Issue link: http://digital.copcomm.com/i/1184216
would have shared the same color scheme as Ken's winning GT- 40: baby blue and red. As a result, an Aston Villa team scarf found a home in the Miles' living room. The Shelby story also required similar care, and presented a story arc starting with the Texan's cozy but bustling Cobra shop in Venice (recreated in South LA), which then snowballed in size after Ford's sizable investment. After Venice, Shelby-America moved into two giant aircraft hangars at LAX, which would be yet another challenge to recreate. While developing the GT-40, Shelby continued building GT350 Mustangs, Daytonas and Cobras, so the operation was sizable. One of the legendary stories was that Shelby and Ken Miles would test GT-40s on the LAX runway after the last fl ight departed to Tokyo. Where would an airport hangar and runway be found with the control required for production? This runway and hangar were ultimately found at Ontario Airport, the managers of which were gracious enough to allow the fi lm to control a working runway of their busy international airport, swarming with the constant freight traffi c of UPS and FedEx jumbo jets. Shelby's offi ce was built into a cavernous hangar, grounded by a built piece of architecture I imagined had been repurposed from Southern California's aerospace past. A defunct Boeing 727 stored at the airport was rented and updated to look like a TWA transporter. After dozens of Shelby Cobras, Daytonas and Mustangs were dressed into place, the illusion was complete. Another airport location was found at Fox Field in Palmdale. This became the stand-in for Santa Monica's Cloverfi eld Airport where Ford unveiled the brand-new Ford Mustang in 1964. An aluminum Beech 18 aircraft buzzed the crowd gathered around a stage adorned with giant F-O- R-D letters and fl ags. The roar of the aircraft's twin Pratt & Whitneys growled like angry lions, screaming overhead. Near Fox Field in Lancaster was Willow Springs Raceway, which served as the canvas for the fi lm's opening race, pitting mid-century Porsches, Corvettes and Cobras that raced at ground-zero of this exciting new motorsport. Dozens of period- accurate signs were created to line the track, with hundreds of half-tires buried into the sand as makeshift "safety bumpers." Several locations were used to recreate the mid- century rectilinear world of Ford headquarters in Michigan. Henry Ford II's inner sanctum came to life inside a wood-paneled executive suite at the LA Times building downtown. A reproduction oil painting of Henry Ford overlooked his sweeping A C A. ONE OF THE SHELBY COBRAS THAT RACED AT THE DAYTONA 24-HOUR RACE. SET PHOTO. B. PATRICK DUNN-BAKER'S SET DESIGN OF THE STAGE AT FORD'S UNVEILING OF THEIR BRAND-NEW 1964 1/2 MUSTANG. C. FORD STAGE AT FOX FIELD IN LANCASTER, WHICH DOUBLED FOR CLOVERFIELD AIRPORT. D. HENRY FORD'S OFFICE. BUILT-IN SEATING AND NICKEL-PLATED FLOATING SHELVES HAD TO BE BUILT TO BE TRANSPORTED UP THE CRAMPED ELEVATORS OF THE LOS ANGELES TIMES BUILDING IN DOWNTOWN LA. SET PHOTO. B