K&F Show #354: Race Season, January Auction Record Sales, & the Story Behind It All // Car MOVIE Review “Ford vs Ferrari”

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Welcome to the official Kibbe and Friends Show with myself, Justin “Corndog” Cornette, and Show Producer Bernie McPartland! With this show we’re basically setting up the Boars Nest for the entire automotive media world to swing through for a couple watered down beers, stale popcorn, and fantastic waitresses. You can find every episode here on The MuscleCar Place as well as iTunes, Pandora, iHeart Radio, and Google Play. From time to time we’ll also be posting video clips and full shows to The Kibbe and Friends YouTube channel. If you click the “Download” link at the top of this post you’ll be able to stream it on your phone directly. You can also pull the RSS feed as well.

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Thanks!

-Rob Kibbe

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Movie Review:
“Ford vs Ferrari“

There are certain car movies that transcend the genre. Ford vs Ferrari is one of them. It’s not just a racing movie, and it’s not just a historical drama — it’s a story about obsession, loyalty, defiance, and the price of chasing perfection. For a film built around endurance racing, it moves fast, hits hard, and never forgets that the human story is what really drives the car.

At the center of the film is Ken Miles, brought to life by Christian Bale in a performance that feels raw, brilliant, and deeply human. Miles isn’t presented as a squeaky-clean hero. He’s stubborn. He’s difficult. He’s uncompromising. But he’s also gifted in a way that very few people are, and the movie understands that greatness rarely comes wrapped in politeness. His relentless pursuit of speed and perfection is the engine that drives the entire story.

Matt Damon’s Carroll Shelby plays the perfect counterbalance. Shelby understands both sides of the battlefield — the racers who live for lap times and the executives who live for quarterly reports. The tension between passion and politics is one of the strongest themes in the movie, and it’s a conflict that anyone who’s ever tried to build something meaningful inside a big organization will recognize immediately.

The film also succeeds because it treats the GT40 as more than just a prop. The car is a character. It has a personality. It fights back. It breaks. It evolves. You feel the heat, the brake fade, the mechanical strain, and the brutality of endurance racing. This is not a cartoon version of motorsports — it’s dirty, dangerous, exhausting, and unforgiving, just like the real thing.

What makes the racing sequences so effective is that they’re grounded in reality. There are no superhero physics or impossible stunts. The tension comes from fatigue, failure, and the fear that something — or someone — might not survive the next lap. When the cars are flying down the Mulsanne Straight at night, you feel the risk. You feel the stakes.

The corporate side of the story is just as compelling. The movie doesn’t paint Ford as villains, but it also doesn’t let them off the hook. It shows how ego, image, and bureaucracy can clash with craftsmanship and competence. The politics of racing become just as dangerous as the track itself.

And then there’s Le Mans. The race that defines the movie. The ultimate test of man and machine. The film captures the scale, pressure, and emotional weight of the 24-hour war in a way few racing films ever have. It’s not about a single lap — it’s about surviving the night.

In the end, Ford vs Ferrari earns its place as one of the best modern automotive films ever made. It respects the history. It honors the people. And it reminds us why racing matters — not because of trophies or headlines, but because of the people who refuse to quit.

Movie Facts: Ford vs Ferrari

Release year: 2019
Director: James Mangold
Writers: Jez Butterworth, John-Henry Butterworth, Jason Keller
Based on: The Ford GT40 program and the 1966 24 Hours of Le Mans (Ken Miles / Carroll Shelby story)
Main cast: Matt Damon (Carroll Shelby), Christian Bale (Ken Miles)
Budget: approx. $97.6 million
Worldwide gross: approx. $225 million
Academy Awards: Won 2 Oscars (Film Editing, Sound Editing) and received multiple nominations including Best Picture

Listen to the full show via Apple Podcasts and ALL of your favorite audio platforms (links above).

This interview was also captured on video and can be viewed in full on YouTube:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a1QzGfyXMiE

National Parts Depot Presents: Bernie on the News

The good people at National Parts Depot present the award-winning newsman
Bernie McPartland in his (self-proclaimed) award-winning segment, Bernie on the News.

Ron Francis Wiring: The Celebrity Automotive Birthday

The good people at Ron Francis Wiring present our award-winning game,
Celebrity Automotive Birthday. Call them for advice on your project or race car—they’ll help you with both!

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