The Story Of Ford

After Ford unsuccessfully attempted to buy Ferrari, in 1963, the American car giant instead embarked on its own racing programme in a bid to beat the famous Italian marque at the world’s most prestigious race, the Le Mans 24 Hours, as told in the forthcoming Hollywood movie Ford v. Ferrari. This updated edition of The Ford that Beat Ferrari tells the story of how that mission was eventually accomplished. Development of the GT40: how the prototype Ford GT emerged in 1964 from the previous year’s Lola GT programme. The works teams and the GT40: the car’s racing exploits in its earlier years, first with Ford Advanced Vehicles (1964), then Shelby American (1965) and Alan Mann Racing (1966). The big ones: this section of the book covers the GT40’s evolution into the 7-litre monsters that brought enormous success, including the first two Le Mans victories with the Mark II (1966) and Mark IV (1967), before becoming outlawed by new restrictions on engine size. The Gulf years: against all expectations, the venerable GT40, now back to 5-litre power, raced on with John Wyer’s crack JW Automotive Engineering outfit in the iconic blue and orange colours of Gulf, successes including two further Le Mans wins (1968 and 1969). The production line racer: the stories of the 68 privateers, big and small, who raced GT40s. Chassis and drivers: a data section giving resumés of type designations, chassis histories and all drivers who raced GT40s. The magic lives on: the book’s concluding sections show surviving cars at differing stages in their later life and bring the story up to date with developments since the 2005 edition.

Carefully crafted from thousands of Ford archives, written interviews, and first-hand accounts told by people who knew the man, Edsel: The Story of Henry Ford's Forgotten Son, brings into focus the remarkable life of Edsel Ford. The book chronicle's Edsel's life from his early days of growing up in and around his father's company, through the controversy of his World War I draft notice and eventual exemption, the design change from the Model T to the Model A, and the creation of the Ford Foundation. 27 chapters in all help to shed light on the life of a man who preferred to spend most of his life out of the limelight.

By the early 1960s, the Ford Motor Company, built to bring automobile transportation to the masses, was falling behind. Young Henry Ford II, who had taken the reins of his grandfather's company with little business experience to speak of, knew he had to do something to shake things up. Baby boomers were taking to the road in droves, looking for speed not safety, style not comfort. Meanwhile, Enzo Ferrari, whose cars epitomized style, lorded it over the European racing scene. He crafted beautiful sports cars, "science fiction on wheels," but was also called "the Assassin" because so many drivers perished while racing them.Go Like Helltells the remarkable story of how Henry Ford II, with the help of a young visionary named Lee Iacocca and a former racing champion turned engineer, Carroll Shelby, concocted a scheme to reinvent the Ford company. They would enter the high-stakes world of European car racing, where an adventurous few threw safety and sanity to the wind. They would design, build, and race a car that could beat Ferrari at his own game at the most prestigious and brutal race in the world, something no American car had ever done.Go Like Helltransports readers to a risk-filled, glorious time in this brilliant portrait of a rivalry between two industrialists, the cars they built, and the "pilots" who would drive them to victory, or doom.

In the 1920s, Henry Ford hired thousands of African American men for his open-shop system of auto manufacturing. This move was a rejection of the notion that better jobs were for white men only. In The Making of Black Detroit in the Age of Henry Ford

His drug and alcohol-fuelled antics made world headlines and engulfed a city in unprecedented controversy. Toronto Mayor Rob Ford’s personal and political troubles have occupied centre stage in North America’s fourth largest city since news broke that men involved in the drug trade were selling a videotape of Ford appearing to smoke crack cocaine. Toronto Star reporter Robyn Doolittle was one of three journalists to view the video and report on its contents in May 2013. Her dogged pursuit of the story has uncovered disturbing details about the mayor’s past and embroiled the Toronto police, city councilors, and ordinary citizens in a raucous debate about the future of the city. Even before those explosive events, Ford was a divisive figure. A populist and successful city councillor, he was an underdog to become mayor in 2010. His politics and mercurial nature have split the amalgamated city in two. But there is far more to the story. The Fords have a long, unhappy history of substance abuse and criminal behavior. Despite their troubles, they are also one of the most ambitious families in Canada. Those close to the Fords say they often compare themselves to the Kennedys and believe they were born to lead. Regardless of whether the mayor survives the scandal, the Ford name is on the ballot in the mayoralty election of 2014. Fast-paced and insightful, Crazy Town is a page-turning portrait of a troubled man, a formidable family and a city caught in an jaw-dropping scandal.

During his tumultuous term as mayor of Toronto, Rob Ford always stayed on message—saving taxpayers money and putting the brakes on the “gravy train” at city hall. He also returned every phone call, even showing up on people’s doorsteps late at night to help them with their problems. But despite his hard work to cut excessive spending and to address the city’s crumbling infrastructure, the media delighted in showcasing Ford’s most personal struggles instead. Reporters followed him to his car, onto his front lawn, and trailed behind while he trick-or-treated with his children. The city, the country, the entire world watched Rob Ford battle substance abuse, but they rarely saw or heard the real story behind Ford—the family man, the faithful public servant, the devoted husband, father, and brother who put the people of his city above all else. In Ford Nation, Doug Ford, Rob’s brother and most trusted advisor, shares the true story of the two brothers and the Ford family: from the early days of their parents’ marriage, as Diane and Doug Sr worked tirelessly to get their company, Deco Labels and Tags, off the ground; to the Etobicoke house filled with the Ford children; to Doug Sr’s entry into provincial politics, with Rob and Doug following in his footsteps, to city hall. Ford Nation recounts the triumphs and strug-gles of Rob and Doug in their own voices—as well as the voices of their mother, Diane, nephew Michael, Rob’s widow, Renata, and daughter, Stephanie—from knocking on doors as new candidates to knocking out opponents in council chamber debates. When Rob was forced to end his campaign to remain mayor of Toronto, Doug didn’t hesitate to jump into the race, and despite his very late start he almost pulled off an upset. Doug shares what life was like for the family during this difficult time, and what it was like in the final hour of Rob’s life, when he succumbed to cancer and became, in his daughter Stephanie’s words, “the mayor of heaven.” Drawing on a number of sources to share Rob’s life in his own words after he became too ill to continue working on the book, Ford Nation is the only book that accurately captures the entire account of Rob and Doug Ford and their fight to protect the rights of the little guy.

A NSTA/CBC Best STEM Book Famous car-maker and businessman Henry Ford loved beans. And he showed great innovation with his determination to build his most inventive car--one completely made of soybeans. With a mind for ingenuity, Henry Ford looked to improve life for others. After the Great Depression struck, Ford especially wanted to support ailing farmers. For two years, Ford and his team researched ways to use farmers' crops in his Ford Motor Company. They discovered that the soybean was the perfect answer. Soon, Ford's cars contained many soybean plastic parts, and Ford incorporated soybeans into every part of his life. He ate soybeans, he wore clothes made of soybean fabric, and he wanted to drive soybeans, too. Award-winning author Peggy Thomas and illustrator Edwin Fotheringham explore this American icon's little-known quest.