Rivalries rage everywhere. Just ask Auburn what it thinks of LSU, or what Pepsi thinks of Coke, or ask your average Hydrox how often it thinks about coldcocking an Oreo. It's the same way in the car world. What's the most vicious car rivalry?
It's the greatest story that gets told pretty often: Mid-1960s. Le Mans 24 hour. Ford vs. Ferrari. Hank the Deuce versus "Il Commendatore." The entire weight of the Dearborn empire pressing against a scrappy racing shop in Maranello. As the story goes, Henry Ford wanted to buy Ferrari, but just as the deal was about to be consummated, Papa Enzo walked without explanation (perhaps, as often cited, it had something to do with Italian pride.)
Ford didn't take such insolence well, and wrote a blank check to fund an international racing program that would beat Enzo on what had become his winning turf. It took a few years, but Ford's stable of GT40 racecars, and their 1-2-3 victory in 1966 was the satisfying result for ol' Hank. It was a short rivalry, but like the cold war, yielded some awesome machines. (Thanks to Threnody3 for today's QOTD.)
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