With Christian Bale and Matt Damon respectively acting as racing legends Ken Miles and Carroll Shelby, “Ford v Ferrari” is a racing saga with strong dramatic and historical underpinnings*. In the world of international racing heading into the 1960s, nobody could touch Ferrari, the best of fast carmakers.

During a company downturn*, Henry Ford II and his lieutenant Lee Iacocca, who played a big role in introducing the Mustang and Ford Pinto, got it into their heads to produce a race car that could displace the Italians, which seemed like a joke at the time. But they made it happen.

With director James Mangold showing a sure hand throughout, some amusing early scenes contrast the corporate culture at Ferrari and Ford. Dedicated to quality, prestige* and class, Enzo Ferrari presides over his empire like a cross between a medieval lord and a mafia boss and looks down on Ford. However, Ford (Tracy Letts) is an even more terrifying figure, a large man who makes underlings quake* in his presence.

After a successful racing career of his own, Shelby started a variety of automotive projects but signed onto Ford’s project of creating a hot car that could win the 24 Hours of Le Mans, which Shelby had won in 1959.

Shelby enlists Miles for the Ford project. At first, Miles, of British origin, is working as a lowly mechanic in Los Angeles, where he lives with his wife Mollie (Caitriona Balfe) and young son Peter (Noah Jupe).

Miles is talented and really knows his cars, so he and Shelby become Ford’s ticket to racing greatness. The drama’s mid-section recounts the impossible mission of developing a car that could beat the Italians, done in one year.

Naturally, the third act is devoted to the 1966 24-hour French driving marathon, in which two drivers take turns piloting their cars through day, night and, in this case, heavy rain. It’s a race Shelby had won in 1959, while Miles had already prevailed* in the current year’s Daytona and Sebring competitions. The result is a surprise, and also has its enormous satisfactions.(SD-Agencies)