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.

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