Best of 2019: How Ford v Ferrari’s Production Designer Rebuilt the World’s Greatest Race Track Piece-by-Piece

*We’re reposting some of our favorite interviews of 2019. Happy Holidays!

James Mangold‘s Ford v Ferrari revisits one of the greatest car races in history. It began back in 1959 when Carroll Shelby (Matt Damon) wins the most difficult race in the world, the 24 Hours of Le Mans, in France. The problem for Shelby is his crowning achievement is also his last race—doctors tell him a heart condition makes it impossible for him to race again.

Ford v Ferrari Cinematographer Phedon Papamichael on the Need for Real Speed

Cinematographer Phedon Papamichael grew up seeing the value of a great artistic collaboration. His father, also Phedon Papamichael, was an art director and production designer who worked on several landmark films by indie pioneer John Cassavetes including Faces (1968) and A Woman Under the Influence (1974).

The younger Papamichael, who was born in Athens, Greece and studied filmmaking in Germany, is best known for his work with directors  Alexander Payne—Papamichael earned an Oscar nomination for Nebraska (2011)—and with James Mangold.

How Ford v Ferrari Stunt Coordinator Kept Christian Bale Safe at 140 Miles an Hour

“Christian Bale is hands down the best actor I’ve ever trained,” says stunt coordinator Dan Nagle, and for a guy who’s worked on Baby Driver, The Fate of the Furious and John Wick: Chapter 2, that’s saying a lot. A former racer himself, Nagle prepped Bale to portray Ken Miles, the hot-tempered driver who in 1966 competed in the 24 Hours Le Mans against the previously indomitable Italian racing team masterminded by Enzo Ferrari.

How Ford v Ferrari’s Production Designer Rebuilt the World’s Greatest Race Track Piece-by-Piece

James Mangold‘s Ford v Ferrari revisits one of the greatest car races in history. It began back in 1959 when Carroll Shelby (Matt Damon) wins the most difficult race in the world, the 24 Hours of Le Mans, in France. The problem for Shelby is his crowning achievement is also his last race—doctors tell him a heart condition makes it impossible for him to race again. The ever-resource Shelby decides to become a car designer (he can’t bear to leave the sport he loves) and sets up shop in Venice Beach,

The First Ford v. Ferrari Trailer Will Rev Your Engines

The pieces are all in place for Ford v. Ferrari. You’ve got the excellent director James Mangold (Logan), you’ve got two great leads in Christian Bale and Matt Damon, and you’ve got a story that was meant for the big screen. Ford v. Ferrari, true to its title, is centered on the 24 Hours of Le Mans race in France in 1966. American car designer Carroll Shelby (Damon) has about 90 days to build a racecar for Ford that will beat a Ferrari,