by A. J. Baime
138 Members of the team popped pills: Carroll Shelby, filmed interview, The Cobra-Ferrari Wars (Spirit Level Film, 2004).
We have several advantages: Smith, “The Ford in Shelby’s Future.”
139 The same careful workmanship: Art Evans, Ken Miles (Redondo Beach, CA: Photo Data Research, 2004), 73.
His unit was among the first: Mollie Miles, “Miles Away!” Road & Track, November 1954.
His son Peter remembered: Peter Miles, in discussion with the author.
140 Filthy army jacket: Homer Perry (Ford’s Le Mans Committee organizer), in discussion with the author.
I’d rather die: Friedman, interview.
Happiness Is a Hot Rod: Michael L. Shoen, The Cobra-Ferrari Wars 1963–1965
(Paradise Valley, AZ: CFW, 1988), 253.
141 Shaking with fear so bad: Shoen, Cobra- Ferrari Wars, 254.
Ruby headed over: Lloyd Ruby, in discussion with the author.
142 This is a team effort: Shoen, Cobra- Ferrari Wars, 255.
143 I got drunker than shit: Shelby, interview.
Ruby could crawl: Three anonymous interviews.
14. 220 mph
144 Women are more: Winthrop Sargeant, “The Terrible Joys,” The New Yorker, January 15, 1966.
145 La polemica di Surtees: “La Polemica di Surtees Favoriva Bandini?” Gazzetta della Sport, June 9, 1965.
146 Naturally, from a commercial: John Surtees, filmed interview, The European Grand Prix 1964 (Terrific Stuff Videos, n.d.).
Ferrari Cars Quit: “Ferrari Cars Quit World Title Meets,” New York Times, April 2, 1965.
147 Do you mind: Carroll Shelby, in discussion with the author.
I been losing money: Shelby, interview.
Dick Hall, an oilman who: Carroll Shelby’s official Web site, “Timeline,” http:// www.carrollshelby.com/history.html (accessed September 1, 2008).
I don’t give a: Shelby, interview.
148 Watch out for my balls!: Charlie Agapio, filmed interview, The Cobra-Ferrari Wars (Spirit Level Film, 2004).
Hall Ushers in New Era: “Hall Ushers in New Era at Sebring,” Los Angeles Times, March 29, 1965.
149 His angina was killing him: Shelby, interview. Also: Carroll Shelby, filmed interview, The Cobra-Ferrari Wars (Spirit Level Film, 2004).
He drank a lot of liquor: Shelby, interview.
I got something I’d like: Roy Lunn, in discussion with the author.
150 He essentially stole: Lunn, interview.
It doesn’t look: Lunn, interview.
152 Tips of his fingers: Art Evans, Ken Miles (Redondo Beach, CA: Photo Data Research, 2004), 87.
I suppose you’d: Leo Levine, Ford: The Dust and the Glory, Volume I (Warren-dale, PA: Society of Automotive Engineers, 2000), 529.
What does everybody: Levine, Ford, 529.
153 The Deuce arrived: Shelby, interview.
Can you imagine: “When It Comes to Cobras, Call Shelby—a Real Charmer,” Los Angeles Times, June 13, 1965.
154 He distanced himself: Enzo Ferrari, “Ricordo di Bruno,” Official Ferrari Yearbook, 1965.
Deserti is really fresh: “La Ferrari Recupera Baghetti e Lancia Biscaldi e Deserti,” Corriere della Sera, April 7, 1965.
It represents the: Ferrari, “Ricordo di Bruno.”
155 When such passion connected: Ferrari, “Ricordo di Bruno.”
He’s out!: “Fuori Pista Una Ferrari Morto Il Giovane Deserti,” Corriere della Sera, May 26, 1965.
156 Enzo Ferrari believes: Robert Daley, “That Blood-Red Ferrari Mystique,” New York Times Magazine, July 25, 1965.
With the great increase: Dave Friedman, Shelby GT40 (St. Paul, MN: Motorbooks, 2006), 58.
The news of Ford’s new: John Surtees, in discussion with the author.
The pistons are as big: Piero Ferrari, interview (translated by Ferrari press liaison Matteo Sardi).
The two posed for a ceremonial: Friedman, Shelby GT40, 57.
15. Le Mans, 1965
157 Once, in my racing days: Enzo Ferrari, The Enzo Ferrari Memoirs: My Terrible Joys (London: Hamish Hamilton London, 1963), 90.
The car that won: John Lovesy, “It Was Murder Italian Style,” Sports Illustrated, June 28, 1965.
Mid-season rift: “U.S. Challenge to Ferrari Domination,” Times of London, June 15, 1965.
158 Surtees believed that the car: John Surtees, edited by Alan Henry, John Surtees: World Champion (Surrey, U.K.: Hazleton Publishing, 1991), 172.
159 There comes a time when: Robert Daley, “Sundown of a Champion,” Saturday Evening Post, May 8, 1965.
160 Sundown of a Champion: Daley, “Sundown.”
It’s absolutely frightening: Karl Ludvigsen, The Inside Story of the Fastest Fords (Turin, Italy: Style Auto Editrice, 1971), 40.
If we could get it more stable: Lovesy, “Murder Italian Style.”
Roy Lunn had an idea: Dave Friedman, Shelby GT40 (St Paul, MN: Motor-books, 2006), 63.
Let it out: Leo Levine, Ford: The Dust and the Glory, Volume I (Warrendale, PA: Society of Automotive Engineers, 2000), 533.
161 Phil Hill of Santa Monica: “Phil Hill Breaks Le Mans Record,” New York Times, June 19, 1965.
Why did we pick: ABC Wide World of Sports footage, June 19, 1965.
Shelby was taking: Lovesy, “Murder Italian Style.”
162 I didn’t think: Ken Purdy, “Masten Gregory Lives!” Esquire, January 1969.
163 Drivers take your positions: Footage of the Le Mans 24 Hours, http://www.you-tube.com/watch?v=tpkvvsnv7Xk, accessed November 25, 2008.
164 This is sport that makes: Mark Twain, Life on the Mississippi (Whitefish, MT: Kessinger Publishers, 2004), 173.
What do you think, Phil?: ABC Wide World of Sports footage, June 19, 1965.
6,000 rpm and 6,500 on straights: Carroll Smith, “Race Report Le Mans 1965,” stamped “Special Vehicles Sports Car Manager Ford Division,” unpublished official Ford Motor Company document, 5. Also: Eoin Young, McLaren Memories (Newbury Park, CA: Haynes Publishing, 2005), 195.
It’s like a rocket ship!: Dave Friedman, in discussion with the author.
165 I can smell the chicken: Michael L. Shoen, The Cobra-Ferrari Wars 1963–1965 (Paradise Valley, AZ: CFW, 1988), 339.
166 You should have seen: Friedman, Shelby GT40, 67.
16. Le Mans, 1965: The Finish and the Fallout
168 Racing with Chinetti: Michael L. Shoen, The Cobra-Ferrari Wars 1963–1965 (Paradise Valley, AZ: CFW, 1988), 167.
169 An elaborate, protracted: Brock Yates, Enzo Ferrari: The Man, the Cars, the Races, the Machine (New York: Doubleday, 1991), 2.
Having his best year ever: Albert R. Bochroch, “Ferrari in America,” Ferrari, the Man, the Machines, edited by Stan Grayson (Princeton, NJ: Automobile Quarterly Publications, 1975), 177.
The Old Man cheated Luigi: Yates, Enzo Ferrari, 239.
170 Chinetti found himself, with flashlight: Filmed interview with Carroll Shelby, Brock Yates, and Ken Gross, February 11, 2005, Saratoga Automobile Museum Living Legends Series (Saratoga Automobile Museum, 2005).
Ferrari factory representative appeared: Luigi Chinetti Jr., in discussion with the author.
You’re going to tell: Chinetti Jr., interview.
171 These are literally: ABC Wide World of Sports footage, June 20, 1965.
It may seem odd to Americans: ABC Wide World of Sports footage, June 20, 1965.
172 What the hell happened?: Carroll Shelby, in discussion with the author. Also: Edsel Ford II, in discussion with author.
That’s a good car!: Shelby, interview.
Headed to the nearest bar: Shelby, interview.
The greatest defeat ever: Karl Ludvigsen, The Inside Story of the Fastest Fords (Turin, Italy: Style Auto Editrice, 1971), 34.
Murder Italian Style: John Lovesy, “It Was Murder Italian Style,” Sports Illustrated, June 28, 1965.
He could wind up: David E. Davis Jr., Chris McCall, and Al Bochroch, “24 Heures du Mans,” Car and Driver, S
eptember 1965.
$6 million: John Wyer, That Certain Sound (Somerset, U.K.: Foulis Motoring Book, 1981), 150.
173 I was very disappointed: Wyer, That Certain Sound, 151.
I felt like I was: 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), 24.
You got your asses: Yates, Enzo Ferrari, 318.
Ford wins Le Mans in 1966: Shelby, interview.
I wonder what our: Larry Edsall, Ford GT: The Legend Comes to Life (St. Paul, MN: Motorbooks, 2004), 8.
The shit hit the fan: Dave Friedman, in discussion with the author.
174 Almost anticlimactic: Carroll Shelby, filmed interview, The Cobra-Ferrari Wars (Spirit Level Film, 2004).
Before the summer was out: Original blueprints filed at the Ferrari factory classic car shop in Maranello, Italy, shared with the author in 2006.
175 Red driving gloves: Chinetti Jr., interview.
How many kids: Mario Andretti, in discussion with the author.
176 In the classes we: John Surtees, in discussion with the author. Also: John Surtees, John Surtees: World Champion (Surrey, U.K.: Hazleton Publishing, 1991), 158.
It’s not right: Surtees, interview.
That’s the last thing: Surtees, interview. Also: Surtees, John Surtees, 176.
17. Survival
179 The Ferrari stands: Barbara La Fontaine, “Miles: ‘Fast Enough to Win, Slow Enough to Finish,’” Sports Illustrated, February 14, 1966.
He was bleeding: “Surtees Suffers Fractures, Back Injury in Crash,” Washington Post, September 25, 1965.
180 We don’t want to: John Surtees, in discussion with the author.
I’m sorry, John: Surtees, interview.
181 You just get my car: John Surtees, John Surtees: World Champion (Surrey, U.K.: Hazleton Publishing, 1991), 178.
I’ll have a go: Surtees, interview.
I would think he will: “Driver Surtees Expected to Make Full Recovery,” Washington Post, September 26, 1965.
182 We are not really able: Surtees, interview.
Don’t let those: Surtees, John Surtees, 178.
An involuntary, and unwanted: Surtees, John Surtees, 179.
Time’s getting on: Surtees, John Surtees, 179.
183 He’s big, isn’t he?: Surtees, interview.
We reckon you’ll: Surtees, John Surtees, 180.
I felt as though: Surtees, John Surtees, 180.
We’re going to try: Surtees, John Surtees, 180.
184 Feeling very poor: Surtees, John Surtees, 180.
In December, the hospital’s hallways: Associated Press photograph, December 23, 1965.
185 I have real confidence: Pete Coltrin, “Ferrari 330P3 and Dino 206/S,” Road & Track, April 1966.
Four liters are enough: Coltrin, “Ferrari 330P3 and Dino 206/S.”
18. Rebirth
187 You’d better win: Homer Perry (Ford’s Le Mans Committee organizer), in discussion with the author.
188 Anything you want: Leo Levine, Ford: The Dust and the Glory, Volume I (Warrendale, PA: Society of Automotive Engineers, 2000), 538.
189 Miserable, slippery: “Runaway at Daytona,” Time, February 18, 1966.
Firemen and medical staff: Perry, interview.
I remember some really: Art Evans, Ken Miles (Redondo Beach, CA: Photo Data Research, 2004), 88.
190 Socks, his old army jacket: Perry, interview (the two occasionally roomed together on the road).
An almost mystical sense: Evans, Ken Miles, 80.
Brake fluid boiling: Shelby American Inc.—Engineering & Development Report, January 25, 1966, 3a.
The car was uncontrollable: Shelby American Inc.—Engineering & Development Report, January 25, 1966, 3aa.
Shelby and Miles flew out: Official Shelby American memorandum.
192 Holman Moody this: Carroll Shelby, in discussion with the author.
Someday you’re going to: Dave Friedman, Remembering the Shelby Years—1962–1969 (Los Angeles: Carroll Shelby Children’s Foundation, 1998), 291.
The driver list reads: “Leading Drivers in Daytona Race,” New York Times, January 30, 1966.
Mario: Brock Yates, “Mario on the Move,” Car and Driver, August 1966.
Just give me: Mario Andretti, in discussion with the author.
We don’t even know: “Ford, Ford, Ford,” Newsweek, February 21, 1966.
193 We had confidence in: “Miles, Ruby Drive Ford to Victory,” Los Angeles Times, February 7, 1966.
One of the most perfect: “Fords 1-2-3 in Daytona,” Chicago Tribune, February 7, 1966.
I am proud for: “Double the Fun,” Time, February 18, 1966.
Tears drip down: John Surtees, in discussion with the author.
Enzo Ferrari’s rivalry with: John Surtees, John Surtees: World Champion (Surrey, U.K.: Hazleton Publishing, 1991), 183.
194 They winched him up off: Surtees, interview.
Would you consider: Surtees, John Surtees, 182.
You have to get straight: Bernard Cahier and Paul-Henri Cahier, Grand Prix Racers: Portraits of Speed (Minneapolis, MN: Motorbooks, 2008), 13.
195 On March 15, he shattered: “Surtees Sets Track Mark,” New York Times, March 17, 1966.
On March 17, he went: “Surtees Smashes Third Monza Mark,” Washington Post, March 18, 1966. (As confirmed by lap times and in an interview with Surtees, the headline here contains a factual error. Monza should be Modena.)
196 Lardi was put in charge: Piero Ferrari, taped interview (translated by Ferrari liaison Matteo Sardi).
197 Ferrari made frequent trips: This story is covered thoroughly in Brock Yates, Enzo Ferrari: The Man, the Cars, the Races, the Machine (New York: Doubleday, 1991), 242.
Sunday there’s Sebring: Franco Gozzi, Memoirs of Enzo Ferrari’s Lieutenant (Milan: Giorgio Nada Editore, 2002), 108.
19. Blood on the Track
199 For over a half century: Ralph Nader, Unsafe at Any Speed: The Designed-In Dangers of the American Automobile (New York: Grossman Publishers, 1972), lxxxviv.
200 President Johnson called: “Auto Safety Measure’s Provisions Disclosed,” Washington Post, February 14, 1966.
Henry II hadn’t read: 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), 216.
If you take this: Herndon, Ford, 222.
201 Waving a hammer at Ken Miles: Leo Levine, Ford: The Dust and the Glory, Volume I (Warrendale, PA: Society of Automotive Engineers, 2000), 543.
Andretti made it back: Mario Andretti, in discussion with the author.
You’ve got it won: Carroll Shelby, in discussion with the author.
202 Lloyd! You won!: Lloyd Ruby, in discussion with the author. Also, Dave Friedman, Shelby GT40 (St. Paul, MN: Motorbooks, 2006), 91.
Yes, yes, yes: Franco Gozzi, Memoirs of Enzo Ferrari’s Lieutenant (Milan: Giorgio Nada Editore, 2002), 109.
An oscillograph spit out: Ron Wakefield, “Technical Analysis: Portrait of the Le Mans Winner,” Cobra, Shelby & Ford GT40 1962–1992 (Surrey, U.K.: Brooklands Books, n.d.), 44–45.
203 John, you’ve got to: John Surtees, in discussion with the author.
It read 3:46.8: Ford Motor Company Intra-Company Communication, May 5, 1966, minutes to Le Mans Committee meeting.
I hope he can sort: Dave Friedman, Shelby GT40 (St. Paul, MN: Motorbooks, 2006), 96.
The longest hours: Walter Hayes, Henry: A Life of Henry Ford II (New York: Grove Weidenfeld, 1990), 95.
204 Did you know him: Hayes, Henry, 95.
Walt’s subsequent laps: Ford Motor Company Intra-Company Communication, May 5, 1966, minutes to Le Mans Committee meeting.
20. The Blowout Nears
205 You are the most: Ken W. Purdy, “Stirling Moss: A Nodding Acquaintance with Death,” Playboy, September 1962.
I’d like you to: John Wyer, That Certain Sound (
Somerset, U.K.: Foulis Motoring Book, 1981), 154.
206 John’s idea of the perfect: Denis Jenkinson, “Il Grande John,” Ferrari: The Man, the Machines, ed. by Stan Grayson (Princeton, NJ: Automobile Quarterly Publications, 1975), 279.
207 “[Ferrari] has no other satisfaction”: Griffith Borgeson, “The Great Agitator,” Ferrari: The Man, the Machines, ed. Stan Grayson (Princeton, NJ: Automobile Quarterly Publications, 1975), 41.
"He never, in sickness”: Walter Hayes, Henry: A Life of Henry Ford II (New York: Grove Weidenfeld, 1990), xiv.
Considering canceling the race: “Safety Campaign Urged On Le Mans Organizers,” London Times, April 27, 1966.
Ferrari had received a note: Franco Gozzi, in discussion with the author.
We know that nothing: “Ferrari Says European Racing Doomed Before U.S. Steamroller,” Washington Post, March 24, 1966.
208 Incompetent dictator!: Gozzi, interview. Also: Franco Gozzi, Memoirs of Enzo Ferrari’s Lieutenant (Milan: Giorgio Nada Editore, 2002), 80.
Hit me like whiplashes: Gozzi, Memoirs, 80.
We make 12-cylinder: John Surtees, in discussion with the author. Also: John Surtees, John Surtees: World Champion (Surrey, U.K.: Hazleton Publishing, 1991), 183.
209 In Surtees’s paranoid state: Gozzi, Memoirs, 80.
We will decide: Gozzi, interview.
Contact Mario Andretti: Gozzi, Memoirs, 81.
210 Are you asking me: “Critic of Auto Industry’s Safety Standards Says He Was Trailed and Harassed; Charges Called Absurd,” New York Times, March 6, 1966.
A thorough survey on: “Ferrari Says Speeding Does Not Cause Mishap,” New York Times, May 10, 1966.
You will agree: “Henry Ford II Scores Auto-Safety Critics, Warns Congress Against ‘Irrational’ Laws,” Wall Street Journal, April 18, 1966.
211 Talk of nervous breakdowns: Dave Friedman, in discussion with the author.
212 The schematic utilized: Robert Hogle, “Mark II-GT Ignition and Electrical System,” Society of Automotive Engineers paper #670068.
Boeing 707 aircraft: Hogle, “Mark II-GT Ignition and Electrical System.”
3.6 hours in the act: H.L. Gregorich and C.D. Jones, “Mark II—GT Transaxles,” Society of Automotive Engineers paper #670069.