things further, I heard that Phil Remington was assigned by Shelby to go over and help get the ball rolling, back when FAV wasn’t even up and running yet, so from that standpoint Shelby had an oar in the water of the endurance racing program but I think Shelby’s enemies at Ford initially wanted Ford to get all the glory and not Shelby which is why they didn’t have Shelby American run the Ford GTs in ’64. It was only when Ford failed miserably that they went to Shelby had in hand to get the cars and driver selections sorted out that they were willing to let Shelby get more of the publicity in exchange for getting a handle on how to build a winning car. (It’s all in the book SHELBY The Man, The Cars, The Legend, published by Iconografix, Hudson Wi)
I agree the Kar Kraft story hasn’t been fully told, and I am puzzled by a picture of a new J-car on the internet that was supposedly built by Kar Kraft–I didn’t know they were stlil in business. Apparently at the recent SAAC 36
Convention at Virginia International Raceway (VIR).there were three GT40 MkIV continuation cars. and a J-car like Ford tested at LeMans. All very handy if a movie is made! I think on the site below it says some private company bought the name Kar Kraft.
Here’s the link to pictures: http://www.gt40s.com/forum/all-gt40/34505-gt40-mkiv-eye-candy-saac-36-a.html
Hate to rain on their parade; but Reuters is wrong on Le Mans being the world’s oldest car race! According to Wikipedia, Le Mans began in 1923 while the first Indianapolis 500 was run in 1911 and won by Ray Haroun in a Marmom Wasp! We were there this year and had the great good fortune to meet Ray Haroun’s 96 year old son who was staying at the same hotel we were!
I never thought Reuters researched the subject that much when they
announced that the story would be built around the ’67 win by Ford at
Lemans when obviously the more important win was ’66. Henry Ford II only decided to race again in ’67 to show the racing world that the ’66 win wasn’t just dumb luck. I am afraid that we are entering a modern world where reporters’ research only goes as far as Wikipedia or what’s on the net, they no longer search out old magazines and such, forgetting that not everything ever printed is to be found on the net. If no one ever uploaded it, it ain’t there….
TIDE ferrari racing & TIDE Talent provided the FIRST ferrari for Miami Vice, belonged to long time friend Dr. Roger Sherman, Cocoanut Grove, Florida. Car was a 1972 -REAL ONE not cut and was used for the two hour pilot and a couple of regulars series, managed and controlled by TIDE model, Kimberly Denson now a classic car broker in Ft. Lauderdale. TIDE Talent set up numerous houses,models & other cars by Gillian Moore the co-owner / manager.A plastic copy was later used on a corvett frame called a Mardiquen.[?] Google tom davis tide ferrari racing palm beach for additional info. email pbtideyachts@aol.com. TIDE p.o.box 3115 Palm Beach,Fl.33480. [561] 635 9447.
Mardikian was the name of a family of immigrants who
did a lot of Ferrari work out of Manhattan Beach, CA in the ’60s including “legalizing” Boxers, importing Ferraris by the dozen. Al Mardikian served a little time in the gray bar hotel for improper procedures with legalizing. The showroom is still there but they have long since decamped. You have to give them credit for chutzpah, like the time they created Boxer and Lamborghini Countach targas, supercharged Boxers and other fun but not very original tomfoolery
First Ferrari 365 GTS Daytona SPIDER WAS REAL. TIDE sold to Dr. Roger Sherman, Coconut Grove heart expert in 1981. TIDE Talent Palm Beach rented the car to production company to use in the first two hour pilot and a couple of other one hour shows. TV crew did not drive car, all moving scenes were done on the back of a flat bed truck. TIDE was paid $500 per day for the real rent A car plus a fee for TIDE ferrari racing P.R. girl Kim Denson to drive to locations for static display. Copy cars was a Chevy Mardiken’s Corvette.