Photo: Mecum Auctions (modified)
It looks like Ferrari isn't just a manufacturer of great vehicles, it was also the company responsible for making other brands build them. The story behind Enzo's involvement in Lamborghini's switch from tractors to supercars is of great notoriety, but the red Italian cars were also to blame for the birth of an American classic.
Shortly after WWII, Ferruccio Lamborghini became a prosperous businessman after repurposing old military equipment into agricultural vehicles. His new-found wealth pushed him to buy a Ferrari sports car, but after flirting with the idea of racing it, he thought the vehicle could use some improving.
He took his suggestions to Enzo Ferrari who was less than flattered to hear these recommendations from a tractor mechanic. He told Ferruccio what to do with his ideas on what must have been a pretty condescending tone, and that was when one of the industry's greatest rivalries was born.
A few years later, at the start of the 1960s, Ferrari was the leading figure in European motorsport, particularly in the endurance racing. But even though it was dominating the Le Mans 24 Hours, the company was actually going through a crisis so severe, that Ford was actually in talks for a takeover.
The deal didn't go through after the Italians refused to include the motorsport division into the transaction. Much like Ferruccio Lamborghini before him, Henry Ford II was so furious, he ordered his men to beat Ferrari at Le Mans no matter the cost.
In 1966, Ford lined up the GT40 on the starting grid for the first time. The car won the race, and repeated the feat for the next three years, its supremacy cut short only by Porsche in 1970. Ford never got round to regaining its laurels, but it didn't really have to: the GT40's purpose had been served.
It is one of the most beautiful stories (unless you're Enzo Ferrari, that is) in an industry that has plenty of them, which is why Peter Dinklage (of Game of Thrones fame) and Channing Tatum (of worse movies than he deserves fame) decided to produce a TV drama based on it.
The Malay Mail Online reports the show will be structured into ten installments, but that's about all the information available at the time. No news on the casting or airing times have been made public, but we do know it'll be titled "Driven." Keep an eye out as it promises to be a treat.
He took his suggestions to Enzo Ferrari who was less than flattered to hear these recommendations from a tractor mechanic. He told Ferruccio what to do with his ideas on what must have been a pretty condescending tone, and that was when one of the industry's greatest rivalries was born.
A few years later, at the start of the 1960s, Ferrari was the leading figure in European motorsport, particularly in the endurance racing. But even though it was dominating the Le Mans 24 Hours, the company was actually going through a crisis so severe, that Ford was actually in talks for a takeover.
The deal didn't go through after the Italians refused to include the motorsport division into the transaction. Much like Ferruccio Lamborghini before him, Henry Ford II was so furious, he ordered his men to beat Ferrari at Le Mans no matter the cost.
In 1966, Ford lined up the GT40 on the starting grid for the first time. The car won the race, and repeated the feat for the next three years, its supremacy cut short only by Porsche in 1970. Ford never got round to regaining its laurels, but it didn't really have to: the GT40's purpose had been served.
It is one of the most beautiful stories (unless you're Enzo Ferrari, that is) in an industry that has plenty of them, which is why Peter Dinklage (of Game of Thrones fame) and Channing Tatum (of worse movies than he deserves fame) decided to produce a TV drama based on it.
The Malay Mail Online reports the show will be structured into ten installments, but that's about all the information available at the time. No news on the casting or airing times have been made public, but we do know it'll be titled "Driven." Keep an eye out as it promises to be a treat.
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