History Film / FordVFerrari

** Ken Miles actually did race in the '65 Le Mans in the Ford [=GT40=] (though all the [=GT40=] cars did end up retiring from the race due to breakdowns as mentioned in the film). While the real Leo Bebe did raise objections to Ken's behavior, notably criticizing what Bebe felt were unnecessary risks taken by Ken on the track at the 12 hours of Sebring and Le Mans, it never reached the levels of constant corporate maneuvering trying to get Ken (or Shelby's crew) fired or prevented from racing as portrayed in the films.

* WhatYouAreInTheDark: At one point at the end, Ken finds himself alone and face-to-face with Beebe, [[spoiler: who has sabotaged his potential win at Le Mans on a technicality]]. Despite knowing full well what Beebe has done, Ken cements his CharacterDevelopment and proves himself ultimately the bigger man by merely offering his hand and his congratulations for Beebe's / Ford's accomplishments. Beebe, who was clearly expecting a punch in the face at least, is clearly somewhat taken aback (and, perhaps, a little ashamed of himself).

* WhatYouAreInTheDark: At one point at the end, Ken finds himself alone and face-to-face with Beebe, [[spoiler: who has sabotaged his potential win at Le Mans on a technicality]]. Despite knowing full well what Beebe has done, Ken cements his CharacterDevelopment and proves himself ultimately the bigger man by merely offering his hand and his congratulations for Beebe's accomplishments. Beebe, who was clearly expecting a punch in the face at least, is clearly somewhat taken aback (and, perhaps, a little ashamed of himself).

** Ken Miles actually did race in the '65 Le Mans in the Ford [=GT40=] (though all the [=GT40=] cars did end up retiring from the race due to breakdowns as mentioned in the film)). While the real Leo Bebe did raise objections to Ken's behavior, notably criticizing what Bebe felt were unnecessary risks taken by Ken on the track at the 12 hours of Sebring and Le Mans, it never reached the levels of constant corporate maneuvering trying to get Ken (or Shelby's crew) fired or prevented from racing as portrayed in the films.
** The actions and appearance of Henry Ford II and Enzo Ferrari at Le Mans '66 are reversed entirely for the purpose of the movie's narrative. Ford did actually attend race, while Enzo Ferrari had actually stayed in Italy that year.

* PercussiveMaintenance: The door to Ken's GT won't shut at Le Mans. While the crew tries to see if there's something wrong with the mechanism, Pops just grabs a mallet and bashes it into place. Also, when a USAC official tells Ken his car's trunk isn't big enough, he smashes the underside of the lid with a hammer until there's just enough extra space from all the dents to qualify.

** In a historical sense, Ferrari's loss at Le Mans is the end of their dominance in endurance motorsport. While they've had continued success in Formula 1, a Ferrari has never won Le Mans again following their loss in '66 [[note]] In 2023, ''fifty-seven years later'', a Ferrari would ''finally'' end the Scuderia's dry spell at Le Mans, the no.51 Ferrari 499P of Ferrari AF Corse beating the second place Toyota by 1:21.793. This was the same race where a ''NASCAR Chevrolet Camaro'' was an active participant, to boot.[[/note]]

** In a historical sense, Ferrari's loss at Le Mans is the end of their dominance in endurance motorsport. While they've had continued success in Formula 1, a Ferrari has never won Le Mans again following their loss in '66.

* ManOnFire: A recurring theme is the danger fire poses on race drivers. Shelby is introduced catching on fire during a pit stop at Le Mans but he brushes it off. Later, he, Miles, and the crew must confront the fact that they won't be always able to walk away from such serious incidents.