Video: How Le Mans ’66 (Ford v Ferrari) was filmed

The James Mangold-directed movie told the story of American car design hero Carroll Shelby’s battle to create a revolutionary racer that could take on Ferrari’s 275 P, 250 P and 330 P at the 24 Hours of Le Mans. With driver Ken Miles at the helm, so unfolded an epic battle against Ferrari, corporate complications and personal demons.

While motorsport fanatics were quick to point out inconsistencies, overall the film received rave reviews, achieving an impressive 8.2 out of 10 on IMDB from more than 112,000 votes.

Matt Damon and Christian Bale were the standout names of the film, and they can be seen here in this behinds-the-scenes expose, which shows how many of the incredible action shots were captured.

Love movies? Have a read of ‘The best racing car movies of all time’.

One such shot, at a little over a minute in, shows a Cobra aboard a trailer, as other cars jostle behind, before light contact sends one spinning off the track – a carefully choreographed stunt sequence.

The video cuts from on track action to workshop scenes, and later a fight between Damon and Bale’s characters, performed by their stunt doubles, who are then seen laughing at the replay together.

A bizarre contraption comprised of half a GT40 (covered in motion sensors) and a forklift is piloted around a track at five minutes in, while the action is interspersed with suburban scenes surrounding the main event – the 24 Heures du Mans.

As with the film itself, this behind-the-scenes video is saturated with beautiful racing cars and 1960s scenes, while also revealing exactly how some of the incredible angles were captured, which includes the use of a giant camera arm sticking out the front of a GT40, as seen at 7m 29s in…

Welcome to Goodwood Elevenses, a mid-morning helping of motoring-related amusement to help break up your day.