Return to Glory: The Story of Ford's Revival and Victory in the Toughest Race in the World

"In January, 2015 at the Detroit Auto Show, Ford unveiled a new car and the automotive world lost its collective mind. This wasn't some new Explorer or Focus. Onto the stage rolled a supercar, a carbon-fiber GT powered by a mid-mounted six cylinder Ecoboost engine that churned out over 600 horsepower. It was sexy, jaw dropping, but more than that, it was historic, a callback to the legendary Ford GT40 Mk IIs that stuck it to Ferrari and finished 1-2-3 at Le Mans in 1966. Detroit was back, and Ford was going back to Le Mans. Journalist Matthew DeBord has been covering the auto industry for years, and in Return to Glory, he tells the recent story of Ford. A decade ago, CEO Alan Mulally took over the iconic company, and thanks to a financial gamble and his "One Ford" plan, helped it weather the financial crisis and a stock price that plunged to $1 a share, without a government bailout. It was enough for the company to dream of repeating racing history. DeBord revisits the story of the 1960s, details the creation of the new GT, and follows the team through the racing season, from an inauspicious debut at Daytona where the cars kept breaking down, to glimmers of hope at Sebring, and the team's first victory at Laguna Seca in Monterey. Finally, DeBord joins the Ford team in Le Mans in June, 2016. This fabled 24-hour endurance race is designed to break cars and drivers, and it was at Le Mans, fifty years after the company's greatest triumph, that Ford's comeback was put to the ultimate test"--Provided by publisher. "In January 2015, Ford unveiled a new car at the Detroit auto show and the automotive world lost its collective mind. This wasn't just some new Explorer or Focus. Onto the stage rolled a supercar, a carbon-fiber GT powered by a mid-mounted six cylinder EcoBoost engine that churned out over 600 horsepower. It was sexy and jaw-dropping, but more than that, it was historic, a callback to the legendary Ford GT40 Mk IIs that stuck it to Ferrari and finished 1-2-3 at Le Mans in 1966. Detroit was back, and Ford was going back to Le Mans. Journalist Matthew DeBord has been covering the auto industry for years, and in Return to Glory, he tells the story of Ford's revival as a company exemplified by the new GT. A decade ago, CEO Alan Mulally took over the iconic company, and thanks to a big financial gamble and his "One Ford" plan, helped it weather the financial crisis and a stock price that plunged to $1 a share, without a government bailout. In the process, the company began to dream of repeating racing history. DeBord recounts the history of the GT in the 1960s, details the creation of the new GT, and follows the team through the racing season, from an inauspicious debut at Daytona where the cars kept breaking down, to glimmers of hope at Sebring, and the team's first victory at Laguna Seca in Monterey. Finally, DeBord joins the Ford team in Le Mans in June 2016. This fabled 24-hour endurance race is designed to break cars and drivers, and it was at Le Mans, fifty years after the company's greatest triumph, that Ford's comeback was put to the ultimate and newly triumphant test."--Jacket In January 2015 at the Detroit Auto Show, Ford unveiled a new car and the automotive world lost its collective mind. This wasnt some new Explorer or Focus. Onto the stage rolled a supercar, a carbon-fiber GT powered by a mid-mounted six-cylinder Ecoboost engine that churned out over 600 horsepower. It was sexy and jaw dropping, but, more than that, it was historic, a callback to the legendary Ford GT40 Mk IIs that stuck it to Ferrari and finished 1-2-3 at Le Mans in 1966. Detroit was back, and Ford was going back to Le Mans. Journalist Matthew DeBord has been covering the auto industry for years, and in Return to Glory he tells the recent story of Ford. A decade ago, CEO Alan Mulally took over the iconic company and, thanks to a financial gamble and his One Ford plan, helped it weather the financial crisis and a stock price that plunged to $1 a share, without a government bailout. It was enough for the company to dream of repeating racing history. DeBord revisits the story of the 1960s, details the creation of the new GT, and follows the team through the racing season, from an inauspicious debut at Daytona where the cars kept breaking down, to glimmers of hope at Sebring and the teams first victory at Laguna Seca in Monterey. Finally, DeBord joins the Ford team in Le Mans in June 2016. This fabled twenty-four-hour endurance race is designed to break cars and drivers, and it was at Le Mans, fifty years after the companys greatest triumph, that Fords comeback was put to the ultimate test. “This page-turning combination of business book and adventure saga tells the tale of the Ford Motor Company’s” 2016 triumph at Le Mans (The New York Times, “10 New Books We Recommend This Week”). At the 2015 Detroit Auto Show, Ford unveiled a new car—and the automotive world lost its collective mind. This wasn’t some new Explorer or Focus. Onto the stage rolled a carbon-fiber GT powered by a six-cylinder Ecoboost engine that churned out over 600 horsepower. It was sexy and jaw dropping, but, more than that, it was a callback to the legendary Ford GT40 Mk IIs that stuck it to Ferrari and finished 1-2-3 at Le Mans in 1966. Detroit was back, and Ford was going back to Le Mans. Matthew DeBord, a veteran auto industry journalist, tells the incredible story of Ford’s resurgence in Return to Glory. A decade ago, CEO Alan Mulally took over the iconic company and, thanks to his “One Ford” plan, helped it weather the financial crisis without a government bailout. DeBord revisits the story of the 1960s, details the creation of the new GT, and follows the team through the racing season—from Daytona to Sebring and Laguna Seca in Monterey. Finally, DeBord joins the Ford team in Le Mans in June 2016. This fabled twenty-four-hour endurance race is designed to break cars and drivers, and it was at Le Mans, fifty years after the company’s greatest triumph, that Ford’s comeback was put to the ultimate test. This could all go away -- Betting the farm -- One Ford -- Behold the new GT -- Disaster at Daytona -- All right, we'll beat his ass -- Ford would like to buy Ferrari -- No tougher test -- The GT40 -- One-two-three -- We're going to win from the lead -- The Tesla factor -- The road to Le Mans: Sebring and Long Beach -- Silverstone, Laguna Seca, and Spa -- You want to win the big ones -- We're going to win from the lead -- Fifty years to the day Part I: This could all go away Betting the farm One Ford Behold the new GT Disaster at Daytona Part II: All right, we'll beat his ass Ford would like to buy Ferrari No tougher test The GT40 One-two-three Part III: We're going to win from the lead The Tesla factor The road to Le Mans: Sebring and Long Beach Silverstone, Laguna Seca, and Spa You want to win the big ones We're going to win from the lead Fifty years to the day Epilogue. xxi, 226 pages, 16 unnumbered pages of plates : 24 cm