2006 Genaddi Ford GTX1 - Want To Be A Rock Star?

***Ed Blown Vert*** · 03-13-2008, 04:20 PM

2006 Genaddi Ford GTX1 - Want To Be A Rock Star?

Kids dream of becoming many things: an astronaut, a race-car driver, a fireman, or a police officer. Anyone who's into music has undoubtedly dreamed of becoming a rock star. While many have ambitions of perform-ing onstage, jamming out on a Fender guitar, and whaling out lyrics in front of tens of thousands of screaming fans (and groupies-who could forget about the groupies?), only a few are lucky enough to actually do so.
Take, for example, the band Nickelback and its front man, Chad Kroger. Formed in 1996, the band blasted onto the mainstream with its third album, Silver Side Up. More than 10 years later, Nickelback is still releasing great music along with some really cool music videos. The newest single, "Rockstar," and its accompanying video features cameo appearances by Billy Gibbons from ZZ Top; Kid Rock; John Rich from the country group Big & Rich; UFC fighter Chuck Liddell; NASCAR poster boy Dale Earnhardt Jr.; hockey great Wayne Gretzky; NBA player Grant Hill; Holly, Kendra, and Bridgette from The Girls Next Door; and a host of other actors, actresses, and sports figures.
Much in the same way that Nickelback put together a star-studded music video, Mark Gerisch and the crew from the Genaddi Design Group got together for a jam session of their own. Beginning with a Ford GT owned by a prominent (and secretive) fellow, Mark and the band called up some celebrities of their own to create this wild, lip-smacking ride.
In reality, the GT has become a Ford GTX1, more specifically number 005 out of 500 built. The car's inception came about in 2006, after Mark was contacted by Ford SVT engineer/ designer Kip Ewing about creating an open-air version of the Ford GT. After Mark agreed to take on the task, the first prototype was built, and plans were made to build 500 GTX1s. One day, Mark got a call from a customer asking if he could take his '06 GT and turn it into GTX1. It didn't take him long to say yes-even less time for the car to appear at the shop's front door.
With most of the conversion work surrounding the exterior and interior of the factory supercar, only a few changes were made to the midengine, two-seat rocket ship. For the most part, the 5.4L supercharged Four-Valve mod motor was kept stock, as neither the heads nor the long-block had their seals broken. A swap of the blower pulleys increased the boost figure to 19 pounds, and when com-bined with the Silencer System full exhaust, headers, and a tune from Tony Gonyon at HP Performance (Orange Park, Florida), the GTX1 now spits out 635 rwhp and a stump-pulling 685 lb-ft of torque. While this may seem like a low number compared to other highly modded GTs roaming the streets, Mark says that all 635 rwhp are usable ponies, resulting in low-10-second elapsed times with traps speeds well into the upper 130 mph range.
The Ricardo six-speed manual trans remains, though performance and reliability of the gearbox has been enhanced thanks to a transaxle cooling system and a short-throw shifter. Additionally, the rest of the drivetrain remains stock.
When it comes to the brakes and underpinnings of the GTX1, however, the upgrades are right in line with a rock star-type lineup. Stopping power comes in the form of a set of Wilwood 14-inch, gas-slotted, two-piece rotors and accompanying six-piston calipers, all of which can be found on all four corners of the car. As for the suspension, adjustable coil-over shocks replace the factory pieces. The GTX1 rides on GTX1 Prototype-style rims from Kip Ewing's design. The 19-inch front and 20-inch rear rims are wrapped in Pirelli P-Zero Corsa shoes measuring 230/35/19 forward and 315/30/20 aft.
Most of the work that took this car from a run-of-the-mill Ford GT (if there is such a thing) to the hit-single GTX1, surrounds its body and interior. Under the engine lid, the cam covers and blower were painted bright silver, while the stock fuel-rail inlet and airbox cover were replaced with pieces fabricated out of carbon fiber. Polished billet-aluminum coil-covers add a bit more flash to the powerplant.
The flanks of the supercar were then tackled, beginning with the addition of the carbon-fiber aero package. A new front splitter, rear diffuser, and rockers were bolted on, followed by a carbon-fiber front hood and sidescoops. The rear bumper was modified to be hidden from view.
The crown jewel of the GTX1, however, is that this car has been converted from a hardtop to a roadster. Mark lopped off the roof and performed some body magic to make the transformation seamless and leakless. The conversion allows the owner to cruise in open-air publicity when the weather is nice, and slap on the soft-top and roll along in relative anonymity (if that's possible in a car of this magnitude) when the weather is less than desirable. The final touches to the exterior were applied when the body was shot with Candy Chrome Red paint, followed by the application of color-on-color ghost stripes. The paint job and the hue of the car speak for themselves, as the changing color of the car's exterior fits its nature as a docile yet lethal beast on wheels.
The rest of the outrageous modifications came in the small yet purposeful interior. With the car now being a roadster, Mark knew some killer touches to the inside were necessary. The transformation of the cabin began with the entire deal being swapped over to a custom tan leather interior. The dash cover is made out of suede, while the stock seats were replaced with a pair of Sparco buckets. The factory tune machine was ditched in favor of a satellite-capable receiver complete with navigation, touch screen, and even cup holders. The center console was pulled out and replaced with a carbon-fiber piece that now sports the addition of a storage compartment. Seeing as how backing up this car would be next to impossible thanks to the diminished view out the rear, a Bell Systems radar unit and backup system were installed and stealthily hidden. Throw in the custom-embroidered floor mats and sill plates (with the GTX1 logo, of course), and the interior looks just as good as the exterior.
"This car shows what an almost-unlimited budget can do for a supercar as far as looks and performance are concerned," Mark says. "This is one of the world's ultimate supercars--and it's a Ford, to boot."
When all was said and done, what began as a normal Ford GT ended up being graced with a host of high-end components and craftsmen that turned it into a number-one single. Guess this car makes its owner a rock star without the hit record.

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