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A must-buy for any motorsports fan Daily Express
Book Description
Ferrari vs Ford: in the race to build the fastest car the world had ever seen.
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
8 of 8 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover
Up front, I need to acknowledge that I have almost no interest in automobile racing competition. However, I did enjoy seeing the 1966 film starring James Garner, Grand Prix, and reading James MacGregor's book, Sunday Money: Speed! Lust! Madness! Death! A Hot Lap Around America with NASCAR (2005). That said, I now acknowledge that A. J. Baime's Go Like Hell is one of the most entertaining as well as one of the most informative books I have read in many years. Moreover, it is much less about automotive racing than it is about the competition between two industrialists, Henry Ford II and Enzo Ferrari, to Dominate Formula One racing in the 1960s. However, viewed (as it should be) as a human drama, there are several other prominent characters who are centrally involved in the various conflicts: Lee Iacocca and his chief engineer, Donald Frey, Phil Hill, Carroll Shelby, John Surtees, Ken Miles, Bruce McLaren, Walt Hangsden, and Mario Andretti.
As Charles McGrath points out in an article about Baime in The New York Times (6/09/09), "The centerpiece of the story is the quest by Henry Ford II, or the Deuce, as he was known, to end Ferrari's string of victories at Le Mans, the 24-hour road race that at the time was probably the world's most dangerous sporting event. He was convinced that Ford's racing success would translate into sales back home in the showroom, but he was also locked in a personal rivalry with the imperious Enzo Ferrari, head of the Italian car company. It took Ford three tries and countless millions, but he finally prevailed when a Ford GT40 Mk II, driven by Bruce McLaren, won at Le Mans in 1966."
Displaying the world-class skills of a cultural anthropologist and of a raconteur, Baime carefully guides his reader through a narrative of increasing tension and apprehension until Chapters 21-23 during which the 24-hour "Grand Prix of Endurance" is run at La Mans on a racetrack described in the Detroit News as "a cornfield airstrip in the jet age. It was built 50 years ago for cars that went 65 mph. Tomorrow [June 18] 55 race cars - some of them capable of 225 mph on the straightaway and all of them over the 130 mph class - will get off at 10 A.M. (Detroit time) and it will be a miracle if no one gets killed. Nobody is fearless. Some of these drivers are scared stiff." The climactic race in 1966 had an especially controversial conclusion, what was widely viewed as an "infamous photo finish" and won "by a technicality." The details are best revealed within the narrative, in context.
Baime provides a riveting account of the competition between Ferrari and Ford and their respective racing programs, competition creating tension that is almost palpable. He also celebrates the almost incomprehensible courage as well as athleticism, skills, and stamina of those who drive the Formula One cars, notably Phil Hill, John Surtees, Walt Hangsden, and especially Ken Miles. In the Epilogue, Baime answers a question most readers have after learning what happened at Le Mans in 1966: "And then what happened?" It would not spoil it for anyone who has yet to read this book to reveal that the major "players" in this compelling human drama were never quite the same again after that race.
For those such as I who have little (if any) interest in automobile racing competition, this is a great read. For those with such interest, it is a "must read."
As Charles McGrath points out in an article about Baime in The New York Times (6/09/09), "The centerpiece of the story is the quest by Henry Ford II, or the Deuce, as he was known, to end Ferrari's string of victories at Le Mans, the 24-hour road race that at the time was probably the world's most dangerous sporting event. He was convinced that Ford's racing success would translate into sales back home in the showroom, but he was also locked in a personal rivalry with the imperious Enzo Ferrari, head of the Italian car company. It took Ford three tries and countless millions, but he finally prevailed when a Ford GT40 Mk II, driven by Bruce McLaren, won at Le Mans in 1966."
Displaying the world-class skills of a cultural anthropologist and of a raconteur, Baime carefully guides his reader through a narrative of increasing tension and apprehension until Chapters 21-23 during which the 24-hour "Grand Prix of Endurance" is run at La Mans on a racetrack described in the Detroit News as "a cornfield airstrip in the jet age. It was built 50 years ago for cars that went 65 mph. Tomorrow [June 18] 55 race cars - some of them capable of 225 mph on the straightaway and all of them over the 130 mph class - will get off at 10 A.M. (Detroit time) and it will be a miracle if no one gets killed. Nobody is fearless. Some of these drivers are scared stiff." The climactic race in 1966 had an especially controversial conclusion, what was widely viewed as an "infamous photo finish" and won "by a technicality." The details are best revealed within the narrative, in context.
Baime provides a riveting account of the competition between Ferrari and Ford and their respective racing programs, competition creating tension that is almost palpable. He also celebrates the almost incomprehensible courage as well as athleticism, skills, and stamina of those who drive the Formula One cars, notably Phil Hill, John Surtees, Walt Hangsden, and especially Ken Miles. In the Epilogue, Baime answers a question most readers have after learning what happened at Le Mans in 1966: "And then what happened?" It would not spoil it for anyone who has yet to read this book to reveal that the major "players" in this compelling human drama were never quite the same again after that race.
For those such as I who have little (if any) interest in automobile racing competition, this is a great read. For those with such interest, it is a "must read."
3 of 3 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover
Having read many books on the topic of the GT40 and its success this is a fantastic read and insight from both sides of the fence. Written in a style that keeps you reading and really putting you there so to speak. Would have been even better with additional pics of all the cars mentioned. I found this a great complimentary read to Racing In the Rain. Highly recommended.
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
Anybody purchasing this book will be a GT40 and 60's Le Mans fan. But although the outcome of the story is well known, A J Baime tells it from scratch in a way more similar to a Follett or Forsyth novel than a sports book. One keeps turning page after page, wanting to know what will happen next. A fantastic book, with finely written balanced chapters, enough but not excessive details of past history, focusing on that half decade of Cold War between Ford and Ferrari. A must!
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
Probably still mainly for enthusiasts
Some of the previous reviewers have suggested that this book might reach an audience beyond the simple motor sport enthusiasts. Read more
Published 10 months ago by IceBear
Slightly Disappointing
The good points first: the book doesn't cost much, and it does give an interesting insight into what went on 'behind the scenes', particularly in the United States. Read more
Published 12 months ago by Mooster
Very good reading
Henry Ford IIs assault on Ferrari and European racing during the 1960s, and how it brought forth one of the most incredible racing machines ever, the GT 4. Read more
Published 13 months ago by Christian Wendt
A book you can't put down!
A must for any motor racing fan this book grips you from the first page. Choose a side, Ferrari or Ford as the book portrays both as friend or foe, impartial in it's own views but... Read more
Published 18 months ago by D. Guidone
Great read
A thoroughly engaging book. Reads like a novel, I couldn't put it down. Highly recommended.
Published 19 months ago by Iain
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