The Real Villain in Ford v Ferrari

This holiday season I was eagerly anticipating the release of Ford v Ferrari. Given the repeated hits to the international credibility of the US lately, I was very much looking forward to revisiting a quintessential example of American exceptionalism — not just one of American triumph, but one where the right mixture of capitalism and competition led the world to excellence. Warning: I’m not going to worry too much about ‘spoilers’ here given the entire movie is based on historical events that any interested movie-goer would have some vague recollections of. But let’s dissect the most recent trailer and (for me) some of its most memorable quotes that set the stage:

• “Mr. Ford, Ferrari has a message for you sir… he said Ford makes ugly little cars in ugly little factories… and he called you fat, sir” to which Mr. Ford responds “We’re going to bury Ferrari at Le Mans“. The stage is set for an epic entrepreneurial showdown, and it’s personal.
• “Carol Shelby is going to build a car to beat Ferrari… with a Ford… how long did you tell them you’d need? 200 or 300 years?” to which Mr. Shelby responds “90 days”. Earlier we heard on the radio how Ferrari had just one 5 consecutive years of Le Mans. Now we know that despite being an industrial giant, we (you, me, Ford and America) are the heavy underdog, pitting American ingenuity and perseverance as David vs Ferrari’s excellence and perfection as Goliath.
• “If it were a beauty pageant, we just lost” — Ken Miles, the Ford driver, watching them role the Ferrari to…