In 1963, Ford Motor Company Vice President Lee Iacocca proposes to Henry Ford II to purchase

the cash-strapped Ferrari as a means to boost their car sales by participating in the 24 Hours of
Le Mans. Enzo Ferrari, however, walks out of the deal, as Fiat offers him a more lucrative deal
that allows him to retain his ownership of Scuderia Ferrari. In rejecting the proposed deal with
Ford, Ferrari insults the company and its CEO. A furious Henry II orders his racing division to
build a car to defeat Ferrari at Le Mans. For this task, Iacocca hires Shelby
American owner Carroll Shelby, a racing driver who won Le Mans in 1959, but was forced to
retire due to his heart condition. In turn, Shelby enlists the help of Ken Miles, a hot-tempered
British racer and struggling mechanic.
Shelby and Miles test the Ford GT40 Mk I prototype at Los Angeles International Airport, working
out all of its design flaws until it is race ready. Seeing that Miles is not their ideal driver, Ford opts
to send Phil Hill and Bruce McLaren to the 1964 Le Mans instead. As predicted by Miles, none of
the Fords finish the race. While Henry II sees this as a humiliating defeat, Shelby explains to him
that the GT40 instilled fear in Enzo Ferrari, as it reached 218 mph on the Mulsanne
Straight before it broke down. Shelby and Miles continue development on the GT40 Mk II, but
Miles is nearly killed when the car's brakes fail during testing. In 1966, Ford Senior Vice
President Leo Beebe takes over the racing division, with the intent to continue the program
without Miles, but Shelby gives Henry II a ride in the car and wagers his own company on the line
to convince him that if Miles wins the 24 Hours of Daytona, he will be allowed to race at Le Mans.
Shelby American enters Daytona, but Beebe has a second Ford entered
with NASCAR team Holman-Moody supporting it. While the Holman-Moody team has quicker pit
stops, Shelby has Miles push his car's limit to 7,000 RPM, and he wins the race.
At the 1966 Le Mans, Miles struggles with a faulty door during the first lap, but after team
engineer Phil Remington fixes the door with a mallet, Miles begins to set lap records while
catching up with the Ferraris. While racing with Ferrari driver Lorenzo Bandini – piloting Ferrari's
new prototype 330 P3 – Miles experiences brake failure and has his brake system replaced
during his pit stop. Enzo Ferrari protests the move, but Shelby convinces the race officials that
the brake change is legal. Miles and Bandini once again duel on the Mulsanne Straight until
Bandini blows his engine, completely eliminating Ferrari in the race. With three Ford teams in the
top-three positions, Beebe orders Shelby to have Miles slow down for the other two Fords to
catch up with him and provide the press with a three-car photo finish. Miles is initially against this
decision, continuing to set new lap records near the end of the race, but decides to let Ford have
their way on the final lap. Ultimately, McLaren is declared the winner on a technicality, but Miles
is grateful to Shelby for giving him the opportunity to race at Le Mans.
Two months after Le Mans, while testing the J-car at Riverside International Raceway, Miles
once again experiences brake failure and is killed in the resulting crash. Six months later, Shelby
pays Miles' widow Mollie and son Peter a visit and gives Peter a wrench that Miles threw at him
before winning an SCCA race at Willow Springs in 1963.
Ford continued its winning streak at Le Mans in 1967, 1968, and 1969. Miles was posthumously
inducted into the Motorsports Hall of Fame of America in 2001.