A supercharged 5.4 liter V-8 that delivers 550 hp and neck-snapping performance. A sleek, sexy shape that successfully emulates and updates the looks of one of the most awe-inspiring American race cars of all time, the Ford GT40. The legendary race car from the '60s that brought Ferrari to its knees. The modern Ford GT takes off where its predecessor left off, this time taking the fight to the streets. Magazines and enthusiasts have been heaping praise on it since its introduction as a show car a couple of years ago. Huge dealer markups were an early indicator of how successful this car would be. And it has lived up to that promise. Forget Vipers and Z06 'Vettes, this Ford is leading F430s, Gallardos, and Porsche Turbos down the track. It is definitely at the top of the list when it comes to that all-important gotta-have-it factor. So who in their right mind would look at the GT and think, "What if?" Kip Ewing, that's who.

Enter, the 2005 Ford GTX1 roadster. “To me, the open-air model of a sports car is its highest evolution,” says Kip Ewing of Ford's SVT division. He is the engineering supervisor who fondly remembered the Sebring-winning Ford GTX1 roadster from 1966, while working on the launch of the Ford GT. When he asked about developing an open-top version of the GT, Ford needed a little help seeing the appeal. So Ewing chopped the top off a 1:18 scale model. That did the trick. Just like the modern GT is an interpretation of the LeMans-winning GT40, so this GTX1 would use the 1966 model merely as a starting point. “I always ask myself, ‘What would I do if this were my car?’” says Ewing. “Luckily, Ford was willing to let me find out.” In June, Hau Thai-Tang, the SVT and Advanced Creation Director gave the project the go-ahead. He saw the potential fit with SEMA: "The Ford GTX1 project was a great example of manufacturers working together with the aftermarket to stretch the boundaries and investigate potential design and product innovation."

When the design work was finished and Ford had greenlighted a prototype, Ewing sought out Mark Gerisch of Genaddi Design Group to build it. Gerisch is unique in the automotive world. He is a Master Coachbuilder whose shop is located in Green Bay, Wisconsin. Dissatisfied by the secrecy he encountered while trying to learn old school metalworking and coachbuilding early in his career, Gerisch ended up in England where he was more warmly welcomed. He brought back from that trip the skills necessary to shape his dreams. His shop is now one of the most highly regarded coachbuilders in the States. Genaddi Design Group is renowned for their concours-winning restorations, their stretches and open-top conversions of modern Rolls-Royces and Bentleys, as well as for building ground-up Cobras, Testa Rossas and even a pair of Ferrari 250 GTO Spyders, one of them for Frank Beard of ZZ Top. The designer of the original GTO, Giotto Bizzarini himself, gave it his stamp of approval, telling Gerisch that he just 'loved what Mark had done with his car.' So the bodywork was in good hands. But even with this level of talent on board however, the team would need help to meet their deadline.

With 4 months to go before the car's official debut at SEMA, the project required that all hands be on deck. Kip Ewing was giving up his weekends to commute the 500 miles between Michigan and Wisconsin to oversee every step of the project. Further assistance was provided by a number of other companies including Quality Metalcraft. Because of their familiarity with Ford based on previous work in developing low-volume production parts for the GT, Quality Metalcraft was essential in meeting Ford's feasibility requirements for developing the unique production 4-piece aluminum roof panel set. “It can be extremely difficult to take even the most brilliant design and make it roadworthy to the OEMs, particularly under a tight deadline,” said QMC president Michael Chetcuti.

Wheel manufacturer 6061 Alloy Corporation designed and built the unique forged modular wheels for the GTX1: 19” X 9.0” up front and 20” X 11.5” in the rear. 6061 uses aircraft grade alloys that are forged using an 8000 ton press. They have a reputation for very strong OEM and high-performance aftermarket rims. Something to remember when your car is capable of 200 mph.


Sparco supplied an evolution of their Carbon Sport Seat, as seen in the standard GT. The design team enhanced the look of the standard seat by adding silver grommets, silver harness slots, and contrasting stitching. They also had to work on a new track to allow minimal loss of seat travel, even when the removable roof panels are stored behind them. Similar contributions were made by other companies:


* RMD - Roof latching system
* Debeer - Paint Manitowoc Composites - Final creation of the composite clamshell cassette Borla - Exhaust
* Brembo - Aluminum two-piece rotors
* WK Industries - Interior trim
* Pirelli - P-Zero Rosso tires
* Multimatic - Carbon Fiber trunk

* Dynamic Dampers - Adjustable coil-over dampers



Even with all this performance on tap, you know somebody is going to ask about the stereo eventually. And the GTX1 doesn't disappoint. Sony Electronics stepped up, seeing this as a perfect platform to introduce their latest revolution in digital in-car music. The Xplod MEX-1GP (Giga Panel) AM/FM/CD/MP3 receiver is capable of storing up to 500 songs on its 1GB of flash memory. There is a USB port built into the faceplate which can directly connect to a Windows® PC so users can easily transfer MP3 and WMA files to the faceplate. It even supports playback of CD-R/RW discs recorded using Sony's CONNECT™ online music store, and its unique ATRAC3/3plus format. “Our Giga Panel receiver is designed for car audio enthusiasts who crave technology not available in a factory system” said Andrew Sivori, Sony's director of marketing for mobile electronics. “We’ve created a way for music fans to have large, personalized collections of songs in their vehicles without the hassle of scatter! ed CDs or MP3 players.” The new receiver has a built-in 208-watt power amplifier and a three-band equalizer and will be available in February for about $350.

So if all of this has you champing at the bit, wondering how you can get your hands on a GTX1 of your own, there's some good news. Genaddi claims the upgrade of your Ford GT to make it a GTX1 will run $38,000. Not inexpensive, but for this level of workmanship, and the exclusivity it represents, a true bargain. A long list of options will include wheels and tires, custom paint, interior trim packages with the Sparco silver grommet seats, Brembo two piece rotors with Brembo logo calipers, adjustable coil over shocks, Borla exhaust and headers, engine performance upgrades (the SEMA car has 618 hp), and a carbon fiber splitter diffuser with side spats. The first production car, #001, will be auctioned off at the Barrett Jackson Palm Beach Auction in late March.


And what about the color? Valencia Yellow. A dark egg-yolk yellow that looks almost orange with tungsten stripes certainly catches your eye. Apparently it was chosen by one of the design team's children when the adults couldn't choose between some of their personal favorites. Just like the heritage evident throughout the GT and GTX1, the color does has a strong connection to Ford's racing history. It is the same shade used to swathe the Bud Moore Trans-Am Mustangs driven in the '60s and early 70s by the likes of George Follmer and Parnelli Jones. The spectacular performance and head-spinning looks of the GTX1 earn it the right to wear the color proudly.