What do you know of Ken Miles, other than he was real and was portrayed by Christian Bale in the hit movie, Ford v Ferrari? A lot of what happens in the movie is true of course, but when you condense a man’s 47-odd years into a 160-minute movie that also had Matt Damon as Carroll Shelby along with various other Ford bigwigs, things tend to get lost in the dramatization.
Of course, he was a great driver, and because of him, Ford was able to beat Ferrari not once but many times. And (warning: spoilers ahead), his son did witness that final crash that took Ken Miles' life but saved the lives of many others after him. But there is a lot about Ken Miles and his amazing prowess as a driver and a mechanic that many do not know. So here’s a little more about Ken Miles, the man, and his short but super-achieving life.
9 Ford Did Take Away The Spotlight From Miles
The three-photo-finish that Ford was so proud of at Le Mans came at a cost to Ken Miles. He started ahead of the others but finished after them because Ford asked him to slow down to let the other two teams catch up to him for a three-photo finish. He never won the Le Mans and missed the title because of a technicality and Ford's politics. Miles could have been lastingly bitter about it but moved on...
8 Was It Because Of His Acerbic Tongue?
Ken Miles could be witty, charming, and very proper – the epitome of a British gentleman. But get on his wrong side and his sarcasm burned like none other. His obvious lack of tact angered not one but many Ford officials repeatedly, to the point of Ford managing to throw him out of Shelby American, though Shelby brought him back when Ford lost the '65 season badly. Its simply that Ken Miles was a master craftsman who knew his job well, and did not have the patience to bear fools.
7 Miles’ British Territorial Army Stint Made Him A Better Mechanic
In a seven-year-stint with the British Army, Ken Miles was a tank tinkerer where he would reclaim tanks and get them operational and ready for service. When you can make tanks functional under stress, you can make the best of cars in the comfort of your garage. Miles' quick-thinking and easy substitution made him excel in the army and this experience of his turned him into an A-class mechanic who made and raced his cars, with little to no money.
6 He Thought As A Mechanic First And A Driver Second
Ken Miles is mostly remembered as a great race car driver, considering he won at Sebring and Daytona and came second at Le Mans in 1966 (only over a technicality). But Miles saw himself more as a mechanic and thought like one as well, which is why Carroll Shelby hired him at Shelby American Inc to test drive the cars, as well as be a competition director. Not only did he drive well, but his mechanical mind also helped him tune cars to give their very best in a race.
5 Miles Started Pretty Young In The Racing World
Ken Miles started racing when he was just 11, on a 350cc Triumph motorcycle. A crash earned him that crooked nose and three teeth, and this only pushed him into buying a bigger motorcycle! The crooked nose later earned him the moniker “The Hawk.” When he was 15, Ken Miles built an Austin 7 Special he called “Nellie,” and his then-girlfriend Mollie (later his wife) helped him paint Nellie a vivid British Green. This was a partnership meant to be.
4 He Was Incredibly Driven, To The Point Of Being Stubborn
Ken Miles met Mollie when he was a teen, and declared that she was to be his wife. Such was the courtship, that even their school wanted to put an end to the “Mollie business.” His persistence led him to have her as his wife and a decent career, though he was not people-pleaser enough to rise to the top. However, it is said that not only did Ken Miles train a cat to use the toilet, but it is also said he even trained a bobcat to do the same. And this is a story Carroll Shelby retold at parties with great relish.
3 Ken Miles’ Love For American Engines Was Legendary
Despite being British, when it came to engines, Ken Miles loved the big boys of America. Probably why he and Carroll Shelby got along like a house on fire considering Shelby’s cars were the very embodiment of what Miles loved: a massive American engine housed in a small, elegant British shell. This may have been a big reason why the Ford GT40 was an interesting project for him. Of course, one of his cars was the Pooper – a Porsche engine in a Cooper shell, and he even won in it!
2 Drivers Need To Be Fit Was A Motto Of Miles
Ken Miles always believed that race car drivers needed to be fit. The kind of stress and acuity needed to drive the 12-hour or 24-hour endurance races, even with shared driving duties was immense. Ken Miles was five-foot-11-inches and was only 147 pounds, and he believed drivers needed to be fit to be the best. Probably one of the many reasons why he was so good at his game and could manage inside the Ford GT40, which was even more uncomfortable than a steel drum!
1 Ken Miles’s Tragic Death Saves Lives
Many compare James Dean to Ken Miles, though Miles was a far better driver. Not just that, while James Dean died a tragic death as did Ken Miles, it was Miles’ death that went on to save lives as he crashed while test-driving Ford’s J-car. From then on, rollover cages were implemented by Ford in their next J-cars, and because of it, a young Mario Andretti survived a massive crash. However, Miles’ death broke Shelby’s heart and in 1967, Shelby American withdrew from Le Mans. Because there could never be another Ken Miles.