At the 1966 24 Hours of Le Mans, Ford put an end to Ferrari's six consecutive wins with a string of records as the cherry on top. In the U.S., the omnipotence of the big movie studios since 1940 was demolished during the second half of the 1960s by young actors and directors who would go on to make their marks for decades to come.

24 Hours in full swing – From 1964 to 1967, Ford's participation boasted a flood of outstanding performances at the 24 Hours of Le Mans. New records were set year after year thanks to the marque's American drivers. A three-time winner with Ferrari (1958, 1961 and 1962), Phil Hill scored two consecutive lap records in 1964 and 1965. In 3:49.2 then 3:37.5, he gained nearly 16 seconds compared to the performance of Ferrari driver John Surtees in 1963 (3:53.3). In 1966, Dan Gurney exceeded an average 230 kph per lap during qualifying and in-race with the same time of 3:30.6. The following year, with an average 218 kph, the American and his fellow countryman A.J. Foyt established the first 5,000 km+ distance record (5,232.9). From 1964 to 1967, Ford reduced the pole position record by more than eight seconds and the lap record by more than 25 thanks to American drivers Hill, Gurney and Mario Andretti, as well as New Zealanders Bruce McLaren and Denny Hulme.

Arrival of the new guard – From 1966 to 1969, three auto racing films were released: Grand Prix (winner of three technical Oscars in 1967), Winning and Le Mans, filmed during the 1966 Formula 1 season, the 1968 Indianapolis 500 and the 1970 24 Hours of Le Mans, respectively. A drama student at the time, future creator of Star Wars, George Lucas, filmed nine experimental short films from 1965 to 1968, including one called 1:42.08 filmed in 1966 at the Willow Springs circuit in California. With Francis Ford Coppola, Brian de Palma, Martin Scorsese and Steven Spielberg, Lucas was a part of what would become "New Hollywood." In 1967, around the peak of the Ford vs. Ferrari duel at the 24 Hours, the movie Bonnie and Clyde became a social phenomenon. The adventures of Bonnie Parker and Clyde Barrow, played by Faye Dunaway and Warren Beatty respectively, even inspired a Serge Gainsbourg song in France that he recorded as a duet with Brigitte Bardot in December 1967. That same year, The Graduate with Dustin Hoffmann hailed the arrival of a new generation of American actors to include Robert de Niro and Al Pacino who would dominate the 1970s and 1980s.

PHOTOS (Copyright - ACO ARCHIVES): LE MANS (SARTHE, FRANCE), CIRCUIT DES 24 HEURES, 24 HOURS OF LE MANS, 10-11 JUNE 1967. In addition to the first 5,000 km+ distance record set by winners Dan Gurney and A.J. Foyt, Denny Hulme (along with American driver Lloyd Ruby with the #4 Ford Mk IV, above) and Mario Andretti (teammate of Belgian driver Lucien Bianchi at the wheel of the #3 Mk IV) shared the new in-race lap record with the same time of 3:23:6 at an average 238 kph. The #2 Ford Mk IV (above) qualified in pole position thanks to Bruce McLaren, with another record of 3:24.4 at an average 237 kph. The New Zealander and his teammate Mark Donohue finished fourth.