The Real Locations in Ford v Ferrari: A Guide

Rishabh Borde of The Real Locations in Ford v Ferrari: A Guide Rishabh Borde
Updated August 1, 2022

‘Ford v Ferrari’ is undoubtedly one of the best films of 2019, and completely deserves every bit of the plaudits and awards that are being showered upon the film. Helmed by ‘3:10 to Yuma’ and ‘Logan’ director James Mangold, ‘Ford v Ferrari’ tells the (mostly) true story behind Ford Motor’s famous win at the esteemed 24 Hours of Le Mans race in 1966, upsetting incumbent champions Ferrari and carving a new chapter in motor racing history.

However, what the movie is really about is the friendship and lives of the two men that made it all happen – legendary automobile designer Carroll Shelby (played by ‘The Bourne Ultimatum’ actor Matt Damon) and talented but hot-headed British racer Ken Miles (played by ‘The Dark Knight’ actor Christian Bale).

‘Ford v Ferrari’ chronicles the trials and tribulations faced by the two friends as they try to overcome numerous engineering challenges, oppressive corporate oversight, and their own personal demons to create the legendary Ford GT40 Mk II car and hand Ford its first ever win at Le Mans. If you were wondering where ‘Ford v Ferrari’ was filmed, read on to find out everything we know.

Ford v Ferrari Filming Locations

During the course of the movie, ‘Ford v Ferrari’ takes you to a number of iconic locations across the globe including Los Angeles, the famous Ford factory in Dearborn, Michigan (commonly known as “The Rouge”), the Ferrari headquarters in Maranello, Italy, Daytona Beach in Florida and the track of the 24 Hours of Le Mans race in the Loire Valley in France.

However, while the movie may seem like a bit of a globe hopping adventure, the principal filming for ‘Ford v Ferrari’ was largely done in Southern California itself. The film’s Production Designer Francois Audouy explains the reason behind the filmmakers’ decision to do so, “It’s just so visually diverse as a shooting base. We were on the coast. We were at the beach. We were in the desert. We were at all sorts of interesting racetracks.”

Besides California, parts of the film involving race tracks were also filmed in Georgia, USA. Check out the following pictures posted by a fan on the set of ‘Ford v Ferrari’:

Los Angeles, California

Like most Hollywood movies, ‘Ford v Ferrari’ has filmed a decent chunk of the movie in the city of Los Angeles, California. The famous Ford River Rouge Complex depicted in the movie was actually filmed in a century old steel factory in downtown Los Angeles. However, recreating the Ford factory today was no mean feat, and the set designers had to construct a gigantic set with mid century architecture, a fully outfitted assembly line and conveyor belt system, and several laboriously curated authentic Ford Falcon cars. Check out these pictures of actor Christian Bale on the set of ‘Ford v Ferrari’ in Los Angeles:

Agua Dulce Airpark, Santa Clarita, California

One of the most pivotal scenes in ‘Ford v Ferrari’ is the 24 Hours of Le Mans race during the climax. While the race actually takes place in France in real life, the scene itself was filmed at the Agua Dulce Airpark, an airport in Santa Clarita, California. The designers got to work on the location, using archival photos from the 1960s provided by the Automobile Club of the West in France to recreate the actual track.

Various Locations Across California

Certain racing scenes in ‘Ford v Ferrari’ were filmed in varying track locations across California, including the Willow Springs International Raceway in Rosamond, California and the Auto Club Speedway in Fontana, California. The scene depicting the Ferrari factory is also filmed in California at the Southern California Edison building in Eagle Rock.

Journalist JP Emerson posted this picture of the ‘Ford v Ferrari’ shoot on Twitter:

Various Locations Across Georgia

Many of the race tracks and racing scenes depicted in ‘Ford v Ferrari’ were also filmed in a number of locations across Georgia, USA. One of these tracks is located near Savannah, Georgia, while the other one is located near Statesboro. These tracks were specifically chosen to match the look and aesthetic of the French countryside.

All in all, ‘Ford v Ferrari’ filmed scenes at three different tracks in Georgia, including one of the crash scenes in the final race of the movie.

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