Behind the Headlights - GT40

[eshrink]

Last week's "Behind The Headlights" was a one-hour special on the preparation for, and winning of, Le Mans between 1964 and 1969. It covers the initial precipitating factors which triggered Henry Ford, II, the involvement of Shelby, Foyt, and countless others, and it provides the viewer with an evolution of the car through the Mark IV.

Buying a Ford GT solely for performance would be, IMHO, quite a mistake since there will unquestionably be faster and less expensive cars in the near future. But there are no currently produced cars, and I do not foresee that there will ever be a standard production vehicle, that is both inordinately fast and concurrently resembles such a legend-making time period.

It is a strange sensation to watch this particular SpeedTV program showing 40 year old footage and to see a car that looks remarkably like those produced today.

Every aspect of the Ford GT looks inordinately cool, and it is difficult to conceive of their being a car that can embody the historical look recreated in today's technology.

The program is a must see. I just need to figure out how to get it from DirecTIVO to a DVD and archive it. I think I'll force the kids to watch it twice. It will be good for them; after all, their college tuition paid for it.

Just kidding.

- doc

 

[GTMark]

Doc,
Those were the sentiments that drove me to the GT. I have some nice black and white prints on my office wall of the Le Mans cars in action and the 06 in the garage, life is good. Any idea how one can get a copy of the program you mentioned?

 

[eshrink]

GTMark:

I may purchase a DVD burner for the home theater (have never needed one previously) and put the show onto DVD for you.

Otherwise, the only other alternative would be for you to set your TIVO to record the next time that particular program is shown.

- doc

 

[Gierkink]

Le Mans Heritage Classic

In honour of the 40th anniversary of the 1-2-3 1966 GT 40 Le Mans finish Roush have organized a trip to Le Mans to see the Le Mans Heritage Classis for local GT owners. Ten new Ford GTs and two Ford-owned GT 40s will be driving down to Le Mans on July 7th for this race. Rumour has it that we all may be on the track for a while before the race!

I’ll take some pictures of this a post them for everyone.

Rob

 

[eshrink]

Rob:

I wonder if it would be possible to shoot some very high resolution digital shots of this event and make them available for download.

In that way, those of us who wish to, can make posters or framed prints of them.

- doc

 

[Gierkink]

doc

You're making a very big assumption about my skills as a photographer if you think someone might like to make a poster of a picture I've taken!

I'm happy to take pictures and make them available to anyone who wants them. I’m sure this will be true of others at the event as well. Perhaps we’ll set-up a pool of the best picture taken and make this available.

What is the spec. for a camera that you would consider “very high resolution”?

Rob

 

[eshrink]

Rob:

Really any 5-6+ MP camera set at its highest resolution would certainly be good enough for a 2' x 3' print. A higher resolution camera (8MP-11MP) would be even better. If you want to run out and buy one of the new 14MP cameras...well that would be fine too.

- doc

 

[GTMark]

Doc,
Thanks, You really need that burner you know.... :wink

 

[eshrink]

GTMark:

Two things come to mind:

a. We could start a chain in which everyone interested in a specific TV program (etc) or magazine article has someone else on their list. For example, I send the DVD to you, you make a copy and send to ____ who, in turn, sends it to...and so on. This could be done with any GT related media

b. I plan on looking at a DVD Recorder later today. Please PM me your e-mail address and I shall send to you. (Then others can plaque you to send one to them, and so on).

- doc

 

[cudacharlie]

I caught this purely by chance as I sat down to dinner and scanned the channels... fortunately, the woman was next to me, and said, "ohh, let's watch this!" Miracle!

(she loves the GT and drools over it, and would park one in the bedroom if she could...)

What a great program! Not only was it educational, but as it ended, the woman says...

"That's it. We're getting one!"

:banana

Not the reaction she usually has to programs on Speed! :thumbsup

 

[eshrink]

My wife saw that the broadcast was forthcoming (as she did the RM Auction where the GT40 brought 2.25 mil) and "Tivo'd" it. My kids love cars and are always sending me links or buying me magazines. The GT has been bragging rights to them among friends and classmates.

So at the end of the day, when I crash in the home theater and see what is recorded, I often will select something from Discovery or SpeedTV about cars, and the kids curl up and watch and my wife will look up from her textbooks to comment on the car.

They all voted on the vanity plate for the car (although after this particular TV show, they changed that vote for something else), and just last night were lobbying for a Lamborghini to replace the GT (not going to happen).

To me, the most inspiring video on the GT is the one (red/white) presented by the fellow who has the car radio program. He speaks very well and has sincere enthusiasm for the car. He makes the car seem special (and owns one). All of the programs on the GT truly promote the sense of wanting to own it and what its existence symbolizes for American cars.

In all the years of buying cars, I have never considered a Ford. I would now buy the concept Cobra in a heartbeat.

- doc

 

[ENZO BTR]

I have this "Behind the Headlights" on my DirecTV harddrive and I've already burned it onto a DVD a few times. Of course, I had a bit of an ulterior motive that goes beyond my love of this car...I'M IN THIS PROGRAM.

I was fortunate enough to be part of the group of people that Ken Gross arranged to speak with for the show (Ken writes most of the Behind the Headlight programs). It was really fun and at one point, after the taping was "officially" over I told the producers, "Well, I can tell you another story, but you probably can't use it in the show." They were like "Sure, tell us."

So I tell them the story that John Coletti told me, about Carroll Shelby being called into Henry Ford II's office right after Enzo cancelled his sale of Ferrari to Ford. According to Shelby, who told this to John, Henry looked Carroll straight in the eye and said, "I don't care what you have to do, I want you to beat that wop son of a bitch." So Shelby says, "Uh, okay." He walks out of Henry's office and then realizes he didn't ask about funding, so he walks back in and says, "Um, Mr. Ford how much budget do I have?" And Henry just looks up, and says, again, "I don't care what you have to do, I want you to beat that wop son of a bitch." And Shelby just says, "Okay. Got it."

So I tell the producers this story, and of course they still have the cameras running, and they use it in the show! (they bleeped out "wop" and "bitch"). Classic stuff! :thumbsup

My wife (whose maiden name is Stacie Laviano) particularly loved that line... :willy

 

[eshrink]

That is a great story, and I can see Henry Ford, II saying exactly that. He was a tough minded fellow.

I cannot tell from your story if you appear on screen in the show. I too have it on DirecTIVO.

Again, great story. Henry Ford II was with a young wife in the Behind the Headlights segment. Was she not Italian? Is that not what they say in the episode?

I think the series is well worded.

I just told wife. She got a big kick out of it. Her maiden name was Campeggio.

Thanks again for the grin.

- doc

 

[eshrink]

Ah. I just replayed my DirecTIVO'd copy of the Behind the Headlights episode. And there, indeed, you were, and there they were snipping the key words from your description of events.

You add a great deal to the episode.

- doc

 

[ENZO BTR]

Thanks Doc. It was great to be a part of it, and we shot it over a year and a half ago, so I was still waiting for my GT. After the show aired the wait became that much tougher... :willy

 

[eshrink]

The kids wanted to know why we were replaying this one part of the program several times (your part)...they also wanted to know what was being bleeped.

What was the time period between the show's production and your actually receiving your own car? Had you ordered it before the show was in production?

- doc

 

[jj1987]

Rob:

Really any 5-6+ MP camera set at its highest resolution would certainly be good enough for a 2' x 3' print. A higher resolution camera (8MP-11MP) would be even better. If you want to run out and buy one of the new 14MP cameras...well that would be fine too.

- doc

OR, cover my plane ticket and I'll shoot the picture :biggrin

OK fine.....a rebel xt or d70 would work. :thumbsup