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Ford vs. Ferrari

LarryK

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Sorry Basil.
 

Mickey Richaud

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Two things: I haven't seen the movie yet, and am looking forward to it. Please, no spoilers!

And again, it's a MOVIE... best you can say is that it's fact-based - albeit loosely, perhaps - and so the writers can take certain license with the story line.

OK three things: How did political correctness comments creep in here?
 
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pdplot

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Bad news for us LBC owners. In the Willow Springs segment, they used real period cars on the track. They did have a TR4. It lasted 3 laps before it broke down. The most reliable cars were the Porsches.
 

waltesefalcon

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I saw it and enjoyed it for what it was. Bale stole the show but I thought the entire thing was well done, again for what it is, a piece of cinema.

Mickey, surely you already know how the story ends.
 
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The green GT-40 from the Daytona scenes was purchased by the Volo Auto Museum located just north of Chicago. I enjoyed the movie quite a bit, especially the fact that there were no 16 speed transmissions! :D

Presuming Mickey has seen the movie by now - the events at the end were "Hollywood"ized in that Miles wasn't driving a GT-40 but the J-Car. It was likely a budgetary restriction to use the black car rather than build a replica J-Car. How and why I knew this particular detail is beyond me, just don't ask me when my anniversary is though! LOL!!
 

PC

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Got to see it on Sunday.

As long as you can get past the the Hollywoodization of history, facts, technical details etc, for me it's one of the best, if not the best, car-guy movies ever.

It tells a great story, just not a precisely accurate one. And they did a terrific job giving it a period look and feel.



... that Miles wasn't driving a GT-40 but the J-Car. It was likely a budgetary restriction to use the black car rather than build a replica J-Car. How and why I knew this particular detail is beyond me, just don't ask me when my anniversary is though! LOL!!
Since we lost Miles in our back yard it's pretty easy to remember out here. Plus, the J was one of my Hot Wheels "unicorns" when I was a kid. (Every so often I look at them on ebay, the prices vary wildly.)

I do think they should have built one for the movie, though. I would have been pretty easy make a GT40 MK II approximate a J by building a "bread van" rear hatch and just bolting it on for the shoot.
 

waltesefalcon

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While the car wasn't a J, I did like that they referenced the honeycomb before Miles took off for the final time.
 
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pdplot

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One thing I would have added if I were the director at the end when they always post follow-ups - Because of Ford's dominance and the speeds they were doing along with the Ferraris, the FIA banned large engines in 1970 and no race winners since have come anywhere near covering the over 5000 miles of the GT 40s. Imagine driving from New York to California and almost all the way back in 24 hours! I've seen just about every racing picture ever made and this one was the best.
 

PC

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... Because of Ford's dominance and the speeds they were doing along with the Ferraris, the FIA banned large engines in 1970 and no race winners since have come anywhere near covering the over 5000 miles of the GT 40s. ....
Porsche 917 and Ferrari 512 that immediately followed the Ford era were faster around the course than the Fords and Ferrari P3/P4. Although weather, mechanical reliability, etc. kept them from always going farther over 24hr, the 917 that won in 1971 went farther than any of the Fords ever did.

Since then, various things like periods of even smaller displacement limits, strict homologation requirements, fuel consumption limits and a chicane being inserted into the fastest section of the course have kept total distances about the same even though the cars are faster.
 

LarryK

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100 km=62.1 mph, 100 mph=86.9 knots. :glee:
 
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pdplot

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I was being faseeshus.
Drove many KMs in Europe in years past. I liked it better. The distances seemed to be shorter. Try driving from CT to Buffalo, NY in a VW Beetle against the wind in a snowstorm. It never gets any closer.
 

LarryK

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I hear ya on the Beetle. Rode in one once in high school, on reserve tank. Pulled into a Standard station asked for 25 cents of gas. Attendant thought we were crazy. Went ten miles home and came back an filled up. The guy who owned the Bug had a 2 concrete blocks tied down by the spare tire. Said it kept the front end from lifting in the wind.
 

JPSmit

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I was being faseeshus.
Drove many KMs in Europe in years past. I liked it better. The distances seemed to be shorter. Try driving from CT to Buffalo, NY in a VW Beetle against the wind in a snowstorm. It never gets any closer.

+1 it was waaay better walking the Camino in KM - the distances passed quicker and looked way more impressive
 

3798j

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Saw it with three old friends. We all agreed it was entertaining but also agreed we just as well would have enjoyed a documentary. Back in the day we could only read about the GT40's development, but still came away from the movie wishing there had been more background with the successes of the Cobra and the Daytona Coupe. Well, last night watched Shelby American on Netflix. It's s 2 hour documentary on the life of Carroll Shelby. Loved every minute of it and would recommend it over the movie...that's not a slight on the movie, but that's how well done it is.
 

vette

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Saw it with three old friends. We all agreed it was entertaining but also agreed we just as well would have enjoyed a documentary. Back in the day we could only read about the GT40's development, but still came away from the movie wishing there had been more background with the successes of the Cobra and the Daytona Coupe. Well, last night watched Shelby American on Netflix. It's s 2 hour documentary on the life of Carroll Shelby. Loved every minute of it and would recommend it over the movie...that's not a slight on the movie, but that's how well done it is.

:encouragement:
 
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