Ford versus Ferrari

Long before the Hollywood lights – this is the true, full-throttle story behind the Ford–Ferrari war that defined a racing era.

Ford versus Ferrari goes far beyond the dramatized 2019 film to deliver the definitive, richly detailed account of the personalities, machines, politics, and motivations that clashed at the 24 Hours of Le Mans in 1966. With an insider’s grasp and a historian’s eye, John Starkey uncovers the real drama behind the corporate rivalry that reshaped motorsport.

From Henry Ford II’s failed bid to buy Ferrari to the last-minute technical fixes and pitlane tensions, this book unpacks how the GT40 emerged as both a symbol and a weapon in Ford’s quest to dominate endurance racing. Along the way, readers will meet the figures at the heart of the story – Ken Miles, Carroll Shelby, Enzo Ferrari, and many more – in all their complexity.