24h Le Mans
Much to his disgust, when it comes to the 24 Hours of Le Mans, Enzo Ferrari's name is inextricably linked to Henry Ford II. Throughout the sixties, their bitter battle made many a headline.
The two men were practically opposites. One set about crafting high-end cars with the precision and taste of a designer jeweller. The other inherited an empire built on selling ordinary cars to ordinary people. Yet they had one thing in common—competitive spirit—which they pitted against each other in one of the most enthralling head-to-heads in the history of motorsport.
Between 1949 and 1965, Ferrari won the French 24-hour marathon nine times, six times in a row from 1960 to 1965. In 1963, “Il Commendatore” as Ferrari was known, refused to sell out to Ford at the last minute, putting an end to lengthy negotiations. Vexed, Ford decided to attack Ferrari in the Italian’s favourite playground: the 24 Hours of Le Mans.
His first attempts were feeble. The Fords’ maiden outing was in 1964. They didn’t make the finish, but that is par for the course first time round at Le Mans. However, in 1965, the eagerly awaited battle amounted to nothing when all six Fords were hit with gearbox problems by the eighth hour. Ford was sent reeling while Ferrari savoured a one-two-three finish.
Revenge came the following year when Ford achieved the same feat. On the eve of the race, Ferrari suffered a setback when driver John Surtees walked out following a bitter row. “I’ve raced at Le Mans with Ferrari three times and each time, I could have won. In 1966, I banked the best time in qualifications but had a row with the team manager, so I left the circuit.”
The row was about his teammate. Surtees was set to share the Ferrari 330 with Mike Parkes, so when he arrived in Le Mans he was surprised to see Lodovico Scarfiotti’s name on the car instead of Parkes’. Surtees, the only driver in history to have won world championships on two and four wheels, already held a grudge against Enzo Ferrari. He felt he had been side-lined following a Mosport accident in 1965. The disagreement marked the beginning of Ferrari’s troubles: none of the cars finished the race in 1966.
Enzo Ferrari would have celebrated his 118th birthday today. Little did he know that 1965 would be the last victory for his marque. The last victory to date, that is.
Cécile Bonardel / ACO — Translated from French by Emma Paulay
