History Film / FordVFerrari

Sales are slumping for the Ford Motor Company. The first baby boomers are growing up and they don't want Ford's 50s-style cars. They want something cool and sleek, like a race car. Vice President Lee Iacocca (Creator/JonBernthal) proposes that Ford go into racing, specifically the 24 Hours of Le Mans endurance race, to boost their credibility and public image. Ferrari has won four of of the last five Le Mans races, and Enzo Ferrari (Remo Girone) is nearly broke; why not buy him out? However, Ferrari turns down their offer and insults their president. Furious, Henry Ford II (Creator/TracyLetts) wants to strike back. He doesn't want to just beat Ferrari at Le Mans; he wants to ''bury'' them. And for that, he needs a car.

''Ford v Ferrari'' is a 2019 film directed by Creator/JamesMangold and distributed by Creator/TwentiethCenturyStudios, centered on the 1966 UsefulNotes/TwentyFourHoursOfLeMans. It stars Creator/MattDamon as Carroll Shelby, and Creator/ChristianBale as Ken Miles.

''Ford v Ferrari'' is a 2019 film directed by Creator/JamesMangold and distributed by Creator/{{Disney}}, centered on the 1966 UsefulNotes/TwentyFourHoursOfLeMans. It stars Creator/MattDamon as Carroll Shelby, and Creator/ChristianBale as Ken Miles.

* PigInAPoke: Miles uses this trope by name when referring to the Ford Mustang, feeling that the entire thing should be redesigned if Ford wants performance to match appearance.

* RetiredBadass: Carroll was one of the world's top racers before a heart condition forced him to retire and move to design his own cars. He's still a good enough driver to make Henry Ford II openly weep in fear.

* HeroicSecondWind: At the Daytona 24, Miles follows Shelby's orders and drives like a man possessed in the closing hours after his team drove conservatively the rest of the race. This is actually a legitimate strategy in racing, preserving your equipment to easily overwhelm your opponents' worn equipment. The real GT40 likely didn't have enough in the upper 1000's of the rev range that simply going "7000+" would have been like an afterburner kicking on.

[[caption-width-right:300:''[[{{Tagline}} They took the American dream for a ride.]]'']]

* ProtagonistCenteredMorality: One might wonder who the underdogs are in a story about the massively wealthy but inexperienced Ford racing team against the small and artisanal but successful Ferrari team. The fact that the protagonists are at Ford makes that choice easy. Also, Shelby's pranks on the Ferrari pit crew could have real consequences on the race and would be considered dirty tactics if done by an antagonist, but because our hero does them, they're just funny hi-jinks.

[[caption-width-right:300:''[[{{Tagline}} "They took the American dream for a ride."]]'']]

* HistoricalVillainUpgrade: Close associates of Leo Beebe have protested his negative portrayal in the film, feeling that he deserves better than to be reduced to an obstructive stooge in a suit. In particular, the decision to have all three Ford cars finish in a dead heat is suggested to be a ploy by Beebe to spitefully steal glory from Shelby and Miles. In reality, the rules interpretation that ultimately awarded [=McLaren=] the win was sprung on the Ford team by the Le Mans officials halfway through the last lap. Beebe was just as dismayed by the news as everyone else and wanted to tell Miles to speed up, but there was simply no way to communicate with him.

* HistoricalVillainUpgrade:
** Close associates of Leo Beebe have protested his negative portrayal in the film, feeling that he deserves better than to be reduced to an obstructive stooge in a suit. In particular, the decision to have all three Ford cars finish in a dead heat is suggested to be a ploy by Beebe to spitefully steal glory from Shelby and Miles. In reality, the rules interpretation that ultimately awarded [=McLaren=] the win was sprung on the Ford team by the Le Mans officials halfway through the last lap. Beebe was just as dismayed by the news as everyone else and wanted to tell Miles to speed up, but there was simply no way to communicate with him.

* NewMediaAreEvil: Parodied - during the initial pitch to market 'cool' cars, Leo Beebe talks about the then-graduating-college cohort of Baby Boomers with the same dismissive 'these kids'll buy stupid stuff' attitude that boomers now hold towards Gen X, millennials and Gen Z-ers.

* EveryCarIsAPinto: Given the high-octane fuel, constantly dealing with overheating components and lax safety standards, this was a common occurrence for the time period. It's not literally every car crash, but it does happen several times.

Sales are slumping for the Ford Motor Company. The first baby boomers are growing up and they don't want Ford's 50s-style cars. They want something cool and sleek, like a race car. Vice President Lee Iacocca (Creator/JonBernthal) proposes that Ford go into racing, specifically the 24 Hours of Le Mans endurance race, to boost their credibility and public image. Ferrari has won four of of the last five Le Mans races, and Enzo Ferrari (Creator/RemoGirone) is nearly broke; why not buy him out? However, Ferrari turns down their offer and insults their president. Furious, Henry Ford II (Creator/TracyLetts) wants to strike back. He doesn't want to just beat Ferrari at Le Mans; he wants to ''bury'' them. And for that, he needs a car.

* BadBoss: Leo Beebe is a negative nancy who [[EvilIsPetty continually tries to get Ken kicked off the team for criticizing his pet project]], is a stubborn asshat who nearly sabotages Henry Ford II's dream project ''thrice over'', and is directly responsible for [[spoiler:causing Ken Miles' loss at Le Mans.]]

* CompositeCharacter: The Ford [=GT40=] was designed by dozens of engineers and dozens of Ford executives, the movie had been in production for a long time because they couldn't quite figure out how to condense it to a handful of characters. The movie does imply a number of others involved, including two other Ford teams at Le Mans and mentions of a design team in Britain, but the bulk of the story surrounds specifically Shelby and his crew along with Miles.
* CoolCar: Plenty to go around, considering the subject matter, but front and center is the Ford [=GT40=]. In the film the Ford crew acknowledge that they "just lost the beauty contest" as the Ferrari P3/4 is wheeled past before the race.

* DeliberateValuesDissonance: An enraged Henry Ford II calls Enzo Ferrari a greasy Wop in a time when such racial slurs were more socially acceptable.

** Funnily enough, Mollie, Ken's wife, drives in this way as well when she's upset when Ken doesn't tell her about his business with Shelby after his shop got closed, much to Ken's obvious terror.

* ExplosiveOverclocking: Cars simply can't be fast; their engines also need to be able to handle the stress. Pushing an engine too hard (over 7000 rpm in the [=GT40's=] case) can cause it to give out. Part of the reason Shelby wants Miles as a driver is because he knows the car inside and out, including where the engine's limit is.

* {{Foil}}: Henry Ford II and Enzo Ferrari are both leaders of their respective companies but aside from their mutual dislike of each other, they have almost nothing in common. Enzo founded his own company, and he looks down on Ford as an InadequateInheritor of his grandfather's company. Ford's EstablishingCharacterMoment have him chastising the entire workforce of his company for the decreasing sales and [[BadBoss threatened to fire them all unless they come up with a good idea that could save the company]], while Enzo is first seen [[BenevolentBoss calmly observing his mechanics work on his cars to ensure that they're motivated and satisfied working under him]]. [[spoiler: At Le Mans, Enzo stays with his pit crew through the entire length of the race [[note]] This is ArtisticLicenseHistory, though. In real life, Enzo Ferrari was never there at the race. [[/note]] and tips his hat for Ken Miles for being a WorthyOpponent. On the other hand, Ford left the racetrack just a few hours into the race in a helicopter to retire to somewhere else before coming back near the end, and doesn't seem to care that his desire for a historic photo finish cost Miles his victory.]]
* ForegoneConclusion: Anyone who's familiar with the racing industry will already know that [[spoiler:Bruce [=McLaren=] will win the 1966 Le Mans, Ken Miles will be killed while he's testing the J-car at Riverside International Raceway and Ford will continue their winning streak at Le Mans for the next three years]].

* RulesLawyer: Happens multiple times, the characters had to be very precise in what they do in order to not be disqualified on a technicality.

** The Shelby team reason out a brand new system of replacing brake pads, figuring it would be more efficient to swap out the entire brake assembly while switching tires rather than just the pads. The Ferrari team notices this and starts up a fuss, while Shelby makes it clear there AintNoRule against it and the rules clearly say you can replace any part during the race.
** [[spoiler:The Ford marketing team suggests a photo finish of the race with three Ford cars side-by-side. Shelby hates telling Ken about it, but leaves the decision in his hands while he is in the car, arguing that tying for first is still an accomplishment. Ken reluctantly agrees after proving everything he needed to, but the official first place was given to a different Ford driver (Bruce [=McLaren=]), as he started the race further back and thus had to drive a slightly longer distance to complete the race. By all means Ken was the best driver of the race and was screwed out of that victory]].

* EvilIsPetty: Leo Beebe has a personal grudge against Ken Miles, starting from their first meeting when Miles harshly criticized Beebe's pet project, the Ford Mustang. After this point, Beebe repeatedly pushes to keep Miles from racing for Ford.

** Shelby and Miles are both fans of this. When facing disqualification due to his car's trunk being unable to close, Miles grabs a hammer and beats the trunk until it closes.

** Shelby and Miles are both fans of this. When facing disqualification due to a piece of luggage not fitting in the trunk of their car, Miles grabs a hammer and beats the trunk until the luggage will fit.

* ButtMonkey: Chevrolet cars, apparently. None of the characters in the film have anything good to say about them, with Miles at one point outright said that Chevy Chevelle is a [[PrecisionFStrike “fucking terrible car!”]], and the Chevy cars we do seen racing on the screen in the race at Willow Springs end up breaking down mid-race.

* OnlySaneMan: Phil, a member of Shelby's crew, frequently takes this role, managing the business side of the company and putting up with Ken's antics.

* ProductPlacement: After their WimpFight, Shelby and Miles share reconciliatory Coca-Colas, and the scene ends with them clinking bottles with the labels turned to the camera.

* BunnyEarsLawyer: Ken is very temperamental, practicing BrutalHonesty and hates corporate oversight. At the unveiling of the Mustang he criticizes everything about it, saying he prefers a Chevy Chevelle. Shelby brings him in to develop the [=GT40=] because they were friends and he was simply the best driver of his time, but Ford marketing did not like him and kept him from the early races because they didn't trust his ability to promote the company.

* BadBoss: Henry Ford II's Vice CEO is a negative nancy who [[EvilIsPetty continually tries to get Ken kicked off the team for criticizing his pet project]], is a stubborn asshat who nearly sabotages Henry Ford II's dream project ''thrice over'', and is directly responsible for [[spoiler:causing Ken Miles' loss at Le Mans.]]

* EvilIsPetty: Leo Beebe has a personal grudge against Ken Miles, starting from their first meeting when Miles harshly criticized Beebe's pet project, the Ford Mustang. After this point Beebe repeatedly pushed to keep Miles from racing for Ford and his failure at doing so just made him push harder.
* [[invoked]] ExecutiveMeddling: The Ford execs continually meddle in the affairs of Shelby's team, normally in regards to Miles, since the execs think that Miles would only provide the Ford Motor Company a bad image for having a "beatnik" in their racing team.

''Ford v Ferrari'' is a 2019 film directed by Creator/JamesMangold starring Creator/MattDamon as Carroll Shelby and Creator/ChristianBale as Ken Miles, and distributed by Creator/{{Disney}}, centered on the 1966 UsefulNotes/TwentyFourHoursOfLeMans.

Sales are slumping for the Ford Motor Company. The first baby boomers are growing up and they don't want Ford's 50s-style cars. They want something cool and sleek, like a race car. Vice President Lee Iacocca (Creator/JonBernthal) proposes Ford go into racing, specifically the 24 Hours of Le Mans endurance race, to boost their credibility and public image. Ferrari has won four of of the last five Le Mans races, and Enzo Ferrari (Creator/RemoGirone) is nearly broke; why not buy him out? However, Ferrari turns down their offer and insults their president. Furious, Henry Ford II (Creator/TracyLetts) wants to strike back. He doesn't want to just beat Ferrari at Le Mans; he wants to ''bury'' them. And for that, he needs a car.

** Racers take several cracks as NASCAR, such as saying the racers only need to "turn left for three hours."

* ButtMonkey: Chevrolet cars, apparently. None of the characters in the film have anything good to say about them, with Miles at one point outright said that Chevy Chevelle is a [[PrecisionFStrike “fucking terrible car!”]], and the Chevy cars we do seen racing on the screen in the race at Willow Springs end up breaking down mid-race.

* AntiClimax: Of a sort. Being BasedOnATrueStory, [[spoiler: the goal to beat Ferrari happens a little past the mid-point of the final race, where Ken and Ferrari driver Lorenzo Bandini push their vehicles to their limits and Bandini's engine blows out. This gives Ken the absolute lead in the race and the last 15 minutes is more about how Ford is looking to market the upcoming victory]].
* AntiVillain: Enzo Ferrari is arguably no less sympathetic than the hypocritical Henry Ford II and his team of sycophantic, scheming executives. Despite the film's title, the Ford/Ferrari conflict is more of a backdrop to the the central conflict of Shelby and Miles versus the constant undermining efforts of the men who hired them. In the end, Ferrari himself [[spoiler: is one of the only people to show Ken Miles his due respect for functionally winning at Le Mans, while the Ford team push him aside and grant the win to another one of their drivers on a technicality.]]

* BadassDriver: Ken Miles is one of these. Carroll is too since he was a participant of Le Mans 1959 and the winner of that year's competition before his retirement.

* DeliberateValuesDissonance: Henry Ford II calls Enzo Ferrari a “Wop”. In Ford's defense (aside from the time he lives in), he has just been ''deeply'' insulted by Ferrari, both personally and professionally, in a way that was clearly meant to be just as insulting as the slur Ford uses.

* HistoricalVillainUpgrade: Close associates of Leo Beebe have protested his negative portrayal in the film, feeling that he deserves better than to be reduced to an obstructive stooge in a suit.
** The Ford Motor Company, portrayed as callous car salesmen and marketeers who exist to be an albatross on Shelby-American's neck, deliberately screwing Miles out of his win. In reality, while they had proposed the photo-op for selfish reasons, the decision to award the win to [=McLaren=] was done by the race officials. When Ford learned of what was about to happen, they wanted to tell Miles to speed back up and win, but were unable, as the decision was made in the middle of the last lap.