In the 1960s, in order to finally defeat perennial champion Ferrari at the 1966 24 Hours of Le Mans race in France, Henry Ford II (Tracy Letts) and Lee Iacocca (Jon Bernthal) give automotive visionary Carroll Shelby (Matt Damon) an important assignment.

Determined to have a Ford car win the prestigious race, they have Shelby and a team of American engineers and designers build an entirely new automobile that will have the potential to finally win the race, with British driver Ken Miles (Christian Bale) at the wheel.