The 24 Hour War

The 24 Hour War

By Unknown

  • Genre: Documentary
  • Release Date: 2016-11-22
  • Advisory Rating: Unrated
  • Runtime: 1h 39min
  • Director: Unknown
  • Production Company: Chassy Media
  • Production Country: United States of America
  • iTunes Price: USD 9.99
  • iTunes Rent Price: USD 3.99
6.9/10
6.9
From 57 Ratings

Description

In the early 1960’s, Ford was drastically losing market share to GM and Chevrolet. The Corvette was crushing Ford at the dealerships and on the track. Henry Ford II was desperate to regain the market share his grandfather had worked so hard to build. While watching the 12 Hours of Sebring, Henry Ford II saw a beautiful red solution to his problems -- Henry Ford II decided to buy Ferrari. Enzo Ferrari had been dominating the racing world for decades. A former driver himself, Enzo lived and breathed racing, and the beautiful cars he designed reflected his passion for the sport. Enzo only sold consumer cars to fund his racing, while Ford wanted to win races in order to sell more consumer cars. Talks began between the two companies. After months going back and forth to Italy, Ford was finally ready to buy Ferrari. Ford would now have the answer to all of their problems: a lethally fast car that could easily crush the Corvette and restore their former glory. As the deal was about to close, Enzo Ferrari blew up and walked away. He couldn’t risk Ford interfering with what he loved the most, racing. Henry Ford II was furious; Ferrari had represented a savior to his company, now they were the enemy. He vowed to build a race car that would crush Ferrari on the track, no matter the cost. The track that became the battlefield would be the world’s most famous race – The 24 Hours of Le Mans, a race that Ferrari had been dominating for a decade. The grueling 24 hours of Le Mans is the greatest test of a manufacturer’s prowess on planet earth, and success there showed the entire world exactly who had the preeminent car. Henry Ford II turned the best and brightest minds in the world to developing a race car that could overthrow Ferrari. In 1964, the GT40 was born. The world was watching as Ford showed up at Le Mans. Unfortunately, Ford failed to have one GT40 even complete the race and Ferrari won Le Mans finishing in 1-2-3 in 1964. Now beaten down further, Henry Ford II hired Carroll Shelby, the only man that had proven he could beat Ferrari. Shelby brought with him experience, and a small team of ultra-talented hot-rodders that defeated Ferrari with the Shelby Daytona Coupe. Shelby brought a full team of GT40s to Le Mans in 1965 and again Ferrari dealt Ford and Shelby another crushing defeat, with not even a single GT40 lasting the entire 24 hours. With all of their money, and skilled engineers, Ford couldn’t match Ferrari’s experience, and Henry Ford II was now furious, giving his entire team business cards that said, “win or you’re fired.” Ford returned to Le Mans in 1966 with a vengeance. Ford pulled off the upset against Ferrari, winning the race with a 1-2-3 finish with the GT40s. The success didn’t stop there; as Ford went on to win in 67, 68, and 69. Ford achieved the impossible beating Ferrari. From 1966 to the present, Ferrari never won Le Mans again.

Photos

Reviews

  • Great History Lesson

    5
    By 914LE
    Wonderfully entertaining and informative documentary. After my first time watching this documentary I immediately watched it a second time.
  • 24 Hour War / Get It On!!! / Go Ford / Detroit-Dearborn

    5
    By Westown21Mailman
    Hey Ace Man, bought both movies before the Cruise in Dec 2016!! Only watched the Newman one before the trip. (Had a great time on the cruise, Awesome time to see you and your staff!) The Newman film had great footage of this man's love of life and his great racing career. Doc's are your craft! The 24 Hour War was amazing, and this is coming from a guy who doesn't know anything on racing. The film footage, old photos and interviews with the individuals that made history was spot on. Can't wait to see your next film.
  • Great movie

    4
    By Sergiocass21
    This is a really interesting documentary never knew about lemans this is great
  • Great doc!

    5
    By Pendergrass Wifflebat
    Carolla and Co. hit another out of the park. I'm not a car guy, but I loved the Paul Newman doc-& I love this one. Great story, great execution-super pro product. I'm looking forward to the next films from this group!
  • Great Doc. Very well done

    5
    By Billski7
    Really enjoyed it.
  • Great doc for anyone

    5
    By Johnnyhorm
    My wife and I watched this together. I know a little about cars and read the AJ book this was based on and loved this doc. My wife knew nothing of this story and really enjoyed it. She was surprised at the danger involved with these races.
  • Fantastic

    5
    By John Lee Pettimore
    Great documentary about a time when we in America not only turned left but also were able to hit the brakes and turn right. I loved listening to all the players from the old days of American racing.
  • informative and gripping from start to finish

    5
    By akcoug
    I highly recommend this documentary. The story is brilliant and the excitement of the racing, historical footage and modern-day commentary interviews from those involved cement this documentary as an instant classic. Well done, Adam, Mike and crew!
  • Great doc

    5
    By Bobchao
    Great documentary! fantastic interviews and footage about a super interesting topic. Another great offering from Carolla digital!
  • 5 🌟

    5
    By Maxkush
    Great film! Thank you Jules Dash!

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