A.J. Baime’s Go Like Hell tells story of how the Ford Motor Co., spear-headed by a young Lee Iacocca, hired former racing-champion-turned-car-builder Carroll Shelby in the late ’60s to help reinvent a sagging company. The plan was to design, build, and race a car that could win at one of the most prestigious races in the world — the 24 Hours of Le Mans.
While the bulk of the book focuses on the rivalry between Ford & Ferrari, the story unfolds as the auto industry in America and racing in Europe are on the cusp of big changes — the shift from unregulated to safety-oriented has just begun in earnest with the publication of Ralph Nadar’s Unsafe at Any Speed. Baime discusses not only the racing and race prep but the changing automobile business as well.
It’s a quick easy read, written for both race fans and newcomers. Although I’m afraid I wasn’t enamored of his writing style — too many chapters start with big build-ups of suspense that don’t pan out to much.
After reading Go Like Hell, about the Ford/Ferrari rivalry from the 60’s, my husband suggested we rent the movies Grand Prix and Le Mans. First up was Grand Prix , from 1966, starring James Garner, Eva Marie Saint, and the actor who should really get top billing, Yves Montand. It’s two love stories in one — the first between 4 men and racing and the second between Montand and Saint. Although it felt quite dated, with many split screen montages, the movie captured the era by using cameras strapped to the vehicles, real race footage, and the guttural and visceral sounds of the race engines. And did I mention Yves Montand? James Gardner looks and acts like a dumb American, but Montand is sauve and sexy and made this night seem even more like a date, even though we were watching on the couch in the family room!
