0:00:08 > 0:00:12Building a race car is an art form like no other.
0:00:12 > 0:00:16It has a clearly defined purpose - to win.
0:00:16 > 0:00:24The skills, passion and artistry of many craftsmen are combined to create an object of great beauty.
0:00:24 > 0:00:29But if it doesn't win...you may as well hang it in an art gallery.
0:00:29 > 0:00:34Many have tried to master this elusive art. Few have succeeded.
0:00:34 > 0:00:38Because winning takes something more.
0:00:39 > 0:00:43In the battle that was the Cobra-Ferrari wars,
0:00:43 > 0:00:45that something was personal.
0:00:45 > 0:00:48ENGINE ROARS
0:00:53 > 0:00:59The battle between the two of them was a personal thing
0:00:59 > 0:01:02between Shelby and Enzo Ferrari.
0:01:02 > 0:01:07It went way back into Shelby's early racing career.
0:01:07 > 0:01:09It was very personal.
0:01:09 > 0:01:12Ferrari was a little dictator.
0:01:12 > 0:01:19The thing that fuelled me to challenge Ferrari was that he was the kingpin on top of the heap.
0:01:30 > 0:01:35This is the story of two cars, two men and one race.
0:01:35 > 0:01:39It is the story of one man's dream to build a car
0:01:39 > 0:01:45that would take on the aristocracy of European racing and win.
0:01:48 > 0:01:51That car was the Shelby Cobra.
0:01:54 > 0:01:57The man who named it? Carroll Shelby.
0:02:02 > 0:02:06I got my driver's licence at 14.
0:02:06 > 0:02:13The first thing I did was take my dad's car out and get caught for driving 85mph.
0:02:13 > 0:02:15Got grounded for that.
0:02:15 > 0:02:18I wasn't a very good student,
0:02:18 > 0:02:21because I was always dreaming of my cars.
0:02:21 > 0:02:26I tried several businesses, but I really wasn't happy.
0:02:26 > 0:02:30I wanted to do something with automobiles.
0:02:34 > 0:02:38Shelby pursued a career as a racing driver.
0:02:38 > 0:02:43He had a raw talent for driving and became a favourite gun for hire,
0:02:43 > 0:02:50mainly at the wheel of cars owned by local wealthy racing enthusiasts, hungry for the kudos of a win.
0:02:50 > 0:02:55In three short years, Shelby rose to the top of the US scene.
0:02:55 > 0:03:01He then set his sights on conquering the exotic world of European racing.
0:03:09 > 0:03:11Shelby's stateside success
0:03:11 > 0:03:15had not gone unnoticed across the Pond.
0:03:15 > 0:03:19The British Aston Martin team approached him first,
0:03:19 > 0:03:25not only for his ability, but because an American driver might generate sales in the US.
0:03:25 > 0:03:30What's more, this American driver arrived complete with gimmick.
0:03:35 > 0:03:37When he first arrived in England,
0:03:37 > 0:03:43he had a sort of overall on. When he was a younger man, he had a chicken farm,
0:03:43 > 0:03:49and he was on the farm one day when he got a telephone call
0:03:49 > 0:03:54from a racing friend. He left his chicken farm with his overall on
0:03:54 > 0:03:58and went down and tried this car out and got the drive.
0:03:58 > 0:04:03Somebody said, "That's an unusual bit of kit to wear.
0:04:03 > 0:04:11"You ought to stick with this and people won't forget you." He came to Europe wearing his chicken overalls.
0:04:11 > 0:04:16In Europe, motor racing had been shaped by the wealthy aristocracy.
0:04:16 > 0:04:21They'd formed automobile clubs to pursue their love of road racing.
0:04:21 > 0:04:27Shelby found himself on the circuits of Monaco, Monza and Spa.
0:04:27 > 0:04:31This was the home of Maserati, Jaguar and Ferrari.
0:04:31 > 0:04:39The paddock was populated by men like Sir David Brown, Fangio and Moss.
0:04:39 > 0:04:45These gentleman racers typified the wealthy amateur pursuing their passion for speed.
0:04:45 > 0:04:48He had joined the European elite.
0:04:52 > 0:04:57As a race driver, he was very good.
0:04:57 > 0:05:01We didn't appreciate him so much in England,
0:05:01 > 0:05:07because we didn't know his history in the US - he was champion and won race after race after race.
0:05:10 > 0:05:15Shelby was a natural - kind on the machinery and with a cool head,
0:05:15 > 0:05:20he battled around Europe for Aston Martin with much success.
0:05:20 > 0:05:27But the highest achievement in European racing remained unconquered.
0:05:27 > 0:05:33In 1959, Shelby and Aston Martin set their sights on the cruellest, toughest race in the world -
0:05:33 > 0:05:35Le Mans.
0:05:41 > 0:05:48This is Le Mans - the most prestigious circuit in international road racing.
0:05:48 > 0:05:53For a decade, Ferrari has dominated the field. American cars...
0:05:53 > 0:06:00From its beginnings at the turn of the century, a win at Le Mans was the highest racing accolade.
0:06:00 > 0:06:05It was a punishing race - 24 hours around the clock,
0:06:05 > 0:06:09an indiscriminate destroyer of man and machine.
0:06:09 > 0:06:12Merely finishing was an achievement.
0:06:12 > 0:06:1724 hours, different weathers, constantly passing cars -
0:06:17 > 0:06:19it is THE race.
0:06:19 > 0:06:24It's always talked of as "The Race" in terms of sports cars.
0:06:24 > 0:06:28Le Mans wasn't a race - it was an endurance contest.
0:06:28 > 0:06:33But it was the contest everyone wanted to win.
0:06:33 > 0:06:40To do it would mean beating the pinnacle of race-car engineering - the vehicles of Enzo Ferrari,
0:06:40 > 0:06:47a man who had won here so many times, he may as well have owned the track.
0:06:47 > 0:06:53Shelby and his team-mate, Roy Salvadori, were partnered for the event.
0:06:53 > 0:06:58We thought our chances were reasonably zero
0:06:58 > 0:07:01prior to the, er...race.
0:07:01 > 0:07:08In practice, we didn't treat it very seriously. We drove in one practice session.
0:07:08 > 0:07:15There were three there. He said we shouldn't practice more than one day because we'd wear the car out.
0:07:15 > 0:07:21He said, "I'll teach you a good card game, Salvadori. It's called gin rummy."
0:07:21 > 0:07:25And, er...I knew a bit about gin rummy.
0:07:25 > 0:07:32I think I did better out of that than the tape we had from Aston Martin's old race!
0:07:32 > 0:07:36At 4pm the next day, they lined up for the start.
0:07:38 > 0:07:43Shelby and Aston Martin versus the might of Modena - Ferrari.
0:07:43 > 0:07:50Shelby paced himself and the car, driving night and day through the gruelling marathon.
0:07:50 > 0:07:53Lap after lap, the race wore on.
0:07:53 > 0:07:58As much larger teams fell by the wayside,
0:07:58 > 0:08:05at 4pm the following day, the crown of European racing was waiting for him.
0:08:12 > 0:08:17Unbelievably, Shelby had mastered the most prestigious of all races
0:08:17 > 0:08:21AND beaten Ferrari on his first attempt.
0:08:21 > 0:08:28To Aston Martin, Great Britain and the United States, he was an all-conquering hero.
0:08:28 > 0:08:34The accolades poured in. He was voted Sports Illustrated Driver of the Year.
0:08:34 > 0:08:39His ascent was remarkable, and now he would reap the rewards.
0:08:39 > 0:08:42But Shelby harboured a secret.
0:08:42 > 0:08:46I knew that I had hereditary problems.
0:08:46 > 0:08:51My father died in 1943 at 46 years old...
0:08:51 > 0:08:57with it, so...I figured there was nothing that could be done.
0:08:57 > 0:09:04I didn't know there was anything wrong with him. He was fit as a flea.
0:09:07 > 0:09:11I had to take probably six or eight pills
0:09:11 > 0:09:16during the Le Mans 24 Hour, then I had to take them all the next year.
0:09:16 > 0:09:22I was driving a Lotus with Jimmy Clark. We finished behind him.
0:09:22 > 0:09:29That was the first time I met Carroll. I had no idea he was suffering from a heart condition.
0:09:29 > 0:09:32Nobody knew about it.
0:09:33 > 0:09:36Shelby had angina.
0:09:36 > 0:09:42The world was astonished when, at the peak of his career, he announced his retirement.
0:09:42 > 0:09:47Doctors had finally forced him to face the inevitable -
0:09:47 > 0:09:52the seat of a race car was no place to be with a heart condition.
0:09:52 > 0:09:56Having reached the top, he returned to California
0:09:56 > 0:10:03and with his girlfriend, Joan Cole, tried to figure out how he would earn a living.
0:10:04 > 0:10:11I think that, coming from his background, which was very poor,
0:10:11 > 0:10:16and having experienced the world as a race driver...
0:10:16 > 0:10:21he was concerned about what he was going to do
0:10:21 > 0:10:24in his...race-car retirement.
0:10:35 > 0:10:41The racing scene in California in the '60s was very different to the European one.
0:10:41 > 0:10:46This was a rough, tough world where duels were fought on simple tracks
0:10:46 > 0:10:49in unsophisticated cars.
0:10:49 > 0:10:55Shelby stuck close to this rapidly developing scene, albeit a long way from the driving seat.
0:10:55 > 0:11:02Most people who enjoy motor racing find the more they study good driving techniques,
0:11:02 > 0:11:05the more interesting the sport becomes.
0:11:05 > 0:11:11Shelby had the 11 Western states distributorship for Goodyear racing tyres,
0:11:11 > 0:11:16and had also started a school of high-performance driving
0:11:16 > 0:11:20at Riverside Raceway, Riverside, California.
0:11:20 > 0:11:28So we took - I hate using the word "office", because it was the size of a closet! - for the two of us.
0:11:28 > 0:11:33Shelby, the Le Mans winner and international racing hero,
0:11:33 > 0:11:37was selling tyres and teaching wannabes.
0:11:37 > 0:11:43But the love of competitive racing that had driven him to the top would not leave him.
0:11:43 > 0:11:50He knew he had to get back to the racetracks. If not in the driving seat, he'd find another way.
0:11:54 > 0:12:00I started trying to build my own car in 1951, with my friend Ed Wilkins, who owned the MG TC.
0:12:00 > 0:12:04We tried to build a Chrysler Special in my garage
0:12:04 > 0:12:09and we made so much noise my wife made me quit.
0:12:10 > 0:12:13But I always wanted to build my own car.
0:12:13 > 0:12:18Carroll was a man who had...an idea.
0:12:18 > 0:12:25I don't think at the time that I met him you really could qualify it as a dream - it was an idea.
0:12:25 > 0:12:28HIGH-PITCHED ENGINE
0:12:31 > 0:12:37Shelby's idea was to build a race car that would take him back to the tracks of Europe,
0:12:37 > 0:12:42to once again challenge the best in the world - Ferrari.
0:12:42 > 0:12:45Ferrari was the undisputed master of car builders.
0:12:45 > 0:12:49For three decades, his red cars had reigned supreme.
0:12:49 > 0:12:56For Shelby to even CONSIDER taking on this pedigree was somewhat precocious.
0:12:58 > 0:13:01Ferrari's latest piece of genius,
0:13:01 > 0:13:03the 250 SWB,
0:13:03 > 0:13:06was incredibly sophisticated for its time.
0:13:06 > 0:13:11Its 3-litre V12 engine was clothed in a lightweight, aerodynamic body,
0:13:11 > 0:13:14every component fashioned by Italian craftsmen
0:13:14 > 0:13:18with decades of race experience to draw upon.
0:13:18 > 0:13:24When launched, it showed Ferrari moving even further ahead of the pack.
0:13:28 > 0:13:34The year after Shelby's big win, it took the top three places at Le Mans.
0:13:34 > 0:13:38Shelby had little experience and even less money
0:13:38 > 0:13:41to go up against this sort of bloodline,
0:13:41 > 0:13:45so he took his idea of building a race car
0:13:45 > 0:13:48to the major manufacturers in the US.
0:13:48 > 0:13:54He had been to Ed Cole, who headed up the Chevrolet division for General Motors in Detroit...
0:13:54 > 0:14:00They said, "We don't need another sport car. We have a Corvette."
0:14:13 > 0:14:18For five years, the Corvette had been the car to be seen in.
0:14:18 > 0:14:21Its Art Deco styling and V8 performance
0:14:21 > 0:14:26captured the hearts AND wallets of America's affluent youth,
0:14:26 > 0:14:29whilst arch rival Ford could only watch.
0:14:29 > 0:14:36In 1960, I was made head of Ford by Henry Ford and Robert MacNamara
0:14:36 > 0:14:40and Chevrolet was knocking the hell out of us,
0:14:40 > 0:14:43both in the market on cars and on the track.
0:14:44 > 0:14:49We weren't selling to anybody, let alone young people.
0:14:49 > 0:14:52They didn't go for the stuff we had to offer.
0:14:52 > 0:14:55Ford, Chevrolet's arch rival,
0:14:55 > 0:15:00were selling family values and the market wasn't buying.
0:15:00 > 0:15:04Shelby's timing couldn't have been better.
0:15:04 > 0:15:09First time I saw him, he comes in, a good-looking Texan tall guy,
0:15:09 > 0:15:13wearing a big 20-gallon hat, or something! And boots.
0:15:13 > 0:15:16And always had a great-looking girl!
0:15:21 > 0:15:26The basis of Shelby's idea, to put a large engine in a lightweight body,
0:15:26 > 0:15:30came at exactly the right time for Ford.
0:15:30 > 0:15:34And Shelby had already worked out precisely how Ford could contribute.
0:15:34 > 0:15:38He had gone to the Pikes Peak Hill Climb,
0:15:38 > 0:15:40on July 4th,
0:15:40 > 0:15:43and there he met Dave Evans.
0:15:43 > 0:15:50Evans explained that Ford was working on a new, lightweight V8
0:15:50 > 0:15:53for a Canadian pick-up, a 221-cubic-inch engine.
0:15:53 > 0:16:00Intrigued, Ford agreed to give the Texan an engine, their endorsement and some working capital.
0:16:00 > 0:16:03Now all he needed was a lightweight chassis.
0:16:03 > 0:16:09Which was when he heard that the small British company, AC Cars, had just lost their engine supply
0:16:09 > 0:16:13and had been reduced to manufacturing invalid carriages.
0:16:13 > 0:16:18AC Cars was a small, family-owned business,
0:16:18 > 0:16:22a very old, established company -
0:16:22 > 0:16:25formed, I believe, in 1904 -
0:16:25 > 0:16:28and had a very chequered history.
0:16:28 > 0:16:34AC's famous car, the Ace, was light and nimble, but no firebrand.
0:16:34 > 0:16:37With a Ford V8, it might be a real contender.
0:16:37 > 0:16:43I called them, I set an appointment up and went over there to meet them
0:16:43 > 0:16:46and had a very cordial meeting.
0:16:46 > 0:16:48They seemed interested.
0:16:48 > 0:16:51They were building invalid carriages
0:16:51 > 0:16:56and they had this chassis that was 20 years old at the time,
0:16:56 > 0:16:59but we got along very well.
0:17:01 > 0:17:08AC thought this was a good way to produce a sports car which would sell well in the US at a reasonable price.
0:17:08 > 0:17:13Shelby hoped that, somehow, using a 20-year-old chassis,
0:17:13 > 0:17:17roadster body and the engine from a pick-up truck,
0:17:17 > 0:17:21he was about to build a Ferrari-beating race car.
0:17:21 > 0:17:26We built the first car - Turner was their engineer -
0:17:26 > 0:17:30and we adapted the V8 engine to it.
0:17:33 > 0:17:36When we drove it down the road at Thames Ditton
0:17:36 > 0:17:39I knew that we had something,
0:17:39 > 0:17:45that there wasn't a production Ferrari or a production Corvette or Jaguar that would come close to it.
0:17:50 > 0:17:53When I saw the first chassis,
0:17:53 > 0:17:56I think it was the first time
0:17:56 > 0:18:01that I believed that maybe this was really going to happen.
0:18:01 > 0:18:06Not that I really ever doubted - I didn't have time to doubt -
0:18:06 > 0:18:10but this was really the first tangible thing
0:18:10 > 0:18:13that meant we would build at least one Cobra.
0:18:18 > 0:18:22For the man that was once king of Le Mans,
0:18:22 > 0:18:26this was the first step on the road to recovery.
0:18:26 > 0:18:33Back in the States, Shelby's hot-rodders spared no time in souping up the engine even further.
0:18:33 > 0:18:36I remember when we started it up,
0:18:36 > 0:18:40and it was a real race car for the street.
0:18:40 > 0:18:46There was no Ferrari for the street that had anything like that at the time.
0:18:46 > 0:18:50Ferrari always exaggerated the horsepower, anyway.
0:18:50 > 0:18:53And...I knew we had something.
0:18:54 > 0:19:00What he had was a car that represented a remarkable marriage of continents -
0:19:00 > 0:19:05a lightweight British chassis, from the narrow country lanes of Europe,
0:19:05 > 0:19:07powered by an enormous V8 engine,
0:19:07 > 0:19:11built for the five-lane highways of America.
0:19:11 > 0:19:14Luck and circumstance had collided.
0:19:14 > 0:19:18Shelby was on to one hell of a motor car.
0:19:20 > 0:19:23I liked it. It just looked hot, you know.
0:19:24 > 0:19:27The suits at Ford were ecstatic.
0:19:27 > 0:19:32They couldn't wait to get the car on the track and hammer the Corvette.
0:19:32 > 0:19:37First, Shelby had to fulfil a basic rule of production car racing -
0:19:37 > 0:19:42before you enter a race, you have to manufacture at least 100 cars,
0:19:42 > 0:19:46which meant Shelby had to find 100 customers.
0:19:46 > 0:19:50We took it around to the magazines
0:19:50 > 0:19:55and repainted it every two weeks so it would seem we had more than one.
0:19:55 > 0:19:59We entered the New York Automobile Show
0:19:59 > 0:20:04and we were the focus of the Ford exhibit
0:20:04 > 0:20:09with this very bright yellow, frosted Cobra.
0:20:09 > 0:20:16Joan Cole and I took turns, 12 hours a day, passing out the literature.
0:20:16 > 0:20:19Nobody knew what it was.
0:20:19 > 0:20:22The excitement generated by the car,
0:20:22 > 0:20:24Shel and I pretty well knew
0:20:24 > 0:20:27that we really did have something.
0:20:27 > 0:20:29So we were off and running then.
0:20:29 > 0:20:33We ordered our first 100 cars.
0:20:38 > 0:20:41With 100 cars being built,
0:20:41 > 0:20:44Shelby needed larger premises.
0:20:44 > 0:20:47He found them in Santa Monica,
0:20:47 > 0:20:51where a race team had just gone out of business.
0:20:51 > 0:20:56Race mechanic Phil Remington came with the building
0:20:56 > 0:20:59and immediately signed up to the Cobra project.
0:20:59 > 0:21:06But when he got under the skin of Shelby's car, he began to question the Cobra's race-winning potential.
0:21:06 > 0:21:12I didn't take his dream seriously at first because I knew the competition
0:21:12 > 0:21:17and I didn't feel our group of hot-rodders and the American production engine
0:21:17 > 0:21:20had much of a chance.
0:21:20 > 0:21:25It looked impressive, but when we got looking at the mechanical part,
0:21:25 > 0:21:30we had second thoughts about its existence at all.
0:21:30 > 0:21:32Remington had a point.
0:21:32 > 0:21:38Building 100 cars for the road was one thing, producing a race winner was a different matter altogether.
0:21:38 > 0:21:41But Ford wanted to see it in action,
0:21:41 > 0:21:46so a hastily prepared Cobra entered its first race in October 1962,
0:21:46 > 0:21:49at Riverside, California.
0:21:49 > 0:21:52Everybody came to the fence for that race
0:21:52 > 0:21:57to see the new Corvette and the new Ford product, which was the Cobra,
0:21:57 > 0:22:02compete against the best California club racers at that time.
0:22:02 > 0:22:05Well, there was very little testing.
0:22:05 > 0:22:09We didn't have any time to really develop the car
0:22:09 > 0:22:14so, initially, when we were racing, it was almost like the first test.
0:22:14 > 0:22:19Bob Bondurant was the number one driver for Corvette.
0:22:19 > 0:22:23Nobody believed the Cobra would be that quick.
0:22:23 > 0:22:25It looked pieced-together.
0:22:25 > 0:22:30We looked it over and thought, "It's pretty light, it might go good,
0:22:30 > 0:22:36"but it won't blow off the Corvette," because Corvette was king then.
0:22:36 > 0:22:39Billy Krause was our driver at Riverside.
0:22:39 > 0:22:42As the team prepared to do battle,
0:22:42 > 0:22:47the drivers from the Corvette camp were unconcerned, and rightly so.
0:22:47 > 0:22:51This year's new Corvette Stingray promised to be faster than ever.
0:22:53 > 0:22:58As the starter's flag was raised, the crowd held its breath.
0:22:59 > 0:23:02He just drove away from us.
0:23:04 > 0:23:09Shelby's little Cobra was showing the Corvettes the way home.
0:23:10 > 0:23:13When we actually saw it happening,
0:23:13 > 0:23:16I can remember that...
0:23:16 > 0:23:22It was like...a shot in the arm for all the guys who worked on the racing crew.
0:23:25 > 0:23:29It was a sparkling debut, but racing is about endurance as well as speed,
0:23:29 > 0:23:34and the 20-year-old chassis started to show its age.
0:23:34 > 0:23:38The upshot was that the rear stub axle
0:23:38 > 0:23:41sheared off,
0:23:41 > 0:23:43we lost the wheel
0:23:43 > 0:23:47and the new Corvette ended up winning the race.
0:23:47 > 0:23:52This car was not really ready for an American V8 power and torque.
0:23:52 > 0:23:57The Cobra had shown huge potential but failed to deliver a win.
0:23:57 > 0:24:01There was a mountain of work to be done.
0:24:01 > 0:24:05Anybody can build a car that'll drive down a road -
0:24:05 > 0:24:08but it has to be developed. That's where the work comes in.
0:24:12 > 0:24:15Racing pushes a car to its limit.
0:24:15 > 0:24:20Running an engine at maximum revs, thousands of gear changes,
0:24:20 > 0:24:24braking from 150mph lap after lap after lap,
0:24:24 > 0:24:28constantly stressing components to breaking point.
0:24:28 > 0:24:34The way to find the breaking points is by testing until something snaps.
0:24:34 > 0:24:39Then you have to redesign it, build it stronger, and test some more.
0:24:39 > 0:24:46The key is a test driver with enormous talent and stamina. Luckily, Shelby knew just the guy.
0:24:46 > 0:24:52Coming up is Ken Miles - one of the best sports car drivers in America.
0:24:56 > 0:24:59Ken Miles was an ex-British tank commander
0:24:59 > 0:25:04who'd got into racing after the war and had stumbled across Shelby.
0:25:04 > 0:25:07A fantastic British race driver.
0:25:07 > 0:25:12Built his own MG special which blew off all the factory Porsches.
0:25:12 > 0:25:17And he was a great engineer, but a self-taught engineer.
0:25:17 > 0:25:21He could tell you exactly what was wrong with a car.
0:25:21 > 0:25:24NEWSREEL: At the pitstop he's happy...
0:25:24 > 0:25:28We called him Teddy Teabag, Sidebite -
0:25:28 > 0:25:32because he talked out of the side of his mouth.
0:25:32 > 0:25:35Teddy Teabag!
0:25:35 > 0:25:40How appropriate! Except he's not really a Teddy, is he?
0:25:40 > 0:25:43He had a very dry, British wit
0:25:43 > 0:25:46and people didn't understand him
0:25:46 > 0:25:50and they thought he was a bit of an asshole.
0:25:50 > 0:25:53But it was really his personality.
0:25:53 > 0:25:58Once people got to know him, they realised that he was very funny.
0:25:58 > 0:26:03He would go out and test for 500 miles, come in.
0:26:03 > 0:26:08All he'd do is sit down - he'd have his teapot right there -
0:26:08 > 0:26:14he'd light his fire and have a cup of tea with his little finger up.
0:26:18 > 0:26:21The key to developing a great race car
0:26:21 > 0:26:27is having a test driver who understands exactly how the vehicle is behaving
0:26:27 > 0:26:33and can explain it to the engineer. This partnership got the Cobra into shape quickly.
0:26:33 > 0:26:37NEWSREEL: Then he'll spin it.
0:26:39 > 0:26:43Ken did that on purpose. Let's watch the way he does it.
0:26:44 > 0:26:48Ken was a hell of a race driver and an innovator.
0:26:48 > 0:26:52A little caustic ,but usually he was right
0:26:52 > 0:26:56and everyone respected him for his knowledge and capability.
0:26:56 > 0:27:01Between he and Phil Remington, they got the Cobras handling really well.
0:27:01 > 0:27:06Carroll put the responsibility of the car's development in Phil's hands.
0:27:06 > 0:27:10And it was his ability to do things very quickly
0:27:10 > 0:27:16that made us handle the problem. In 90 days the car was completely re-engineered.
0:27:19 > 0:27:25The car that emerged was a far cry from the little British roadster that left Surrey.
0:27:25 > 0:27:30350bhp from a 4.7l V8 engine in a vehicle weighing just over a ton -
0:27:30 > 0:27:34it was just what Shelby had set out to do.
0:27:34 > 0:27:38It could accelerate to 100mph and back to a standstill
0:27:38 > 0:27:40in under 14 seconds.
0:27:50 > 0:27:53When demonstrating the car to potential customers,
0:27:53 > 0:27:57Shelby would put a 100 bill on the dashboard.
0:27:57 > 0:28:03If you could reach forward and grab it while he accelerated away, you could keep it.
0:28:03 > 0:28:06Nobody took home the hundred.
0:28:06 > 0:28:11Shelby and his motley crew of southern Californian hot-rodders
0:28:11 > 0:28:17had productionised a street-legal race car and were going to take it to the tracks of America.
0:28:25 > 0:28:28The 1963 US Road Racing Championship
0:28:28 > 0:28:31was the first time this fully fledged Cobra
0:28:31 > 0:28:36would be tested against the best machinery in America.
0:28:36 > 0:28:41Now Shelby would find out if he really was a contender.
0:28:41 > 0:28:46Our programme was to go out and win the US Road Racing Championship.
0:28:46 > 0:28:53It was also Ford's chance to take the battle back to the Chevrolet Corvettes.
0:28:53 > 0:28:56And the news - good news!
0:28:56 > 0:28:59NEWSREEL: The Cobra was an underdog.
0:29:02 > 0:29:07The Cobra completed the first lap leading the field.
0:29:09 > 0:29:12The 12-hour run began at 10am.
0:29:12 > 0:29:1712 hours later, the Cobra, driven by Ken Miles, got the chequered flag.
0:29:17 > 0:29:20The new Cobra - product of Phil Remington's workshop
0:29:20 > 0:29:25and Ken Miles' endless testing - proved a spectacular success.
0:29:25 > 0:29:29The Cobras campaigned all over the United States,
0:29:29 > 0:29:31essentially unopposed.
0:29:31 > 0:29:35There were a lot of other hot cars out there
0:29:35 > 0:29:39but really, when the Cobras rolled in, it was all over.
0:29:39 > 0:29:44At Sebring in Florida it set records for an American car,
0:29:44 > 0:29:49beating competition from around the world. It heralded an era.
0:29:49 > 0:29:53NEWSREEL: At Laguna Seca - 1st, 2nd and 4th, Watkins Glen - 1st, 3rd and 5th.
0:29:53 > 0:29:57Kent Washington - 1st, 2nd and 3rd.
0:29:57 > 0:30:02The drivers used to flip coins to see who would win the race.
0:30:02 > 0:30:05NEWSREEL: Ken Miles, trying to go for overall,
0:30:05 > 0:30:09is pushing his 98 Cobra past third-place Heskey,
0:30:09 > 0:30:12and gets by, going through turn five.
0:30:12 > 0:30:16He'd be so far ahead sometimes he'd make silly pitstops
0:30:16 > 0:30:19so he could go out and race a bit.
0:30:19 > 0:30:23He'd say, "Can you check the fan belts?"
0:30:23 > 0:30:27You'd say, "What are you talking about?! The engine's running!"
0:30:27 > 0:30:31"Check them!" Or he'd come in for a glass of water.
0:30:31 > 0:30:33"A spot of water, old chap."
0:30:33 > 0:30:37Sometimes a coke. It was incredible! So funny!
0:30:38 > 0:30:42NEWSREEL: Even before the Mid-Ohio Classic, the Cobras had won
0:30:42 > 0:30:46the US Manufacturers' Road Racing Club Trophy.
0:30:46 > 0:30:50We were just winning everything. It was pretty amazing
0:30:50 > 0:30:55for a company that hadn't been in business for a year to be top of the heap.
0:30:58 > 0:31:00Miles is in front to stay...
0:31:00 > 0:31:05The Cobra's success in America was a shot in the arm
0:31:05 > 0:31:07for Ford's domestic sales.
0:31:07 > 0:31:12The "win on Sunday, sell on Monday" effect turned the tables.
0:31:12 > 0:31:18The suits at Ford started to look at how they might repeat this success in Europe,
0:31:18 > 0:31:23which was when they heard an amazing piece of news -
0:31:23 > 0:31:25Ferrari was up for sale.
0:31:32 > 0:31:35I probed my memory. Enzo Ferrari was a great guy
0:31:35 > 0:31:41and Henry Ford used to meet him in Europe and see these red racing cars
0:31:41 > 0:31:46and said, "What are they?" I said, "That's Ferrari's company."
0:31:46 > 0:31:49By acquiring Ferrari,
0:31:49 > 0:31:54Ford could short-cut the development process Shelby had been through
0:31:54 > 0:31:58and gain instant credibility in Europe.
0:31:58 > 0:32:04They might win the biggest prize in the world at their first attempt - Le Mans.
0:32:04 > 0:32:08If you took one single race at the time, Le Mans was it.
0:32:08 > 0:32:14Ford wanted to win Le Mans. The best and easiest way to do that would be to buy Ferrari.
0:32:14 > 0:32:18I think Ferrari was going through pretty hard times
0:32:18 > 0:32:22and I don't know if at that stage he wanted to sell to Fiat.
0:32:22 > 0:32:28He probably thought it was a pretty good deal to sell to Ford.
0:32:33 > 0:32:37If Ferrari was having a tough time of it financially,
0:32:37 > 0:32:39it wasn't showing on the track.
0:32:39 > 0:32:44Their latest creation - the staggeringly beautiful GTO -
0:32:44 > 0:32:46was cleaning up.
0:32:46 > 0:32:50It took the first three places at the 1962 Le Mans.
0:32:51 > 0:32:55Three decades of legendary racing achievement
0:32:55 > 0:32:57and the image that went with it.
0:32:57 > 0:33:03The prancing horse and the famous blood red cars was all up for grabs.
0:33:04 > 0:33:08That's how far we'd come. We'd decided we'd race and win
0:33:08 > 0:33:13and if you couldn't beat 'em, maybe you should try to buy 'em!
0:33:13 > 0:33:19Ford were deadly serious, and sent over a team of accountants to tie it all up.
0:33:19 > 0:33:24But they hadn't counted on having to deal with a man like Enzo Ferrari.
0:33:24 > 0:33:30Rumour has it - which I believe - that Ferrari never intended to sell
0:33:30 > 0:33:36and was negotiating in order to get money out of the Italian government or Fiat.
0:33:36 > 0:33:38Ferrari then turned Ford down.
0:33:38 > 0:33:44Ford said, "I'll have revenge! We'll beat you in the GT and prototypes!"
0:33:45 > 0:33:49Ford wanted to hit Ferrari where it hurt -
0:33:49 > 0:33:51the racetrack.
0:33:53 > 0:33:56Shelby decided now was the time to return to Europe
0:33:56 > 0:34:00and test the Cobra against the Ferrari at Le Mans.
0:34:03 > 0:34:07It was a challenge that Shelby would relish
0:34:07 > 0:34:11for more than just sporting reasons.
0:34:11 > 0:34:16There was not good feelings between Ferrari and Shelby at all!
0:34:16 > 0:34:19He made no secret about that.
0:34:19 > 0:34:22But it was in that...uh...
0:34:22 > 0:34:28I don't want to call it vengeance, but perhaps it was -
0:34:28 > 0:34:33not being a man, I don't quite know how you all function!
0:34:33 > 0:34:35But I think that there...
0:34:35 > 0:34:40Yes, that was at the bottom of the battle between the two of them -
0:34:40 > 0:34:43was a personal thing between Shelby and Enzo Ferrari.
0:34:43 > 0:34:48It went way back into Shelby's early racing career
0:34:48 > 0:34:51and it was very personal.
0:34:53 > 0:34:57When racing with Aston Martin in the '50s,
0:34:57 > 0:35:01Shelby needed a base for easy travel to the tracks of Europe.
0:35:01 > 0:35:04The town he had chosen was Modena,
0:35:04 > 0:35:08the heart of European race car engineering
0:35:08 > 0:35:11and the home of its master - Enzo Ferrari.
0:35:12 > 0:35:17I met Enzo Ferrari for the first time in 1955.
0:35:17 > 0:35:23And that summer I spent the whole summer with his son, Dino.
0:35:23 > 0:35:27I met Ferrari nearly on a daily basis.
0:35:27 > 0:35:31He seemed to develop a... I won't say it was a hate,
0:35:31 > 0:35:36but he was aiming at Ferrari, which was a jolly good thing.
0:35:36 > 0:35:41I never did like the way he treated his drivers.
0:35:41 > 0:35:46Although I respected Ferrari, he, er, tweaked them up.
0:35:46 > 0:35:50Musso and Castellotti were very good friends,
0:35:50 > 0:35:56and after they'd both driven Ferrari, within a year, they weren't speaking to each other.
0:35:56 > 0:36:03Ferrari would say to Musso, "Why is Castellotti saying bad things about you? I thought you were friends."
0:36:03 > 0:36:07Then he'd go to Castellotti and do the same thing.
0:36:07 > 0:36:14But he did that...all his life. That was his way of getting the maximum out of the drivers.
0:36:14 > 0:36:18He didn't have much regard, in my opinion, for drivers.
0:36:18 > 0:36:23He thought that a car that he made was the best car in the world,
0:36:23 > 0:36:27and...his drivers should be thankful for the drive.
0:36:27 > 0:36:34And I think you'll find that that's what happened with a lot of the star drivers, including Fangio.
0:36:34 > 0:36:39Ferrari and Fangio didn't get along that well.
0:36:40 > 0:36:43It was his attitude.
0:36:46 > 0:36:52In June 1963, a month after the negotiations with Ford had fallen through,
0:36:52 > 0:36:55Shelby sent two Cobras to Le Mans.
0:36:55 > 0:37:00The thug would get its chance to bloody the nose of the thoroughbred.
0:37:01 > 0:37:06But deep down, Shelby knew that despite their success in the US,
0:37:06 > 0:37:10the Cobras were not designed for winning in Europe.
0:37:10 > 0:37:16Historically, European racing had always been on public roads with long, open sections.
0:37:16 > 0:37:22A successful car needed reliability and a very high top speed.
0:37:22 > 0:37:27Le Mans and the Ferraris epitomised this style of racing.
0:37:31 > 0:37:37By contrast, the America that was the Cobra's patch was all oval tracks, short straights,
0:37:37 > 0:37:40often in disused airfields.
0:37:40 > 0:37:46Top speeds were much lower, and winning was more about brute force and big tyres.
0:37:46 > 0:37:51All Shelby's team could do to try and make the Cobras competitive
0:37:51 > 0:37:59was bolt a couple of hardtops onto the roadsters to make the cars more aerodynamic and therefore faster.
0:37:59 > 0:38:03It was a long shot, but they had to try.
0:38:03 > 0:38:07The race began. Ford and Shelby held their breath,
0:38:07 > 0:38:09but not for long.
0:38:09 > 0:38:13In '63, when we took the roadsters over there,
0:38:13 > 0:38:19we were absolutely killed in terms of aerodynamics, because the cars just did not have the top speed.
0:38:19 > 0:38:26It was like trying to shove a brick through the air. Consequently, they weren't very fast or reliable.
0:38:26 > 0:38:30I recall both cars failed with engine problems.
0:38:30 > 0:38:35Over short courses, the Cobras would blow anything off in '63,
0:38:35 > 0:38:40but when you got to Le Mans, the aerodynamics would be in your way.
0:38:40 > 0:38:45The GTOs and so forth were aerodynamic. We didn't have that.
0:38:47 > 0:38:53The killer stretch that destroyed the Cobras was the infamous Mulsanne Straight.
0:38:53 > 0:38:58At over three miles long, it allowed the Ferraris to reach 180mph,
0:38:58 > 0:39:02their sleek bodywork slipping through the air.
0:39:02 > 0:39:06By contrast, the Cobra could only reach 160.
0:39:06 > 0:39:11Their bodywork was simply not shaped for high speed.
0:39:11 > 0:39:18Carroll knew that he wanted to go back to Europe...and win, especially against Ferrari.
0:39:20 > 0:39:26Shelby realised that if he was going to win, he would need a more aerodynamic car.
0:39:26 > 0:39:32The concept of going to Europe and having cars that went almost 200mph
0:39:32 > 0:39:36was beyond what anybody in the United States thought about.
0:39:36 > 0:39:43The opinion in the shop of the rest of the people was, "How are we going to go to Europe?"
0:39:43 > 0:39:47That's when Pete Brock and I sat down,
0:39:47 > 0:39:51and decided to see if we could build us a coupe.
0:39:53 > 0:39:59The Coupe was to be a roadster chassis with a new aerodynamic body.
0:39:59 > 0:40:06This time, the hot-rodders wouldn't be able to buy it off the shelf. They'd have to design it themselves.
0:40:06 > 0:40:13And who would be chief designer? Shelby turned to his 23-year-old employee, Pete Brock.
0:40:15 > 0:40:22So we started by taking the chassis that had been crashed at Daytona earlier that year by Skip Hudson,
0:40:22 > 0:40:25and pulling the body off the chassis.
0:40:28 > 0:40:31They had never built a car like that.
0:40:33 > 0:40:40He drew out on the floor... the shape, and we all looked at it and went, "Yeah, right, Pete(!)"
0:40:40 > 0:40:43And he said, "No, it'll work."
0:40:43 > 0:40:47When I showed it to other people, they were aghast,
0:40:47 > 0:40:52because it was the strangest, ugliest car anybody had ever seen,
0:40:52 > 0:40:56the Ferrari GTO being the most beautiful car ever produced.
0:40:56 > 0:41:02I didn't think it had much hope because the chassis was still very unsophisticated,
0:41:02 > 0:41:06compared to some of the European cars in particular.
0:41:07 > 0:41:10There was no suitable windscreen,
0:41:10 > 0:41:15so Ken sat down, we looked at his height in the car,
0:41:15 > 0:41:20held the steering wheel in his hand about where it was going to be,
0:41:20 > 0:41:26and literally with duck tape and wood outlined where the windscreen was going to be.
0:41:26 > 0:41:32The first thing that we designed was the windscreen. We designed the car around what that would look like.
0:41:37 > 0:41:44It was amazing to see it come together. They started moulding the fenders and body to it.
0:41:45 > 0:41:48And I saw it grow pretty much daily.
0:41:56 > 0:42:02And all of a sudden, there it was. The body was all together.
0:42:04 > 0:42:11In three months, Pete Brock and the racing crew had designed and built a new Le Mans car from scratch.
0:42:11 > 0:42:16I thought that the Coupe looked funny,
0:42:16 > 0:42:19but since no-one asked me...!
0:42:19 > 0:42:23I did not offer any of my own opinion on it.
0:42:23 > 0:42:28The Coupe project was fraught with controversy from the very beginning,
0:42:28 > 0:42:31as the whole concept was so foreign.
0:42:31 > 0:42:36It didn't look like anything that had been successful before.
0:42:36 > 0:42:42So Pete had confidence in the new shape. Shelby wasn't so sure.
0:42:43 > 0:42:47We didn't understand the aerodynamics of it too well.
0:42:47 > 0:42:51We called Benny Howard in - a great aerodynamicist.
0:42:51 > 0:42:56Ex-executive vice president at Convair Aviation.
0:42:56 > 0:43:01And Carroll brought him down to the shop to show him what we were doing.
0:43:01 > 0:43:03Benny looked at the car...
0:43:03 > 0:43:09and just right off the wall said the thing is never going to work.
0:43:09 > 0:43:15He told us...if we extend the tail out, about three feet, to a point,
0:43:15 > 0:43:19that we'd be much better off aerodynamically.
0:43:19 > 0:43:24But that would have really ruined the looks of the car.
0:43:24 > 0:43:30Carroll and Benny went to lunch. He came back and asked what I thought. I said, "I still think I'm right."
0:43:30 > 0:43:32He said, "You'd better be."
0:43:32 > 0:43:38With Pete Brock's reputation on the line, the team took the finished car to the local track for a trial run.
0:43:43 > 0:43:48First time we tested it, the car lifted off the ground at 160mph.
0:43:48 > 0:43:51We had to fool with air dams.
0:43:51 > 0:43:57I wondered if we would ever get it right after about the first two weeks of testing.
0:43:57 > 0:44:03But then Ken and John Collins, riding with him for 1,000 miles, with no seat in the right side,
0:44:03 > 0:44:06are the ones that made it work.
0:44:08 > 0:44:15I had to sit on the floor. There was no seat, no seat belts. I was hanging on with my foot up
0:44:15 > 0:44:20under the dashboard, trying to hang on. As we were going into turn six,
0:44:20 > 0:44:25he told us to look out the window to see the back wheel off the ground!
0:44:25 > 0:44:30Lap by lap, they ironed out the problems and produced a car that was not only aerodynamically sound,
0:44:30 > 0:44:34it was fast. Damn fast.
0:44:34 > 0:44:37We went down the long back straight,
0:44:37 > 0:44:44and I was wondering when he was going to brake. I could see the wall. I thought, "He's never going to stop!"
0:44:44 > 0:44:48Of course, he put the brakes on, and we pulled into the pits,
0:44:48 > 0:44:52and we'd been clocked at 183mph, I think it was.
0:44:52 > 0:44:55Ken said, "It can't run that fast."
0:44:55 > 0:45:00So he asked us what rear-axle ratio we had in. We told him what it was.
0:45:00 > 0:45:04He said, "Take it back and check it out."
0:45:04 > 0:45:10So we told him. He said, "You guys don't know what you're talking about. Pull the diff out and check it out."
0:45:10 > 0:45:16So we pulled the diff out and counted the teeth. It was that axle-ratio and that was what the car was doing...
0:45:17 > 0:45:19..183mph!
0:45:19 > 0:45:26So when Ken Miles came back from that test, and called Carroll and told him how fast that we had gone,
0:45:26 > 0:45:30that pretty much changed the opinion in the shop.
0:45:31 > 0:45:35183mph was proper Ferrari-beating pace.
0:45:35 > 0:45:40Despite the doubts, Brock and the boys had done it.
0:45:40 > 0:45:43Everyone was so excited.
0:45:43 > 0:45:47They figured they could finally go out and beat the Ferraris.
0:45:47 > 0:45:53Unbelievable. It was everything... and more that Shelby had expected the car to perform.
0:45:53 > 0:45:55Everything and more.
0:45:55 > 0:45:59And we knew then that we were not afraid.
0:46:06 > 0:46:12Shelby American's Daytona Coupe was the beast to the GTO's beauty.
0:46:13 > 0:46:19It had all the brute force of the Cobra roadster, sheathed in a streamlined aluminium body,
0:46:19 > 0:46:23bristling with vents to allow the monstrous V8 to keep cool.
0:46:27 > 0:46:30The Daytona was another animal altogether.
0:46:30 > 0:46:35It was a different motor car. It felt different. It handled very well.
0:46:35 > 0:46:38It was able to hold its own
0:46:38 > 0:46:41against GTOs.
0:46:41 > 0:46:47And in my view, it was a little bit faster in a straight line as well.
0:46:50 > 0:46:53The deadline was looming.
0:46:53 > 0:47:00With three months till Le Mans, Shelby would have to prove himself and his car on the racetrack.
0:47:00 > 0:47:06First up, February 1964, Daytona Speedway and the Ferraris were out in force.
0:47:06 > 0:47:09'And the race is on.'
0:47:13 > 0:47:19The car was so quick. Ferrari were rocking in their boots. There was no way they could come close to us.
0:47:19 > 0:47:26When the race started, we just ran away from them. At one point, we were 38 minutes ahead of them.
0:47:26 > 0:47:30They were counting in minutes, not seconds, which was incredible.
0:47:30 > 0:47:35After a disastrous pit stop, the race was over for the Coupe.
0:47:35 > 0:47:40Though the car was quick, it was not reliable, and as they say in racing,
0:47:40 > 0:47:44"In order to finish first, first you have to finish."
0:47:44 > 0:47:51The second race of the season at Sebring, Florida would be the Coupe's last chance to prove itself
0:47:51 > 0:47:55if Ford were to back the car for Le Mans.
0:47:55 > 0:48:01Sterling specimens of engineering have been exhibiting speed and stamina on this course at Sebring!
0:48:01 > 0:48:06We rebuilt the car after Daytona and got it ready for Sebring,
0:48:06 > 0:48:10fixed the overheating problem, put a different pump on the rear axle.
0:48:10 > 0:48:15We thought, "We can win Sebring with the car. There's no doubt."
0:48:15 > 0:48:20Five, four, three, two, one...GO!
0:48:20 > 0:48:25The Coupe ran the 12-hour race in spectacular style.
0:48:25 > 0:48:30Not only was it incredibly quick, this time it also proved reliable.
0:48:30 > 0:48:33They came into their own, I think, at Sebring,
0:48:33 > 0:48:39and they'd improved the car a lot. They had rack-and-pinion steering.
0:48:39 > 0:48:42They had really developed it nicely.
0:48:43 > 0:48:47The Cobras keep the Ferraris driving hard!
0:48:49 > 0:48:54The sun is hot, the track is hot, the pace is hot...
0:48:54 > 0:48:56Once again up against the Ferraris,
0:48:56 > 0:49:01this time the Coupe demonstrated its spectacular speed without breakdown.
0:49:01 > 0:49:05Shelby's new car went on to take the chequered flag.
0:49:05 > 0:49:09Although Sebring was a much lesser race than Le Mans,
0:49:09 > 0:49:13winning it was a real boost for Shelby and the team.
0:49:13 > 0:49:18Ferrari knew at Daytona that they were done with the GTOs,
0:49:18 > 0:49:22because they were so slow compared to the Daytona Coupe.
0:49:22 > 0:49:27At Sebring, we waxed them so easily. There was just no competition.
0:49:27 > 0:49:31We dominated. That's when we decided to go to Europe,
0:49:31 > 0:49:35when we beat the GTO in a 12-hour race.
0:49:35 > 0:49:40Carroll knew we were going to Europe because he had the intention,
0:49:40 > 0:49:46but until the car ran at Sebring and we won the GT class down there,
0:49:46 > 0:49:50that was when we finally got approval from Ford.
0:49:54 > 0:49:58The cars were very impressive at Daytona and Sebring.
0:49:58 > 0:50:02Now we're getting ready for Monza, Targa Florio and Le Mans.
0:50:02 > 0:50:07The following month, Shelby and his crew headed for Europe,
0:50:07 > 0:50:11with the new Daytona Coupe and a brace of roadsters.
0:50:11 > 0:50:15Is this the kind of team that can win at Le Mans?
0:50:15 > 0:50:20- It's GOING to win at Le Mans. - Congratulations and good luck.
0:50:20 > 0:50:23This time, he was prepared.
0:50:23 > 0:50:27Shelby knew that the road circuits would be punishing on the cars.
0:50:27 > 0:50:31There was so much repair work that had to be done,
0:50:31 > 0:50:38without a complete workshop and a capable crew, it was impossible to maintain the car.
0:50:38 > 0:50:41By using the roadsters as mobile test beds,
0:50:41 > 0:50:48he'd be able to find the weaknesses of the components they shared with the Daytona.
0:50:48 > 0:50:52The Coupes would be saved for the big one - Le Mans.
0:50:52 > 0:50:56It was a constant series of modifications to them -
0:50:56 > 0:51:00improving the brakes, improving the suspension,
0:51:00 > 0:51:02getting the right sway bars,
0:51:02 > 0:51:07er...just 10,000 things that you have to do
0:51:07 > 0:51:11when you're trying to take a mule and outrun a racehorse.
0:51:13 > 0:51:20By the summer of '64, the Coupe was ready to take on the best in the world.
0:51:20 > 0:51:23A car conceived and built in a few months
0:51:23 > 0:51:30was about to represent the name not just of Carroll Shelby, but of Ford America.
0:51:32 > 0:51:37At last, the big event arrived - Le Mans, 1964.
0:51:37 > 0:51:42Carroll Shelby and his "mule" versus the rest of the world.
0:51:42 > 0:51:48And, in particular, Ferrari with his thoroughbreds.
0:51:48 > 0:51:52With 30 minutes to go, the countdown starts...
0:51:52 > 0:51:58The team was to be made of Cobra veterans Dan Gurney and Bob Bondurant.
0:51:58 > 0:52:03Shelby's last five years of blood, sweat and tears
0:52:03 > 0:52:06were all for the next 24 hours.
0:52:06 > 0:52:11At four o'clock tomorrow afternoon, all would be decided.
0:52:11 > 0:52:16Five minutes to go, and 55 drivers move to their marks...
0:52:16 > 0:52:20Whether Shelby and his team of Californian hot-rodders
0:52:20 > 0:52:27had definitively mastered the art of building a race car was about to be put to the ultimate test.
0:52:27 > 0:52:31Dan started the race, did a great Le Mans start.
0:52:38 > 0:52:41Into the S's for the first time,
0:52:41 > 0:52:46it's the Ferraris of Rodriguez, Graham Hill, David Piper...
0:52:46 > 0:52:49The Ferraris took off into the lead,
0:52:49 > 0:52:53making it to the crucial first corner in front,
0:52:53 > 0:53:01but by two hours into the race, the Daytona Coupe, with its incredible top speed, had overtaken them.
0:53:01 > 0:53:05We took off, and we're leading our class
0:53:05 > 0:53:07and we're ahead of the Ferraris.
0:53:07 > 0:53:12Then it was my turn. I get in and took off.
0:53:12 > 0:53:17Now there's several hundred thousand spectators here to watch the race.
0:53:17 > 0:53:22You see spectators almost the entire route around the track
0:53:22 > 0:53:26and it just gave you such a neat warm feeling.
0:53:26 > 0:53:31This time, the straight that had killed the Cobra in '63
0:53:31 > 0:53:34posed no problems for the Coupe.
0:53:34 > 0:53:37I'd never driven that fast before.
0:53:37 > 0:53:42Going down the Mulsanne straight in a number five Cobra Daytona Coupe,
0:53:42 > 0:53:46we ran 196mph lap after lap after lap.
0:53:46 > 0:53:51With the high speeds taking their toll on their pursuing arch rivals,
0:53:51 > 0:53:56by the early evening, the Coupes were stretching their lead.
0:53:56 > 0:54:03Once again, an early pacemaker had no more to show for it than a temporary lap record at 131mph.
0:54:03 > 0:54:08You never get overconfident at Le Mans cos it's 24 hours.
0:54:08 > 0:54:10You're dealing with metal fatigue.
0:54:10 > 0:54:15You go into the race with a plan and you hope it works.
0:54:15 > 0:54:18Strategy is everything at Le Mans.
0:54:18 > 0:54:25Every car has two drivers, so teamwork is an essential part of the process.
0:54:25 > 0:54:30Bondurant and Gurney took on board their team manager's words.
0:54:30 > 0:54:35John Wyer gave us a lap time to run by which felt totally slow.
0:54:35 > 0:54:37He said, "That's the way you win.
0:54:37 > 0:54:43"If you run hard at the beginning, you'll wear the car out and you won't finish."
0:54:45 > 0:54:47The big cars are due in on schedule.
0:54:47 > 0:54:51Bob and I made a strong combination
0:54:51 > 0:54:57and I think we both realised it and we both focused on the job at hand.
0:55:01 > 0:55:08As the sky darkened, the Coupe number five was still ahead of the remaining two Ferraris.
0:55:15 > 0:55:18But as the sun came up, disaster struck.
0:55:18 > 0:55:22With five hours to go, I think it was,
0:55:22 > 0:55:29the oil cooler broke and we couldn't replace it, we didn't have the pieces.
0:55:29 > 0:55:33We came in for a pit stop and bypassed the oil cooler,
0:55:33 > 0:55:37which enabled us to keep running, but at a reduced pace.
0:55:37 > 0:55:42We ran with the oil temperature over 300 degrees.
0:55:42 > 0:55:46At 300 degrees, engine oil is close to vaporising,
0:55:46 > 0:55:50that is if it doesn't burn through the high-pressure hoses first.
0:55:50 > 0:55:55When the Cobra rejoined the race, the Ferraris were right behind it
0:55:55 > 0:55:59and Bondurant knew if he didn't take it easy, he'd blow the engine.
0:55:59 > 0:56:02Amongst the Grand Touring cars,
0:56:02 > 0:56:10battle royal with number 24, the Ferrari, trying desperately to catch Gurney's Cobra leading the category.
0:56:13 > 0:56:19The last few laps of the Coupe's final stint seemed to take an age,
0:56:19 > 0:56:25but when Bondurant rounded the last corner, he met a sight he'd never seen before.
0:56:25 > 0:56:28No-one told me about the finish.
0:56:28 > 0:56:34What happens at the finish is you go across the finish line very slowly.
0:56:34 > 0:56:37You just cruise over in third gear.
0:56:37 > 0:56:42I came out in fourth gear, flat out, and the crowd came over the wall!
0:56:42 > 0:56:47"My God! What are these people doing on the track?!"
0:56:47 > 0:56:54So we slowed down and we got the chequered flag and we won. It was such a neat feeling.
0:56:54 > 0:57:00The car that Carroll built had made it to the end of the hardest 24 hours in motor racing
0:57:00 > 0:57:03and finished in front.
0:57:04 > 0:57:09Our job was relatively easy at Le Mans
0:57:09 > 0:57:12and we were very proud of it.
0:57:13 > 0:57:19Enzo was livid. He never dreamed that he'd be defeated at Le Mans,
0:57:19 > 0:57:21his stomping ground.
0:57:29 > 0:57:32The unbelievable had happened.
0:57:32 > 0:57:39A chicken farmer from Texas had masterminded the development and build of a world-class racing car.
0:57:39 > 0:57:43Prepared and raced by a bunch of Californian hot-rodders,
0:57:43 > 0:57:49it had taken on the might and power of world champions Ferrari and won.
0:57:51 > 0:57:55It was a battle that marked the end of an era.
0:57:55 > 0:58:01From the mid-'60s onwards, racing cars became a whole different deal.
0:58:01 > 0:58:07Never again would determination be enough to get you to the track, let alone win.
0:58:07 > 0:58:14Le Mans was to become the domain of highly organised factory teams with global sponsors.
0:58:14 > 0:58:18The art form Shelby had mastered was to change for good,
0:58:18 > 0:58:23which made the era of the Cobra-Ferrari wars, for Shelby and his crew,
0:58:23 > 0:58:27a period in time that they would relish forever.
0:58:28 > 0:58:31I think that there was not a guy
0:58:31 > 0:58:37that was affiliated with the Cobra project
0:58:37 > 0:58:41that today does not look back and say,
0:58:41 > 0:58:44"It was the best of times."
0:59:07 > 0:59:10Subtitles by BBC Broadcast - 2002
0:59:10 > 0:59:14E-mail us at subtitling@bbc.co.uk