Go like hell : Ford, Ferrari, and their battle for speed and glory at Le Mans / A.J. Baime.

Includes bibliographical references (p. [260]-283) and index.

By the early 1960s, the Ford Motor Company was falling behind. Young Henry Ford II, who had taken the reins with little business experience, had to do something to shake things up. Baby boomers were taking to the road in droves, looking for speed not safety, style not comfort. Meanwhile, Enzo Ferrari, whose cars epitomized style, was crafting beautiful sports cars, "science fiction on wheels," but was also called "the Assassin" because so many drivers perished while racing them. This is the story of how Henry Ford II, with the help of a young visionary named Lee Iacocca and a former racing champion turned engineer, Carroll Shelby, concocted a scheme to reinvent the Ford company. They would design, build, and race a car that could beat Ferrari at his own game at the most prestigious and brutal race in the world, something no American car had ever done.--From publisher description.