Description
By: Anthony Pritchard .
Description
One of the greatest eras in sports car racing was the battle for victory at Le Mans waged between Ford and Ferrari in the 1960s. This book tells the story in unparalleled detail and with a spectacular range of photographs.
By the early 1960s Ferrari had become the dominant force at Le Mans and a remarkable spell of success between 1960 and 1965 saw the Italian constructor win six consecutive victories in the famous 24-hour race. Ford, meanwhile, was becoming involved in motor racing, by means of its 'Total Performance' programme, in order to shake off its stodgy image and boost sales. Part of Ford's strategy was an attempt, in 1963, to buy Ferrari, but the approach was rebuffed — so Ford instead competed head-on with Ferrari in sports car racing by developing the legendary GT40.
Ford and Ferrari were locked in battle for four seasons, 1964 to 1967, in the GT Prototype category, which was the pinnacle of sports car racing. During the first two of these years the Ferrari team retained its ascendancy while Ford floundered, mainly because it expected victory too soon and too easily. But then the Ford effort, spearheaded by Carroll Shelby, won at Le Mans two years in succession, trouncing Ferrari. Regulations changed for 1968, but Ford's efforts — now led by John Wyer's Gulf-sponsored outfit — continued to bring glory, with victory in the Sports Car World Championship that year and two more Le Mans wins, giving the company a final tally of four successes in the French endurance classic and burying for good Ferrari's supremacy at Le Mans — the Italian team would never again win there.
The entire saga of these superb showdowns between charismatic cars and their great drivers — names like Jochen Rindt, Bruce McLaren, Dan Gurney, Pedro Rodriguez and Jacky Ickx — is told in this book by veteran motor racing writer Anthony Pritchard, who witnessed many of these contests, including all six Le Mans races between 1964 and 1969.
