The Snake and the Stallion | |
---|---|
Written by | Richard Symons |
Directed by | Richard Symons |
Narrated by | Robbie Coltrane |
Country of origin | United Kingdom |
Original language | English |
Production | |
Producers | Hamish Barbour and Richard Klein |
Running time | 60 minutes |
Production company | Spirit Level Film |
Original release | |
Release | 2002 |
The Snake and the Stallion, also known as Cobra Ferrari Wars, is a film that documents the rivalry between Texas chicken farmer turned American car producer Carroll Shelby and the Italian automotive entrepreneur Enzo Ferrari.
The Snake and the Stallion aired on the BBC on Monday 17 June 2002 and was subsequently released on DVD in 2005. [1] A remastered collector's edition of the film was released on DVD in 2008.
Richard Symons's documentary recounts the origins and rise to racing history of the AC Cobra, the car requested by Carroll Shelby. The film details the history of the Cobra and Carroll Shelby's racing career from its humble beginnings to the 1959 victory at the 24 Hours of Le Mans with Roy Salvadori at the wheel of an Aston Martin DBR1. The story goes on to explain Shelby's motivation to take on the might of Ferrari with the help of Ford and AC of England (who were then manufacturing invalid carriages as well as sports cars) and why Carroll Shelby had to retire from racing.
Carroll Shelby was closely involved in the making of the documentary, stating "I spent a whole lot of time with Richard on this and he’s really nailed it. Got all the right people, from Dan Gurney to Lee Iacocca. It’s a wonderful story and I’ve never seen anybody tell it better. I’m very proud to have been part of it".[ citation needed ]
Simon Arron of The Daily Telegraph wrote, "There isn't a great deal in the way of contemporary footage (although the surviving material is pleasingly evocative), so the bulk of the story is told by those who took part. Their narrative is an undiluted treat." [2] Of the two-DVD version released in 2005, The Province said, "Its fast-pace, 1960s-era soundtrack and split-screen scenes make it compelling viewing." [3] News Letter found the documentary to be "a compelling tale of courage and dogged determination" and recommended it for "petrolheads and those intrigued by this titanic David and Goliath struggle". [4] John Connolly of The Australian wrote, "Without doubt the best racing documentary ever". [5]
The Ford GT40 is a high-performance mid-engined racing car originally designed and built for and by the Ford Motor Company to compete in 1960s European endurance racing. Its specific impetus was to best Scuderia Ferrari, which had won the prestigious 24 Hours of Le Mans race for six years running from 1960 to 1965. Around 100 cars have been made, mostly as 289 cu in (4.7 L) V8-powered Mk Is, some sold to private teams or as road legal Mk III cars. Racing started in 1964, with Ford winning World Championships categories from 1966 to 1968. The first Le Mans win came in 1966 with three 427 cu in (7.0 L) powered Mk.II prototypes crossing the finish line together, the second in 1967 by a similarly powered highly modified US-built Mk.IV "J-car" prototype. In order to lower ever-higher race top speeds, a rule change from 1968 onwards limited prototypes to 3.0 litre Formula 1 engines; a loophole, however, allowed the private JW "Gulf Oil" team win at Le Mans in 1968 and 1969 running a Mk.I with a 5.0 litre engines.
AC Cars, originally incorporated as Auto Carriers Ltd., is a British specialist automobile manufacturer and one of the oldest independent car makers founded in Britain. As a result of bad financial conditions over the years, the company was renamed or liquidated many times until its latest form. In 2022, the new corporate structure began the production of new AC Cobra models, with a slightly modified structure to adapt it to modern safety and technology requirements and obtain the European road homologation certificate.
The AC Cobra, sold in the United States as the Shelby Cobra and AC Shelby Cobra, is a sports car manufactured by British company AC Cars, with a Ford V8 engine. It was produced intermittently in both the United Kingdom and later the United States since 1962.
Carroll Hall Shelby was an American automotive designer, racing driver, and entrepreneur.
A grand tourer (GT) is a type of car that is designed for high speed and long-distance driving with performance and luxury. The most common format is a front-engine, rear-wheel-drive two-door coupé with either a two-seat or a 2+2 arrangement. Grand tourers are often the coupé derivative of luxury saloons or sedans. Some models, such as the Ferrari 250 GT, Jaguar E-Type, and Aston Martin DB5, are considered classic examples of gran turismo cars.
Grand Prix is a 1966 American sports drama film directed by John Frankenheimer, produced by Edward Lewis, and written by Robert Alan Aurthur with uncredited story contributions by Frankenheimer and rewrites by William Hanley. It stars an international ensemble cast, including James Garner, Eva Marie Saint, Yves Montand, Brian Bedford, Jessica Walter, Françoise Hardy and Antonio Sabàto. Toshiro Mifune has a supporting role as a race team owner, inspired by Soichiro Honda. The picture was photographed in Super Panavision 70 by Lionel Lindon, and presented in 70mm Cinerama in premiere engagements. Its unique racing cinematography is one of the main draws of the film.
The Shelby Mustang is a high-performance variant of the Ford Mustang built by Shelby American from 1965 to 1967 and by the Ford Motor Company from 1968 to 1970.
The Shelby Daytona Coupe is an American sports-coupé. It is related to the Shelby Cobra roadster, loosely based on its chassis and drive-train developed and built as an advanced evolution. It was engineered and purpose built for auto racing, specifically to take on Ferrari and its 250 GTO in the GT class. The original project had six Shelby Daytona Coupes built for racing purposes between 1964 and 1965, as Carroll Shelby was reassigned to the Ford GT40 project to compete at the 24 Hours of Le Mans, again to beat Ferrari in the highest level prototype class.
Robert Lewis Bondurant was an American racecar driver who raced for the Shelby American, Ferrari, and Eagle teams. Bondurant was one of the most famous drivers to emerge from the Southern California road racing scene in the 1950s, and achieved success in North America and in Europe. His Bob Bondurant School of High Performance Driving has been responsible for training generations of American racing drivers.
Frederick Kesner Gamble was an American racecar driver. He participated in one Formula One Grand Prix, the 1960 Italian Grand Prix, on September 4, 1960. He finished 10th overall driving the Formula Two Behra-Porsche, scoring no Championship points. Gamble died in Honolulu, Hawaii on March 30, 2024, at the age of 92.
Ferrari is an Italian company which has produced sports cars since 1947, but traces its roots back to 1929 when Enzo Ferrari formed the Scuderia Ferrari racing team.
Victory by Design is a series of documentary films produced in the 1990s and 2000s on the subject of famous racing automobile marques. The series began as a single film focused on Porsche, directed by award-winning film-maker Tony Maylam, executive produced by Clive Pullan and hosted by former racing driver Alain de Cadenet. Further episodes - beginning with an episode on Ferrari were commissioned by American cable channel Speedvision who brought in Martin Stockham to produce the new programs.
The Ford Shelby Cobra is a concept car that Ford unveiled at the 2004 North American International Auto Show in Detroit, Michigan. The Shelby Cobra concept is a roadster inspired by the original AC Cobra that AC Cars developed in 1961.
Kenneth Henry Jarvis Miles was an English sports car racing engineer and driver best known for his motorsport career in the U.S. and with American teams on the international scene. He is an inductee to the Motorsports Hall of Fame of America. As an automotive engineer, he is known for developing the Ford GT40 along with driver and designer Carroll Shelby, which won at Le Mans in 1966, 1967, 1968 and 1969. His and Shelby's efforts at Le Mans were dramatized in the 2019 Oscar-winning film Ford v Ferrari.
The 1965 24 Hours of Le Mans was the 33rd Grand Prix of Endurance, and took place on 19 and 20 June 1965. It was also the twelfth round of the World Sportscar Championship.
Shelby American, Inc. is an American high performance automobile company founded by driver Carroll Shelby. The Shelby American name has been used by several legally distinct corporations founded by Shelby since his original shop in Venice, California began operation in 1962. The current iteration is a wholly owned subsidiary of Carroll Shelby International, Inc., a holding company formed in 2003. Carroll Shelby International's other wholly owned subsidiary is Carroll Shelby Licensing, which licenses the name and trademarks associated with Shelby to other companies. Shelby American was the first automobile manufacturer in the state of Nevada. Shelby American manufactures component automobiles, including replicas of the small-block and large-block AC Cobras, the Shelby GT350 and the GT500 Super Snake. Since 2005, Shelby American has released new models each year.
Phil Louis Henny is a racing mechanic, driver, and author.
The Sunbeam Tiger is a high-performance V8 version of the British Rootes Group's Sunbeam Alpine roadster, designed in part by American car designer and racing driver Carroll Shelby and produced from 1964 until 1967. Shelby had carried out a similar V8 conversion on the AC Cobra, and hoped to be offered the contract to produce the Tiger at his facility in the United States. Rootes decided instead to contract the assembly work to Jensen at West Bromwich in England, and pay Shelby a royalty on every car produced.
Ford v Ferrari is a 2019 American biographical sports drama film directed by James Mangold and written by Jez Butterworth, John-Henry Butterworth, and Jason Keller. It stars Matt Damon and Christian Bale, with Jon Bernthal, Caitríona Balfe, Tracy Letts, Josh Lucas, Noah Jupe, Remo Girone, and Ray McKinnon in supporting roles. The plot follows a determined team of American and English engineers and designers, led by automotive designer Carroll Shelby and his English driver, Ken Miles, who are hired by Henry Ford II and Lee Iacocca to build a race car to defeat the perennially dominant Italian racing team Scuderia Ferrari at the 1966 24 Hours of Le Mans race in France.
The Carroll Shelby Story is a memoir by Carroll Shelby published in 1967 by Pocket Books. The book is a revised and enlarged version of The Cobra Story, covering the Cobra's successes in 1965 and 1966, as well as including technical specifications for the 289 and 427 Cobras.