Elusive Ford GT Roadster Hits the Auction Block
Genaddi Design Group GTX1 is a semi-controversial Ford GT Roadster conversion. Now, bidders have a chance to get their hands on one.
In this day and age, the thought of cutting up a 2005 Ford GT is absolutely sacrilegious. However, 20 years ago, when the Ford GT was introduced, it wasn’t that expensive a car. The price tag of around $150,000 was certainly not a trivial amount, but it didn’t quite put it in the same league as the Lamborghini Murciélago. Moreover, it seems the willingness to modify and customize supercars in that era was a bit more prominent than it is now. Unlike its pricepoint-comparable foe, the Ferrari F430, the Ford GT had no open-top option. So, Genaddi Design Group stepped in to offer the Ford GT Roadster that never was. Enter the GTX1.
Certainly, the GTX1 was met with some pushback. Cutting up a car that costs over six figures (and equates to about a quarter million with inflation considered) is a crazy thing in the first place. But getting rid of those iconic decapitator roof panels that go with the door? Insane! Still, according to this Bring A Trailer listing, somewhere south of 40 GTs were converted to GTX1s. The missing roof doesn’t come with a discount, either. At the time of writing, the auction has three days left for bidding and already sits at $481,000.
Why Does the Ford GTX1 Exist?
Contrary to what one might think, the GTX1 wasn’t exactly a rogue aftermarket shop going nuts with an idea. In fact, the concept of it being a Ford GT Roadster isn’t even quite right. Instead, it’s an homage to the GT40 X-1 that won the 24 Hours of Sebring in 1966. Ford Engineer Kip Ewing designed the GTX1 as a concept car that was even displayed at SEMA in 2005. Ford gave approval for Mark Gerish of Genaddi Design Group to produce “official” GTX1 models for interested customers. Aside from the obvious roof removal, the GTX1 got unique headrest fairings, a revised engine cover, and a color-matched three-piece removable hardtop.
Otherwise, it’s a standard Ford GT sporting the legendary supercharged 5.4-liter V8 and a six-speed manual transaxle. The listing outlines all of its factory goodies like carbon fiber shell Sparco seats, BBS wheels, Brembo Brakes, and it even includes factory paperwork. It has 17,000 miles on the odometer, and it includes an SCT ECU flashing device that was used to change the tune. That’s not cause for much alarm, considering how robust these engines are known to be.
Ultimately, only time will tell how much money this car brings in. It’ll be a great data point, though, considering it’s relatively high mileage for a Ford GT and there aren’t a lot of historical GTX1 sales to base an estimate off of.
The open top might not be everyone’s cup of tea, but the current bid suggests that it certainly is someone’s. We’ll be watching to see what the hammer price lands on for sure!
Photos: Bring A Trailer
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