It started with a penknife and a scale model. Kip Ewing, a Ford GT development engineer, sliced the roof off a miniature replica of his own car and liked what he saw. His bosses agreed. The result — the Ford GTX1 Roadster — is among the rarest, most desirable, and most expensive American supercars ever made.
The GT40 X1 Connection
The name is deliberate. In 1965, Bruce McLaren Motor Racing in Feltham — working under contract for Ford — built a one-off open-top GT40 known as the X1, constructed around an experimental aluminium tub, weighing 250kg less than a conventional GT40 Mk2. That car, driven by Ken Miles and Lloyd Ruby, won the 1966 24 Hours of Sebring outright. Ewing’s modern interpretation honoured that lineage directly: the GTX1 was a roadster version of a Le Mans-winning car, paying homage to an open-top GT40 that had won one of the world’s toughest races sixty years earlier.
How the GTX1 Was Built
Ewing flew to Green Bay, Wisconsin every weekend to work with master coachbuilder Mark Gerisch of Genaddi Design Group — a specialist with an established reputation for high-end open-top conversions. The transformation of each donor Ford GT went far beyond removing the roof. Modified door frames, a newly fabricated rear deck with a transparent engine cover revealing the supercharged V8 beneath, a three-piece removable hardtop system configurable as a T-top or full targa, Porsche Carrera GT-inspired headrests, Sparco carbon fibre race seats, Wilwood brakes, and custom GTX1 badging throughout — all executed to a standard that Car and Driver tested and found free of cowl shake, wind noise, or structural flex.
Crucially, Ford’s direct involvement meant the factory warranty on the donor GT was preserved in full. The conversion added $38,000 to the price of a standard Ford GT — itself a $150,000-plus car — making the complete package a six-figure supercar by 2005 standards, equivalent to over $250,000 in today’s money.
The standard 5.4-litre twin-screw supercharged V8 retained its 550bhp and 500 lb-ft of torque output, with a Ricardo six-speed manual transmission. Many GTX1s also received the Ford Performance power upgrade, lifting output to 700bhp — transforming the already rapid GT into something genuinely ferocious in open air.
How Many Were Built?
Production figures for the GTX1 are genuinely contested, which only adds to the mystique. Ford received 100 orders across a two-year production window, but market realities intervened before most were filled. The most reliable estimates place completed, delivered GTX1 conversions at between 30 and 40 cars — with Broad Arrow Auctions, one of the most experienced specialists in this market, citing fewer than 40. Four cars were built as exact replicas of the original SEMA show car, making them the most coveted of all.
What Is a Ford GTX1 Worth Today?
Values have climbed sharply as awareness of the car has grown among serious collectors. A 16,000-mile example sold for $515,000 in November 2023. The original SEMA Edition example sold at auction in 2022 for between $850,000 and $1,000,000. Last asking prices on current listings have reached $545,500 and beyond. Standard first-generation Ford GTs now trade from $200,000 upwards — the GTX1 commands a significant premium on top.
With documentation being critical to value, buyers should insist on the original GTX1 contract, options list, and full service history. A documented stripe-delete specification or SEMA Edition provenance adds further premium.
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