Examples of Ford’s retro-styled GT from the mid-2000s regularly change hands for over $350k, but there’s one version of the supercharged supercar that is guaranteed to get buyers in a bidding frenzy. Around 40 of the 4,038 cars received a targa-top conversion by Wisconsin-based Genaddi Design Group and those rare roadsters are highly prized by collectors.
The GTX1 was dreamed up by Ford engineer Kip Ewing as a tribute to the GT40 X-1 roadster that won the 24 Hours of Sebring in 1966. Ford displayed the retro roadster at the 2005 SEMA show before handing over the job of building customer cars to Mark Gerish of Genaddi Design Group.
Turning a GT into a GTX1 involved cutting the upper door frames and crafting a new carbon-fiber targa top as well as a new rear deck panel complete with a small rear window allowing onlookers to peer at the supercharged V8 below. The V8 was rated at 550 hp (558 PS) in the regular GT, but at least some of the GTX1s, including this car currently up for grabs on Bring a Trailer, received an engine upgrade kit boosting output to around 700 hp (710 PS).
The three-piece SEMA-style Harry Baz wheels have a kind of 1960s vibe, looking a little like the aftermarket Hurst wheels some muscle car fans modded their cars with back in the day as well as reflecting what was going on in the mid-2000s tuning scene, and this car – the second conversion produced – returned to Genaddi a few years after its original surgery to receive a scissor door conversion and carbon aero kit.
Related: Is This Wrecked 2005 Ford GT A Bargain Or A Money Pit?
Inside, it’s mostly as Ford intended, although the seat is reported to be 2 inches (25 mm) lower than stock, there’s a Ford Racing short-throw shifter, GTX1 floor mats, and door sill plates, plus an aftermarket infotainment system that’s none too discrete.
The Bring a Trailer ad fesses up to there being imperfections in the finish of this example, and although we’ve never driven a GTX1, a quick internet search suggests that not everyone who had their car converted was happy with the quality of the result. Some don’t seem to have received the conversion at all. But there’s no doubt that the GTX1 looks fantastic and it’s that, plus its incredible rarity, that will ensure this one sells for a huge premium over a stock GT.
With two days to go before the auction closes, bidding on this 16,000-mile (26,000 km) X1 is already at $515,000, but a stock GT with only 481 miles (774 km) on the clock sold on the same auction site a few weeks ago for just $425,000. Which would you buy?
