Go Like Hell: Ford, Ferrari, and Their Battle for Speed and Glory at Le Mans
, subject: Ford vs. Ferrari and Le Mans, 2009
The Ford–Ferrari rivalry is a clash of strong figures, and Enzo Ferrari emerges as a builder who treated his cars as if they were alive.
About the book
Baime follows Henry Ford II, Lee Iacocca, Carroll Shelby, Ken Miles, and Enzo Ferrari through Ford's attempt to build a car capable of winning Le Mans. The book makes the rivalry useful beyond motorsport by showing a large corporation buying expertise, absorbing failure, and learning to compete against a founder-shaped organization where product, identity, and prestige were tightly entangled.
Why read it
Best if you want the Ford–Ferrari story told through the strong people who fought it, with a close look at how Enzo Ferrari thought about his cars and where good design comes from.
Key themes
- Ferrari treated his cars as alive
- Good design comes from particular places
Evidence and original sources
Sources: official Founders episodes — #97, #98, #142, #220, #224, #277, #316, #396
This record is supported by 13 public evidence rows linked to original Founders episodes.
- Enzo Ferrari (Ferrari vs Ford) — David reads and discusses Go Like Hell as the opening chapter of a planned two-part series on Enzo Ferrari.
- Enzo Ferrari (the making of an automobile empire) — The host compares this Enzo Ferrari biography with the prior week’s Go Like Hell coverage of Ford, Shelby, Miles, and Ferrari.
- Teddy Roosevelt and J.P. Morgan — David compares The Hour of Fate to Go Like Hell (Founders #97) as another book centered on conflict among strong historical figures.
- Enzo Ferrari: The Man and the Machine — David connects this episode to Founders No. 97, based on Go Like Hell.
- Charles de Gaulle — David names Go Like Hell and points listeners back to its Founders episode, No. 97.
- Paul Graham's Essays Part 3 — David names Go Like Hell and points listeners back to its Founders episode, No. 97.