Ford: 7,000 turns to Ferrari! ｜A century of history says I don’t exercise, but this car will convince you

If you talk about movies about cars, most friends will think of "Initial D", "The Fast and the Furious Series" and other movies that do not have obvious brand characteristics in their names. And this year A car biopic that was shortlisted for an Oscar but missed out on a statuette did the opposite. Its name is:

"Ford? V. Ferrari"

Of course, in Chinese Transliterate it into "Speed ????Car King"

Perhaps for most car fans, the original name may be more pleasant because it is more enjoyable to watch, such as "Superman vs. Batman" , "Iron Man vs. Calabash Boy"...

For such a movie that promotes Ford's sports culture, it seems easy for Waiguoren to keep it from looking like the manufacturer's internal promotional video, but Douban It’s surprising that the film received a high rating of 8.6 but was not well-received in the United States. Moreover, the box office revenue was only 31 million U.S. dollars. Compared with the investment cost of nearly 100 million U.S. dollars, there can only be two words: "bloody loss."

(US IMDb score 8.2)

Most people attribute its failure to the fact that there were a lot of car-related scenes in the film, and the audience was too masculine and single-minded. As a result, people are unwilling to watch two gentlemen shouting: "We drivers don't need women!"

The storyline told in this film comes from real events in history, that is, Ford's failed attempt to acquire Ferrari and build a supercar Defeat this Italian guy in the 24 hours of Le Mans and then laugh...

But today, in addition to restoring part of the real history, we will also discuss some topics about the driver and the Ford GT, and also extend The question of what it means to go to a car brand to compete for championships.

The film restores the real events to a roughly 90% accuracy, but for the sake of richness of the plot, about 10% dramatic additions and changes were made. First of all, the acquisition of Ferrari in 1963 was real, but it was negotiated by the then Ford Vice President Don Foley, and Enzo did insult Henry Ford II.

(movie scene)

(Ford II in history)

This failed acquisition was directed and acted by Ferrari in order to increase its value. ? In fact, it is not true. Fiat initially only acquired 10% of Ferrari's shares, and later reached 90%. In the movie, Ferrari was acquired by Fiat after Ford executives left, implying that the insincere Italians do not really exist.

Did Ferrari Enzo really disagree because of the racing project? According to the contract at the time, Mr. Enzo did have differences with Ford regarding the management of the team and racing projects. As a result, he became angry and rejected the acquisition, cursing Mr. Ford.

(Historical Enzo)

The success of the Ford GT is mainly due to Carroll Shelby and Ken Miles? Actually not. Although these two racing drivers played a very important role in the development of Ford GT, they mainly relied on Ford's profound car-making skills and large investment of funds, including the participation of some important figures. For example, Holman and Moody were undoubtedly of great help in improving the braking system.

(Miles and Shelby during the race)

Shelby drove the Ford GT on the track with the Ford II? And bet your company against Ford II? Of course it's impossible. As the head of Ford, how could he ride in a racing car without any safety measures? At the same time, it was impossible for Shelby to make a deal with Ford at the expense of his own company in order to let Miles race. Mr. Shelby was not only a great car designer and racing driver, but also a great businessman.

(Young Mr. Shelby)

Is it true that "7000 rpm will dry it" at the Daytona endurance race? It is also false. Although the Ford GT was very good at the time, everything would be operated by the driver on the track. Mr. Shelby on the sidelines could not hold up a banner to interfere with the driver's operation.

(movie scene)

Was the Ford GT a success as soon as it was born? The answer is no. Since the project was initiated in 1963, it took Ford three attempts to achieve success. During this period, gearbox and brake problems troubled them for many years. Before its birth, as many as 12 cars were tested. The 13th car was named Ford GT, the first 12 were named GT?101-GT12, and finally it was officially called GT?40S. GT was just a nickname.

Was Miles deliberately arranged to rush to the finish line together? In the film, it is true that executive O. Beebe asked the three Ford drivers to rush to the finish line together, and Shelby also agreed, which resulted in the loss of Miles's chance to have the absolute lead and make history.

(The finishing line at that time was in order)

Of course, in addition to the role it was expected to play in promoting the Ford brand, Ford officials were also misled by the event organizers. . At that time, the organizer's French officials agreed that the three Ford cars would cross the line together, but Miles, who was in the front, would take first place. But then an hour later, the organizers overturned it and decided who had run the longer distance based on the starting position, and then decided who would win the prize, which resulted in Bruce McLaren and Chris Amon winning. (Yes, that’s the supercar McLaren)

(The award-giving scene at that time) (Mr. McLaren in history)

Here we need to introduce Mr. Miles And that Ford GT. Missing out on the Le Mans 24 Hours championship became the biggest regret of Mr. Miles's racing career, because Mr. Miles had already won the Serbring and Daytona championships, and was only short of Le Mans to achieve the Grand Slam achievement. It was a great pity.

Introduction to Ken Miles: Born in England, he worked as a tank repairman in his early days. After the war, he drove Bugatti, Alfa Romeo, Alves and other models in competitions, and finally switched to Ford. Talents who are proficient in both driving and mechanical maintenance.

In 1952, he settled in Los Angeles, California and served as the dealer manager of MG

In 1956, he designed the engine and gearbox of the Porsche 550.

The protagonist of the film, the Ford GT40, was the four-time Le Mans champion in the 1966-1969 season. Before that, Ferrari won the championship in the 1960-1965 season.

40 means the car is 40 inches tall. It is equipped with a Ford V8 engine and uses an all-aluminum alloy chassis. There is a detail here. The Ford V8 engine includes two versions, 4.7L and 7L. The former one was not assembled later because of instability.

After the Ford GT won the championship that year, it played a great role in the Ford brand. In the North American market, a sports car began to be deeply rooted in the hearts of the people. Youth began to be equated with sports. People began to associate the Ford brand with The image has also changed.

This quickly reminds us of how much impact winning the event will have on the car brand? On the one hand, the honor of the event can rejuvenate the car brand, and it is even more powerful for brand image and product promotion. On the other hand, the ambition to compete for the top spot will also kill car brands. Massive capital investment and a shift in R&D focus will make car companies falter in the civilian market and even hold them back.

For the current major brands’ abundant capital strength, the event has become a small part of their huge system. It will not be like Ferrari withdrawing from Le Mans after 1969 due to financial problems, but the event is actually It is still a bet, the bet is on the dignity and strength of the car brand, and the understanding of this "transportation" by these men who control the lifeblood of car manufacturing.

From this perspective, Ford won back then.

This article comes from the author of Autohome Chejiahao and does not represent the views and positions of Autohome.