“Christian Bale was a fantastic driver and, hands down, the best actor I have given driving instruction to,” says Nagle. “I took him down to the Bob Bondurant driving school to train, but also to talk with Bob since he knew Ken Miles very well. His aptitude was phenomenal, learning the craft and diving into that role behind the wheel.”

There were a few seasoned racers on-hand to quiz about how their input in the film and the outcome of Ford v Ferrari lined up. CART and IMSA racer Scott Pruett was there, as was five-time winner of the Rolex 24 and three-time Le Mans winner Hurley Haywood, along with a man who was actually involved in the 1966 Le Mans race, Roger Bailey.
We sat down at Daytona during the Rolex 24 with key players from Ford v Ferrari including the stunt coordinator, stunt driver, and several notable racers like (L-R)Hurley Haywood, Scott Pruett, and the legendary Roger Bailey. Photo credit: Kasia Pogorzelski.

We asked them about the integrity of the film and the dedication to documenting the significant war between Ford in the USA with the Italians at Ferrari after a business deal went south.

They unanimously agreed there were a handful of inconsistencies like the yellow lines on the Circuit de la Sarthe (there are none) or giving the illusion that they were racing around planes in GT40s on the tarmac at Shelby American headquarters (they didn’t). However, all of the racers “loved the movie” and said it was only a natural dose of Hollywood entertainment, which was needed to create an entertaining movie.
Involving legends like Roger Bailey, who helped build the 1966 Ford GT MkIIs for the Ford v Ferrari movie, captured the Le Mans drama using old school stunts without the aid of computer graphics. Photo credit: Kasia Pogorzelski.

Ford v Ferrari is a solid racing effort, and after meeting with the crew and these racing legends, it leaves us wanting to see it again. Luckily, the movie just released on 4K digital download on popular services like Google Play and Apple iTunes, but a hardcopy on BluRay or DVD is coming February 11.

Until then, we know how they made it all happen and put a monumental effort out to recreate the 1960s Le Mans drama using old school tech without the aid of computer graphics.
The Ford v Ferrari movie has also been nominated for four Academy Awards, including Best Picture, Best Sound Mixing, Best Film Editing, and Best Sound Editing coming up February 9th. Photo credit: Kasia Pogorzelski.

The Ford v Ferrari movie has also been nominated for four Academy Awards, including Best Picture, Best Sound Mixing, Best Film Editing, and Best Sound Editing. We will see if a ‘Dad Drama’ racing flick actually gets some recognition at the Academy Awards February 9th.