Here’s your first look at the Ford vs Ferrari film: Le Mans ‘66

“The eccentric characters who pioneered racing, much like our astronauts and test pilots, put their lives on the line every day,” explains film director James Mangold. “The cars were prototypes, one of a kind, and sometimes death traps, dawning-age beasts so powerful they could tear themselves apart.”

Welcome, everyone, to 1966: the year in which Ford leveraged Enzo Ferrari’s sleight against the company into an assault at the greatest race of its day, the Le Mans 24 Hours. Now, there’s a movie about Ford’s role, and it’s called, fittingly, Le Mans ’66.

It stars Christian Bale as Ken Miles – the British racing ace who partnered Denny Hulme in the #1 car, and was famously ordered to slow down at the finish to allow Bruce McLaren to cross the finish line at the same time (though in doing so handing him and Chris Amon victory) – alongside Matt Damon as Mr Carroll Shelby.

The official movie blurb says both Miles (Bale) and Shelby (Damon) “battled corporate interference, the laws of physics, and their own personal demons to build a revolutionary race car for Ford Motor Company and take on the dominating race cars of Enzo Ferrari at the 24hrs of Le Mans in France in 1966”.

Mangold has also directed Walk the Line and Logan. He’s good. The film, judging by this first official trailer and new images, looks exciting. The actual real-life rivalry we already know is a story for the ages…

Here's the real story behind the Le Mans-winning Ford GT40