Over five decades ago, long before Elon Musk was a household name, the rivalry between two car industry titans dominated headlines across the globe. Italian Enzo Ferrari’s cars epitomized style and dominated the European racing scene. Meanwhile, across the ocean, Henry Ford II was struggling. He had inherited his grandfather’s company – once the car king – and it was faltering. Henry Ford II knew he had to do something drastic to save his family legacy and enlisted the help of a young visionary named Lee Iacocca and several others to create a race car that could beat Ferrari at his own game while simultaneously reinventing and reestablishing the Ford Motor Company as the industry leader. As automotive expert and journalist A.J. Baime writes in his bestselling book, Go Like Hell: Ford, Ferrari, and Their Battle for Speed and Glory at Le Mans, what happened next is the stuff of legends.
Hear from A.J. Baime as he shared his perspective on the infamous rivalry between Ferrari and Ford and how it transformed an entire industry. Hear the fascinating story of how Ford ultimately prevailed over Ferrari and how that triumph reinvented not only the Ford Motor Company but the entire automotive industry. He also talked about how competition in any industry can inspire innovation and how we can all harness a similar spirit in our own organizations. The conversation ends exploring what the future of the automotive industry looks like as we enter into the most pivotal technological upheaval in the history of car making – an electric automotive revolution. Moderating the conversation is Consultant, Ambassador & Former President of RPM Foundation Diane Fitzgerald.