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Go Like Hell: Ford, Ferrari, and Their Battle for Speed and Glory at Le Mans
by
A.J. Baime
By the early 1960s, the Ford Motor Company, built to bring automobile transportation to the masses, was falling behind. Young Henry Ford II, who had taken the reins of his grandfather’s company with little business experience to speak of, knew he had to do something to shake things up. Baby boomers were taking to the road in droves, looking for speed not safety, style not...more
Hardcover, 320 pages
Published
June 9th 2009
by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt
(first published January 1st 2009)
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"Go Like Hell" is the gripping story of two titans in the automotive world - Enzo Ferrari and Henry Ford II - and the battle they waged at Le Mans, when racing was the key to commercial success and drivers were killed routinely in the quest for victory.
Ford, eager to bring his father's company into the modern era, had approached Ferrari with an offer to buy the latter's legendary firm. Ferrari, however, had other plans, and used negotiations with the American giant as leverage to gain concession...more
Ford, eager to bring his father's company into the modern era, had approached Ferrari with an offer to buy the latter's legendary firm. Ferrari, however, had other plans, and used negotiations with the American giant as leverage to gain concession...more
This book, which covers the battle between Ferrari and Ford to win at Le Mans, is a great book for racing neophyte like myself. Considering most of my racing knowledge comes from playing Gran Turismo, I found the book both informative and entertaining. The book covers the technology and personalities involved such as legends as the Shelby Cobra, Enzo Ferrari, the P330, Carroll Shelby, and more esoteric ones such as Ken Miles, John Surtees, and the various incarnations of the GT40 leading up to t...more
A terrific account by A.J. Baime on the world of auto-racing in the 1960's. As someone who knew next to nothing about car racing before picking up this book, Baime does a great job of introducing novices into the rich history of global auto racing.
The strongest element of this book is that Baime brings to life some of the characters involved in the huge rivalry in the 1960s between Ford and Ferrari on the racing circuit. Most importantly, he portrays these larger than life characters as human be...more
The strongest element of this book is that Baime brings to life some of the characters involved in the huge rivalry in the 1960s between Ford and Ferrari on the racing circuit. Most importantly, he portrays these larger than life characters as human be...more
One would think i am an auto racing enthusiast given that this is the second book about auto racing that i read lately but that is far from true. In fact, the parts of this book that dealt directly with the specifics of the engines and the like were like another language to me. But i think the author knew that those passages would be unintelligible to a lot of people so he kept them short. Most of the book was focused on the competition between Ford and Ferrari in the mid-1960s to build the ulti...more
...pretty amazing story...had read a few books on Ford I and II and am somewhat familiar with Ferrari but the tale of their epic battle for LeMans in the mid-sixties, while somewhat aware of, is detailed tremendously in this book...the amount of money poured into the GT40 by Ford, the many men and personalities that played parts, and the tragic loss of life so tied to the sport in those days made for dramatic story telling...good book and I would recommend it to any motorsports fan though my NAS...more
Go Like Hell; Ford, Ferrari, and Their Battle for Speed and Glory at Le Mans: is an awesome book. A.J. Baime writes it where you feel like you are in the cockpit with the racers, in the interviews, and even makes you feel like you have oil stains, grime, and dirt all over your body. You can feel the vibration through your hands and foot, you can even hear the screaming V-12 engine of the Ferrari or the deep thunderous roar of the V-8 engine from the Ford GT.
A.J. Baime is the author of Go Like He...more
A.J. Baime is the author of Go Like He...more
Look I have been a club level race car driver for about 15 years, so it's not surprising that I love this book. However, I would recommend this book to anyone who is just mildly interested in racing. It tells the compelling story of the sixties Ford v.s. Ferrari LeMans battle. It captures the emotion and conveys the facts compellingly. This would make a great racing film. Hollywood, has a poor history with racing as a subject, but this has the drama and real life heroism that Hollywood often add...more
A compelling look at the "golden age" of sports car racing in the mid-1960s, and the fierce battle waged between Ford and Ferrari to beat each other at the 24 Hours of Le Mans, perhaps the most prestigious auto race in the world at the time. All of the principals involved, from the daredevil (and often short-lived) drivers to the ambitious company executives, are vividly brought to life in Baime's narrative. I especially enjoyed learning more about Enzo Ferrari, who was a very complex and often...more
Great story with indelible characters; most of the giants of racing in the sixties have some part to play in this narrative: Shelby, Ford, Ferrari, and John Surtees, but also McLaren, Gurney, Andretti, and Stewart, and the compelling figure Ken Miles, whom I hadn't known anything about before this. And then there are the real stars of the story: the Ford GT40 and Ferrari 330. Baime's writing gets a little breathless and sloppy at times (um, Marco is Mario's grandson, not his son), but overall te...more
I've heard that Ronny Howard is making a movie of this book, and I can understand why. It's a fast-moving story about fast-moving machines and the very colorful people who race and build and own them, specifically the Formula One contest in the early 1960s between Ford and Ferrari . It's written by a guy (A.J. Baime) who knows his subject (auto racing) well enough that he can simplify it. He knows what to put in and what to leave out, without the technical mumbo-jumbo that drags down many books...more
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I have to give this one five stars easy, I wasn't able to put it down and found myself caught up in the battle between Ferrari and Ford. The history and actual accounts incorporated with this story really puts you in the back and forth battle between these giants of racing in the 1960's. I would highly recommend this for car enthusiasts and history buffs alike as it is an interesting point in history where a huge amount of automotive ingenuity was thrust into the international spotlight with eve...more
A quick read for fans of sports car racing. The history doesn't seem to be complete and only covers events that are relevant to the story being told. For example the part about Ford trying to buy Ferrari and then Ferrari balking literally the day the contract was to be signed was kind of glossed over. Maybe that's because there's not a lot of records or meeting notes available, but this literally is what caused Ford to go after Ferrari at Le Mans and in my opinion the details around that seem in...more
I thoroughly enjoyed this book about the competition between Ford and Ferrari to win Le Mans in the mid-60s. The author does a great job of telling the story through narrative and dialogue rather than through dry facts. He also balances the story-telling between the histories of Ford and Ferrari, two companies and racing teams which couldn't be more different. If you love fast cars or trans-Atlantic encounters I'm sure you will get a thrill out of reading this book.
Excellent book -- I read a printed book! I wasn't alive during the Ford-Ferrari wars of the 1960's, but this was pretty captivating. The sheer number of drivers killed on the track was depressing, as this was a decade before proper safety equipment was developed. The book states that roughly 25% of the drivers were killed each year -- very sobering and depressing. Highly recommended to anyone with even a passing interest in cars or racing.
A quick and light read chronicling Ford's efforts to beat Ferrari at the Le Mans race. The book builds up to the showdown at Le Mans with examination of the leaders of two the companies, well known drivers of the era, the development of the race cars, and summaries of other key races. While aimed at racing aficionados with its intermixed technical jargon, the core story of two men struggling to outdo each other can be appreciated by all.
A brilliant and griping recollection of the greatest rivalry in motor sports, Ford versus Ferrari at Le Mans. The author hasn't left any detail while describing the people, the cars and the races themselves. The description of the '64 Le Mans made the hair on the back of my neck stand up. Every motor sports enthusiast, every racer, every petrolhead and every engineer must read this book once. It is nothing short of spectacular.
A J Baime wrote a captivating account of the battle between Ford and Ferrari in the 1960's. In this book, you will discover the passion professional race car drivers had in the fifties and sixties. Before the advent of seat belts and airbags, the man who won a race was often the one most willing to risk how life trying to get there. Despite the casualties, this book is a must read for anyone who is passionate about racing or the automotive industry. It provides great insight to the industry chan...more
A bit too focused on fleshing out characters in the widely-known Ford/Ferrari Le Mans story, and not enough on fleshing out the factual history. Necesary, then, to read this book alongside other books on the topic in order to get the much more interesting full story. Woefully short on the roles and views of Eric Broadley and Tom Wyer, for instance, and it's because of books like this that the nuances of history become lost. (You'd need to read books on Chapman to realize that Lotus' Europa was o...more
WOW! I've read many books and stories about the Ford/Ferrari wars in the mid-sixties. I never felt like I knew the full story; this book changes that feeling for me.
The inside stories about Henry Ford, Enzo Ferrari,and Carroll Shelby weave an spellbinding history of these great times in international racing.
Any racing fan or even non-fans will love this book.
The inside stories about Henry Ford, Enzo Ferrari,and Carroll Shelby weave an spellbinding history of these great times in international racing.
Any racing fan or even non-fans will love this book.
A very interesting book for any fan of Le Mans in genral and sports car racing in particular. A must read.
That being said, my main criticisms of the book include the awkward non-notation of the footnotes. While there is a compilation of notes in the endpapers, a little too much analysis is required to match up the citations with their references.
One major criticism is the author's Epilogue where he states that Le Mans as an event and spectacle deteriorated during the 1970's. I would maintain t...more
That being said, my main criticisms of the book include the awkward non-notation of the footnotes. While there is a compilation of notes in the endpapers, a little too much analysis is required to match up the citations with their references.
One major criticism is the author's Epilogue where he states that Le Mans as an event and spectacle deteriorated during the 1970's. I would maintain t...more
An excellent read. Well researched and structured book with just the right level of detail. A gripping look at one of motor-racings great rivalries. The races, the personalities and the danger from, arguably, the greatest period in racing's history. Entertaining, enjoyable and well written - a must read for car nuts, racing fans or anyone looking for a high-revving, real-life drama from an unforgettable era.
Mar 23, 2011
Brian
rated it
5 of 5 stars
Recommends it for:
Anyone
Recommended to Brian by:
Amazon.com
This is a great book. Anyone who has an interest in cars will enjoy reading this. This book was very well written and a real page turner. That says a lot coming from me who doesn't usually read books because I like non-fiction and some of those are dry. This was written like a fiction novel, but all true. Highly Recommended!!
Fascinating! Even for someone without much previous knowledge of this sport, it was an exciting book. The behind-the-scenes descriptions of the personalities, the research and the danger involved during this rivalry read like a thriller. Go Like Hell provides an eye-opening, jaw-dropping glimpse into the insane world of competitive car racing history.
Incredibly in-depth look at the Ferrari and Ford fight to win Le Mans in the 1960s. The author covers the origins and philosophies of both manufacturers in great detail along with many of the drivers and engineers involved the Le Mans programs. Brilliant read for both motorsport and automotive enthusiasts.
This is a delightful nonfiction book that reads with all the drama of a novel. It probably helps if you are an automobile enthusiast, but the story is primarily about people: their tragedies, their triumphs, and their interaction (or lack of it) while pursuing victory. It is also interesting to compare the auto industry of the 50s and 60s with the auto industry of today. A fun read and highly recommended.
I wanted this book to be awesome, I really did, but it was really forgettable. I liked it because ultimately, the competition between Ford and Ferrari was amazing. There were some great anecdotes about Henry Ford II and Enzo Ferrari, but it seems as if the book lost steam by having too many players. There were so many executives, managers, drivers, and various other players that I found myself flipping back many times to figure out who I was reading about. The author obviously did his research a...more
Quite probably the worst book I've read all year. From the 'mediocre NASCAR-book' title to the 'gosh-isn't this exciting' writing style, this is one to avoid. Pity, because the subject deserves a good book. Sadly, it probably won't get one now.
Was given this book as a birthday gift, and as a bit of a car fanatic, I read it in two days. Fascinating to read, the book chronicles Ford's epic struggle to win at Le Mans. A great read, even for those not that fanatical about cars.
Outstanding history of racing as a way to market consumer vehicles, especially Ford's foresight in embracing it, and its perennial challenge from Ferrari. Interesting anecdotes, a good sense of history and context. Well written.
I very much enjoyed this book, but you may find it a bit dry towards the end if you don't enjoy auto racing. It is enjoyable also for the way it depicts a battle between two of the last major industrialists in Enzo Ferrari and Henry Ford II.
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