Go Like Hell
Page 28
Of course I am: “Too Slow. . . .”
58 Maybe you ought: “Enzo Ferrari, Builder of Racing Cars, Is Dead at 90,” New York Times, August 16, 1988.
In front of his television: The author can only assume in this incredibly important race that Ferrari watched.
59 And Trips?: “Il Trionfatore P. Hill s’era Immaginato Tutto,” La Gazzetto della Sport, September 11, 1961.
They were watching Von Trips’s crash: Robert Daley, interview.
Are you going to quit: Robert Daley, “Why Men Race with Death,” New York Times Magazine, October 1, 1961. Also: Robert Daley, interview.
60 Fifteen Dead: “Quindici I Morti per la Sciagura a Monza Cominiciata l’Inchiesta all Audodromo,” Corriere della Sera, September 12, 1961.
The man who could tell: “Race Driver Accused,” New York Times, January 2, 1962.
You can’t imagine: Nigel Roebuck, “Legends,” Motor Sport, December 1997.
61 We got rid of: Yates, Enzo Ferrari, 295.
An assassin: Yates, Enzo Ferrari, 261.
6. Ferrari/Ford and Ford/Ferrari
62 The American really: William Faulkner, Intruder in the Dust (New York: Vintage International, 1991), 233.
Small, but nevertheless: Leo Levine, Ford: The Dust and the Glory, Volume I (Warrendale, PA: Society of Automotive Engineers, 2000), 499.
For what it is worth: Levine, Ford, 499.
63 Filmer Paradise here: Franco Gozzi, Memoirs of Enzo Ferrari’s Lieutenant (Milan: Giorgio Nada Editore, 2002), 76.
64 I never felt myself: John Clinard, “The Day Ford-Ferrari Became Ford Versus Ferrari,” Car and Driver, June 1974.
But be quite clear: Gozzi, Ferrari’s Lieutenant, 78.
It would be like an: Roy Lunn, in discussion with the author.
The Drake was big: Gozzi, Ferrari’s Lieutenant, 10.
65 Ferrari led the Ford men into the works: Factory description from Lunn, interview; Bob Bondurant (racing driver), in discussion with the author; and Brock Yates, Enzo Ferrari: The Man, the Cars, the Races, the Machine (New York: Doubleday, 1991), 301.
Owning one is: “Ferrari Superamerica 400,” Car and Driver, April 1963.
Maranello’s wind tunnel: Gozzi, Ferrari’s Lieutenant, 78–79.
Boy is it clean: Lunn, interview.
66 Frey and Ferrari spent hours: Don Frey, in discussion with the author.
He drove like a mad man: Frey, interview.
67 But here: Gozzi, Ferrari’s Lieutenant, 79.
But Mr. Ferrari: Clinard, “The Day.”
My rights, my integrity: Clinard, “The Day.”
A tirade that I: Gozzi, Ferrari’s Lieutenant, 79.
68 Let’s go and eat: Gozzi, Ferrari’s Lieutenant, 79.
Mr. Ford, I failed: Frey, interview.
The longest lunch: Bob Ottum, “Someone Up There Said ‘Let’s Race,’ and Lo, Ford Came Flying,” Sports Illustrated, December 25, 1967.
We’ll beat his ass: Frey, interview.
Prepare a presentation: Levine, Ford, 505.
7. Means and Motive
71 To take control: David Emory Shi, The Bell Tower and Beyond: Reflections on Learning and Living (Columbia: University of South Carolina Press), 97.
72 Fiat had provided Ferrari: “Il Grande Anno del Costruttore dei Famosi Bolidi di Maranello,” Corriere della Sera, February 28, 1958.
73 The Race of Truth: Various authors, Ferrari 1947–1997 (Milan: Giorgio Nada Editore srl, 1997), 118.
74 The objective: Roy Lunn, in correspondence with the author.
With the exception: Roy Lunn, “The Ford GT Sports Car,” Society of Automotive Engineers (SAE) paper #670065.
75 Attempting to meet: Lunn, “The Ford GT Sports Car.”
Amused at how quickly: Lunn, correspondence.
76 Shelby loved to look: Dave Friedman, in discussion with the author.
77 That son of a bitch: Michael L. Shoen, The Cobra-Ferrari Wars 1963–1965 (Paradise Valley, AZ: CFW, 1988), 9. Carroll Shelby told the author this book was the most accurate of its kind.
There was something: Joan Sherman, on-camera interview, The Cobra-Ferrari Wars (Spirit Level Film, 2004).
Next year: John Jerome, “Carroll Shelby’s Cobra Works,” Car and Driver, September 1964.
8. Il Grande John
78 The highlight of my career: “Speed King Who Ruled Golden Age,” Daily Telegraph (London), March 5, 2003.
What’s so surprising: “Too Slow, You Lose—Too Fast. . .,” Newsweek, July 17, 1961.
79 Just to sit in one: Robert Daley, “That Blood-Red Ferrari Mystique,” New York Times Magazine, July 25, 1965.
There is no finer: Daley, “Blood-Red Ferrari Mystique.”
A noisy nirvana of automobiles: Brock Yates, Enzo Ferrari: The Man, the Cars, the Races, the Machine (New York: Doubleday, 1991), 281.
80 Si, si . . . si, si: Phil Hill, “A Championship Season and Other Memories,” Ferrari: The Man, the Machines, ed. Stan Grayson (Princeton, NJ: Automobile Quarterly Publications, 1975), 234.
I wasn’t sorry: William Nolan, Phil Hill: Yankee Champion (Carpinteria, CA: Brown Fox, 1996), 210.
It was a curious: John Surtees, ed. Alan Henry, John Surtees: World Champion (Surrey, U.K.: Hazleton Publishing, 1991), 107.
I would like you: Surtees, John Surtees, 107.
81 Chief mechanic: Surtees, John Surtees, 21.
82 He doesn’t seem: Dennis May, “Changing a One-Track Mind,” Sports Car Illustrated, September 1960.
Boy, if Horatio Alger: “World Champion: John Surtees,” Car and Driver, February 1964.
A night at the hotel: Surtees, John Surtees, 136.
83 We cannot compete: John Surtees, in discussion with the author.
We are in a desert here: Surtees, interview.
84 In the first act: Enzo Ferrari, The Enzo Ferrari Memoirs: My Terrible Joys (London: Hamish Hamilton London, 1963), 48.
85 The threat of Ford Motor Company: Franco Gozzi, in discussion with the author; Surtees, interview.
9. The Ford GT40
86 This is a year: Henry Ford II, “Technological Exploration: Our Danger Is Overconfidence,” Vital Speeches of the Day (Vol. 30, Issue 8), January 15, 1964, 246.
87 Pappy can tell you: John Wyer, That Certain Sound (Somerset, U.K.: Foulis Motoring Books, 1981), 117.
Don Frey was receiving letters: Roy Lunn, in discussion with the author.
None of which were available in America: A great majority of the reporting on car design came from The Ford GT: New Vehicle Engineering and Technical History of the GT-40 (Warrendale, PA: Society of Automotive Engineers International, 2004). Other sources include Roy Lunn (interview and personal correspondence); Karl E. Ludvigsen, The Inside Story of the Fastest Fords (Turin, Italy: Style Auto Editrice, 1971); and Leo Levine, Ford: The Dust and the Glory, Volume I (Warrendale, PA: Society of Automotive Engineers International, 2000).
89 Coordinates showed a top speed: Roy Lunn, “The Ford GT Sports Car,” SAE paper #670065.
90 Well behind schedule: Wyer, That Certain Sound, 127.
91 Eleven months after: Lunn, “The Ford GT Sports Car.”
A racing car chassis: Bruce McLaren, filmed interview, Birth of the Ford GT (Motorfilms Quarterly, Volume 1, 2002).
Roy?: Lunn, interview.
92 The car was flown: Wyer, That Certain Sound, 130.
Feared the worst: Lunn, interview.
93 At medium speeds: Wyer, filmed interview, Birth of the Ford GT.
The press had called him: Philip Payne, “The Last Race of Count Crash,” Sports Illustrated, September 18, 1961.
10. Loss of Innocence
94 In the long run: Eddie Merchant, “Racing’s Haunted Driver,” Saturday Evening Post, May 26, 1962.
An aggregate of only: Karl E. Ludvigsen, The Inside Story of the Fastest Fords (Turin, Italy: Style Auto Editrice, 1971), 14.
Geared to run at 200 mph: “Le Mans Trials Prove Ford Must Work to Catch Ferrari,” New York Times,
April 21, 1964.
95 I can’t believe this: John Wyer, filmed interview, Carroll Shelby: The Man and His Car (Duke DVD, 1990).
96 The car was fishtailing: Wyer, filmed interview, Carroll Shelby.
It is incredible: John Wyer, That Certain Sound (Somerset, U.K.: Foulis Motoring Book, 1981), 134.
We wrecked both of them: Bob Ottum, “Someone Up There Said ‘Let’s Race,’ and Lo, Ford Came Flying,” Sports Illustrated, December 25, 1967.
97 In trials that ended: “Le Mans Trials Prove Ford Must Work to Catch Ferrari,” New York Times, April 21, 1964.
We appreciate your coming: “Remarks by L.A. Iacocca; Mustang National News Conference, New York, New York, April 13, 1964,” stamped Editorial Services Dept, Public Relations Staff and provided by the Benson Ford Research Center.
98 A new breed out of Detroit: “The Mustang—A New Breed Out of Detroit,” Newsweek, April 20, 1964.
With its long hood: “Ford’s Young One,” Time, April 17, 1964.
Iacocca had dinner with: Lee Iacocca, in discussion with the author. Also, “Death Takes No Holiday,” Newsweek, June 8, 1964.
99 Jesus Christ!: David Davis, “Indianapolis 500,” Car and Driver, August 1964.
11. Le Mans, 1984
100 I am hypnotized: Franco Gozzi, Memoirs of Enzo Ferrari’s Lieutenant (Milan: Giorgio Nada Editore, 2002), 112.
101 462 pounds sterling: John Wyer, That Certain Sound (Somerset, U.K.: Foulis Motoring Book, 1981), 117.
Had the effect: Roy Lunn, “The Ford GT Sports Car,” SAE paper #670065.
Mr. Wyer doesn’t have: Harry Calton (head of corporate communications for Ford’s Le Mans effort), in discussion with the author.
Wyer posted timetables: Calton, interview.
102 We are all shocked: “Ford to Race in Spite of ‘500’ Deaths,” Detroit News, June 1, 1964.
Outside of the United States: Paul Evan Ress, “For Ferrari, Some Fast Company at Last,” Sports Illustrated, June 29, 1964.
103 To a firm like Ferrari: John Surtees, interview by Stirling Moss, ABC Wide World of Sports, June 28, 1964.
104 Leer at ABC’s script girl: Gordon H. Jennings, “Le Mans 24 Hours,” Car and Driver, September 1964.
After all: Bob Ottum, “A New Race Produces an Old Ferrari Story,” Sports Illustrated, February 24, 1964.
There were no dramatic meetings: John Surtees, in discussion with the author.
He wanted everything done precisely: Phil Hill, in discussion with the author.
We want to finish the race: Ress, “For Ferrari, Some Fast Company.”
105 June 11, 1955: Robert Daley, Cars at Speed (New York: Collier Books, 1962), 123.
106 His Cobra had clocked 197 mph: Michael L. Shoen, The Cobra-Ferrari Wars 1963–1965 (Paradise Valley, AZ: CFW, 1988), 169.
107 Billiard table smooth: John Surtees, edited by Alan Henry, John Surtees: World Champion (Surrey, U.K.: Hazleton Publishing, 1991), 131.
When you start [racing]: Surtees, John Surtees, 177.
108 Word from the course: ABC Wide World of Sports footage, June 28, 1964.
What are you doing up there?: Eoin Young (journalist and public relations man with Bruce McLaren), in discussion with the author. Also: Eoin Young, McLaren Memories (Newbury Park, CA: Haynes Publishing, 2005), 167.
109 He was cruising at 185 mph: Speeds, rpm readings, and gear selections are taken from Figure i in “The Ford GT Sports Car” (SAE paper #670065), a map of the Le Mans circuit with all the data prepared by Roy Lunn with the help of Ford Motor Company team racing drivers.
110 True concentration: Phil Hill, “Martini & Rossi Present the Phil Hill Competition Driving Lesson,” Car and Driver, November 1962.
140 degrees Fahrenheit: Mario Andretti, in discussion with the author.
Not until you find: Hill, “Martini & Rossi Present.”
111 Well, for God’s sake: Young, McLaren Memories, 167.
Wildly ecstatic: Young, McLaren Memories, 167.
He had hit 210 mph: Young, McLaren Memories, 167.
Two minutes seven seconds had passed: Leo Levine, Ford: The Dust and the Glory, Volume I (Warrendale, PA: Society of Automotive Engineers, 2000), 514.
A Ferrari was like insurance: Michael L. Shoen, The Cobra-Ferrari Wars 1963–1965 (Paradise Valley, AZ: CFW, 1988), 167.
112 I saw some flames: Richard Attwood, interview.
This was the result: Wyer, That Certain Sound, 140.
It is enough: Wyer, That Certain Sound, 140.
Irony eating at him: Roy Lunn, in discussion with the author.
113 Driving at night: Young, McLaren Memories, 166.
The best 500 racing miles: Young, McLaren Memories, 166.
In a tent: “Guichet and Vaccarella Drive Ferrari to 5-Lap Victory at Le Mans,” New York Times, June 22, 1964.
114 It’s the middle: ABC Wide World of Sports footage, June 28, 1964.
115 A wonderful thing happens: Ken Purdy, “Masten Gregory Lives,” Esquire, January 1969.
There’s nothing like: Young, McLaren Memories, 188.
116 Why didn’t we find: Phil Hill, “A Championship Season and Other Memories,” Ferrari: The Man, the Machines, edited by Stan Grayson (Princeton, NJ: Automobile Quarterly Publications, 1975), 221.
Brakes okay?: ABC Wide World of Sports, June 28, 1964.
117 Congratulations Bob: ABC Wide World of Sports, June 28, 1964.
118 Thank you for beating: Shoen, The Cobra-Ferrari Wars, 178.
Fourth isn’t bad: Ress, “For Ferrari, Some Fast Company.”
12. Aftermath
119 Like an evangelist missionary: John Wyer, That Certain Sound (Somerset, U.K.: Foulis Motoring Book, 1981), 141.
If he told me: Booton Herndon, Ford: The Unconventional Story of a Powerful Family, a Mighty Industry and the Extraordinary Men Behind It All (New York: Avon Books, 1970), 39.
120 I don’t know anything: Leo Levine, Ford: The Dust and the Glory, Volume I (Warrendale, PA: Society of Automotive Engineers, 2000), 520.
You could lay it: Levine, Ford, 517.
Wyer was dumbfounded: Wyer, That Certain Sound, 141.
121 Any right thinking Italian: Denis Jenkinson, “Il Grande John,” Ferrari: The Man, the Machines, edited by Stan Grayson (Princeton, NJ: Automobile Quarterly Publications, 1975), 272.
122 Surtees would later come: John Surtees, in discussion with the author.
What does Ferrari have: Wyer, That Certain Sound, 144.
That Ford smell: C. Gayle Warnock, The Edsel Affair (Paradise Valley, AZ: Pro West, 1980), 22.
123 A way to solve the problem: Roy Lunn, in discussion with the author. More power is always: Wyer, That Certain Sound, p. 144.
124 To get to the Bahamas: John Horsman, Racing in the Rain: My Years with Brilliant Drivers, Legendary Sports Cars, and a Dedicated Team (Phoenix, AZ: David Bull Publishing, 2006), 67.
I don’t know anything: Levine, Ford, 520.
125 You want ‘em?: Dave Friedman, Remembering the Shelby Years—1962–1969 (Los Angeles: The Carroll Shelby Children’s Foundation, 2006), 290.
126 It’s bloody awful: Dave Friedman, Shelby GT40 (St. Paul, MN: Motorbooks, 2006), 18.
127 Shaking so many hands: John Surtees, ed. Alan Henry, John Surtees: World Champion (Surrey, U.K.: Hazleton Publishing, 1991), 157.
Formula 1 is for: Julius Weitman, “Enzo Ferrari Off Guard,” Car and Driver, July 1965.
Closed, like a walnut: Griffith Borgeson, “The Great Agitator,” Ferrari: The Man, the Machines, edited by Stan Grayson (Princeton, NJ: Automobile Quarterly Publications, 1975), 10.
After lunch, Surtees and Ferrari: Weitman, “Enzo Ferrari Off Guard.”
128 The facial expression: Enzo Ferrari, The Enzo Ferrari Memoirs: My Terrible Joys (London: Hamish Hamilton London, 1963), 37.
13. Henry II, Shelby, and Daytona
131 Grand Prix racing: Robert Daley, The Cruel Sport: Grand Prix Racing 1959–1967 (St. Paul, MN: Motorbooks International, 2005), 214.
132 Fifty million went: “‘Golden Era’ for Racing Just Around Next Turn,” New York Times, April 4, 1965.
The sudden outpouring: “Hollywood Agog Over Auto Racing,” New York Times, November 19, 1965.
Never before has: “Auto Industry Using Advertising to Keep the Wheels Turning,” Los Angeles Times, February 2, 1964.
The company is now enjoying: “Car Tax Cut Next Logical Step—Ford,” Chicago Tribune, May 21, 1965.
133 Can you do it?: Carroll Shelby, in discussion with the author.
Frey never dreamed: “Personality: From Slide Rule to Marketing,” New York Times, February 21, 1965.
Six potential car: “Personality.”
Mr. and Mrs. Henry Ford II: Statement from Bodman, Longley, Bogle, Armstrong & Dahling dated August 3, 1963, Ford Archives.
134 Henry, look at: William Serrin, “At Ford Everyone Knows Who Is the Boss,” New York Times Magazine, October 19, 1969.
He was sitting in the back: John Wyer, That Certain Sound (Somerset, U.K.: Foulis Motoring Book, 1981), 148.
135 We are taking this: Steve Smith, “The Ford in Carroll Shelby’s Future,” Car and Driver, June 1965. Also: “Shelby to Build New Ford Racers,” Los Angeles Times, January 28, 1965.
Official move was March 1: Dave Friedman, Cobra: The Shelby American Original Archives 1962–1965 (Los Angeles: The Carroll Shelby Children’s Foundation, 1998), 143.
136 Up and down the runways: Shelby, interview.
Shelby paces about: Coles Phinizy, “Snakes, Butter Beans, and Mister Cobra,” Sports Illustrated, May 17, 1965.
You have to go 90 mph: Phinizy, “Snakes, Butter Beans.”
Hello, butter bean: Phinizy, “Snakes, Butter Beans.”
How would you like: Phinizy, “Snakes, Butter Beans.”
137 It may sound odd: Leo Levine, Ford: The Dust and the Glory, Volume I (Warrendale, PA: Society of Automotive Engineers, 2000), 520.
Everyone wore boots: Dave Friedman, in discussion with the author.
Technicians from Aeronutronic: Tony Hogg, “A Look at the Daytona Winner Ford GT-40,” Road & Track, May 1965. Also: Friedman, interview.