Go Like Hell: Ford, Ferrari, and Their Battle for Speed and Glory at Le Mans

Great book for anyone interested in auto racing.

Tough to put down since I'm a car guy at heart. The dangers of racing at LeMans in the 50's & 60's, the efforts to dethrone the dominant Enzo Ferrari by Henry Ford II utilizing the gifted talents of Carol Shelby & others along with massive amounts of money, and how racing impacted car sales in the 1960's are all included in this easy to read book. Informative & enjoyable reading for anyone interested in LeMan's racing or Carol Shelby & his Cobra racing legends.

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

A great read!

I was in high school when these races took place, and I was completely enthralled and excited by it. The speed, the cars, the exotic locales, the drivers and their personalities, and their courage in the face of such danger. A. J. Baime brings it all alive in this great book. I have read a lot of books about this era of racing, and this is by far the best. If you were there and you want to remember, or if you weren't there and wonder what it was like, this book will bring it to you. You will also learn a lot about Henry Ford II and Enzo Ferrari. Enjoy, you won't be able to put it down.

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

A speed read right to the checkered flag!

Kudos to A.J. Baime on a white knuckle ride that pays proper respect to the men and women whose sweat and sacrifice made the Ford vs. Ferrari rivalry one of the most important and compelling in automotive history. His book is a time capsule to be treasured; as the events of that era will,likely,not be duplicated again.

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

The True Story of a Remarkable Racing Rivalry

As a teenager during the 1960's, I remember watching the Ford GT cars at LeMans. I remember the sight of the three Fords, in V formation crossing the finish together. "Go Like Hell" is the story of the rivalry between Ferrari and Ford for LeMans. Over the years, I have pieced together the story of the remarkable Ford GTs and the fight with Ferrari and find Mr. Baime's book to be the one place where most of the story comes together.

Racing in general, and prototype endurance racing in particular, were quite different 40 years ago. Back then, it was as much and perhaps more a matter of the individual personalities of the people involved than even the technology. Blaime understands this and wisely focused on the characters involved, using htem totell the story. Throughout his book, Mr. Baime does a good job of introducing us to those extraordinary individuals: Enzo Ferrari and Henry Ford II who set their respective companies to the task of winning; Carroll Shelby and the "Gang from Terlingua" who turned the Ford GT into a winner; John Surtees and Phil Hill both quiet men of great courage and skill driving on opposite sides; a young rookie named Mario Andretti; a Ford executive named Lee Iaccoca who saw racing as a way to sell cars; and many others. Anyone who is familiar with racing in the 1960's will recognize these names and perhaps be surprised by what you learn about them.

Baime tells not just the story of the competition but gives us keen insights into the background story surrounding the rivalry: What Henry Ford did to save his grandfather's company and how racing became a part of that; how Enzo Ferrari rebuilt from the chaos of World War II's aftermath to emerge as a builder of his own right. Baime skillfully weaves these parts together, giving you a sense of the time and occurances that motivated these characters..

While non-racing fans may find this tedious, anyone interested in automobile racing should find this book a window into a our sport's past and a valuable addition ot your library.

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

From Mick

I can't believe how many characters die in this book. It's amazing by today's standards that a sport could claim so many lives and that people would be sitting there just watching and TV cameras would be rolling. This book is really suspenseful partly because you want to find out who wins in the end but also you hope that characters that you like don't end up getting killed. It's a fascinating business story too, which I didn't expect. I bought my father a copy as soon as I'd read mine.

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

Go Like Hell

This book is wonderfull. It reads just like a novel. The insight into cars is really cool. Also, its unique. There aren't a lot of books about this subject out there. A great read

Go like Hell..an incredible read

A.J. Baime's account of the days of racing at Le Mans between two of the biggest automotive industrialist, Ford and Ferrari is spot on. Not only does it recount the racing in glorious detail it takes the reader inside the lives of these two giants. The reader is transformed back to the 60's and feels as if one is an eye witness to the events recounted. I recommend this book to historians, race fans and anyone who enjoys a great antagonistic interplay. A.J. Baime's writing style builds the story in a way that the reader can't put the book down...an incredible read

As a woman I didn't think I would like this book, but my goodness, what a story. Amazing characters except they are real people !

Get all of the rush of racing with out risking life and limb. I thought it fascinating as a lesson on how to market a brand with brilliance and frankly, balls.

I think this book should be in the business section as well. Maybe Detroit could learn a thing or two.

Overall an intelligent exciting entertainment!

Detroit Fan

Anybody who's following the news in Detroit knows how depressing it is. I liked this book because it's like a flag waiver. In the 1960s everybody bought American cars, even in Europe because Detroit companies kicked everyone's butt on the track, and American racing drivers were some of the most famous guys walking. This book captures all of it while reading like a novel.

So fascinating from start to finish

I bought this book for my dad because he's such a race car fanatic. I was on a plane and decided to read a couple of chapters.. I couldn't put it down the whole 5 hour trip! I'm a woman and have never seen a car race and found this to be so well written. The characters were all so interesting and the story was unbelievable. And reading about how Ford managed to put it's company back on the map after creating a machine that beat the most famous race cars in the world is so inspiring for what American car companies face today and the times we are living in.
This writer lays the story out in such a way you feel like you're watching a film, a blockbuster film at that! I look forward to his next one. So cool, I think my dad will love this.

Speed Read

This book blew me away. The story is about a rivalry between two men who were so into their companies, so into the cars that were branded with their names, they'd do anything to be the best in the world. And they ended up in a rivalry to beat each other at the coolest and most dangerous race in the world. The book has all the 1960s coolness and the characters are all super-icons: Iacocca, Andretti, etc. There's so much death in here, I can't believe these drivers had the nerve to get in the cars in the first place. Madness.

So much more to this story

This might be a good first effort, and the extensive bibliography at the end of the book indicates a fair amount of research. The author does offer some unique insights but a lot here can be found in other books.

There are two glaring errors: Marco Andretti is listed as Mario's son, not grandson, and Aldo Andretti's career is described as being over in 1959 when a crash put him into a coma. Aldo's career lasted into the 60's, ended by a sprint car crash. Given the magnitude of these errors, you have to wonder about the other research in the book.

0 out of 3 people found this review helpful.

No text was provided for this review.

No text was provided for this review.

No text was provided for this review.

No text was provided for this review.

No text was provided for this review.

No text was provided for this review.

No text was provided for this review.

No text was provided for this review.