In “Ford v Ferrari” Matt Damon and Christian Bale Take Us On a Historic, Thrilling, Game-Changing Ride
Mary Moore
|
And it’ll leave you ready to jump into the drivers seat.
It’s a melody harmonized between the engine and the track. The feeling in your stomach as nerves turn to a satisfying quench of adrenaline then to one of pure weightlessness. And clarity that reveals itself only in this moment of bridled recklessness. While most of us will never understand what it feels like to truly bring a car to this capacity on the track, ‘Ford v Ferrari’ comes pretty close to changing that.
When you settle into see this movie, which has whispers of “Oscar” around it and stars perennial big screen favorites Matt Damon and Christian Bale, you find yourself in the front seat for a very personal and rewarding ride. Based on a true story, ‘Ford v. Ferrari’ shares how American car designer, Carroll Shelby and British-born driver, Ken Miles tirelessly worked together to push Ford Motor Company to the forefront of the racing scene at the world’s top race, 24 Hours of Le Mans. Wanting to break out of the family sedan stereotype, Ford CEO Lee Iacocca and Henry Ford II attempted to buy racing powerhouse Ferrari, but Enzo Ferrari refused to sell. So, Ford enlisted Shelby to contest Ferrari on the track.
Ford v. Ferrari shares the real and often humorous look into the struggles Shelby and Miles faced while dealing with “corporate America,” and the deeper story of passion, friendship, and ultimately learning to stay true to oneself.
RELATED: FORD MUSTANG SHELBY GT500: THE FASTEST, MOST POWERFUL MUSTANG EVER
You Don’t Win by Being Like Everybody Else
As the story unfolds in the 1960’s, Ford was finding itself on the losing end of the car-selling game. Buyers wanted an experience. And while Ford excelled at manufacturing large quantities of vehicles, creating an inspired experience wasn’t a numbers game. They were going to have to forget what is meant to produce the highest amount of cars to finally find out what it meant to drive one.
Through Shelby’s leadership and challenging Ferrari, Ford’s leaders began to understand that you can’t get ahead by being exactly like everyone else – a lesson that defines the automotive business today: If everyone on your team and everything you produce looks the same, growth will rarely happen. It takes diversity.
RELATED: WHAT DRIVES HER: ELENA FORD, BREAKING THE GLASS CEILING IN THE FAMILY BUSINESS
When You Grab the Steering Wheel, It’s Your Car: How You Drive It is Up to You
While offering us a chance to peer into the history of the American automotive industry by looking at the changes that shaped it, and the lives affected by it, ‘Ford v Ferrari’ also begs us to understand our own driving forces. Why do we make the choices that we make in life? Is it for the accolades and the title, or is it simply because we enjoy the ride?
I’m not going to give away any spoilers about the movie because I think you should go and see it for yourself. But possibly this movie will allow you to walk away with a better understand of your own driving forces. And maybe it will also leave us all with the hope that, if we remain true to ourselves and the passion within us, we’ll eventually find our own way.
As the movie ‘Ford v Ferrari’ begs us to question, is anything really “impossible?” After their first win at Le Mans, Ford went on to win for four consecutive years, shaking up the American automotive industry and changing the way we experience our vehicles today.
RELATED: 2020 FORD EDGE ST: THE SPORTS SUV THAT COMES WITH AN ADVENTURE DRIVING EXPERIENCE