Ford GTX1

In November 2005 the Ford GTX1, a roadster version of the Ford GT, was unveiled in Las Vegas. The $48,000 aftermarket conversion is performed by the Genaddi Design Group, but endorsed by Ford. It includes performance upgrades that increase horsepower as well as suspension modification.

Performance and engineering

The Ford GT features many new and unique technologies, including super-plastic-formed aluminum body panels, roll-bonded floor panels, a friction-stir welded center tunnel, a “ship-in-a-bottle” gas tank, a capless fuel filler system, one-piece door panels and an aluminum engine cover with a one-piece carbon-fiber inner panel.

Brakes are four-piston aluminum Brembo calipers with cross-drilled and vented rotors at all four corners. When the rear canopy is opened, the rear suspension components and engine are visible.

The 5.4L V8 powerplant is all-aluminum and fed by a Lysholm screw-type supercharger. It features unique 4-valve DOHC cylinder heads and a forged rotating assembly. It uses a unique aluminum block designed specifically for the GT program with an emphasis on block rigidity. A dry sump oiling system is employed, allowing the engine to sit very low in the frame. The DOHC heads are a revision of the Cobra R cylinder heads (with slightly increased wall casting thickness in the exhaust port) and the design is essentially shared with the GT500. Power output is 550 horsepower and 500 foot-pounds of torque. A Ricardo six-speed manual transmission is fitted featuring a helical limited-slip differential.

Performance (mph):(Source: Road & Track)

0-60 mph (0-96 km/h): 3.8 s
0-100 mph (0-161 km/h): 8.8 s
Topspeed: 212 mph (339 km/h)

Top lap time-Nürburgring Nordschleife (as indicated by Octane magazine, 11/05):
7:42 s

Fuel Consumption

The US EPA mileage estimate for the GT is 13 mpg in city driving, and 21 mpg in highway cruising, for a combined 16 mpg (18.1/11.2 & 14.7 L/100 km combined). Similar vehicles, like the Lamborghini Murcielago and Ferrari F430, rate at 10 city / 15 highway for 12 mpg (19.6 L/100 km) combined, and 13 city / 17 highway for 14 mpg (16.8 L/100 km) combined, respectively.

On May 14th 2007 a GT participated in an economy driving contest around Reykjavik in Iceland sponsored by the association of car dealers in Iceland. The GT finished the 143 km circle through hilly terrain with average fuel consumption of 11,31 litre/100km and average speed of about 65 km/h. The driver was Gísli Jón Bjarnason, sales manager at Ford dealer Brimborg.

For racing, Team Torquenstein used the Ford GT in the 2006 Gumball 3000 because of its fuel efficiency and performance. They placed first overall.

Comments

Richard said in the June 2006 issue of Muscle Mustangs & Fast Fords magazine, the magazine tested a completely stock Ford GT on a chassis dyno. The GT put out "nearly" 550 rear-wheel horsepower and "right at" 500 lb-ft of torque. Note that these rear-wheel numbers match the advertised ratings at the flywheel. This suggests that the Ford GT actually produces much more power than advertised when parasitic driveline loss is accounted for. Though underrating engine output on supercars is not necessarily a new practice (former GM engineers have admitted that the ZL1 Camaro and Corvettes produced much closer to 600 hp than their advertised 425, and Ford engineers have admitted that the FE series 428 Cobra Jet was quite underrated) this is rare today, especially for a supercar, where horsepower in that exclusive club confers bragging rights. Note that the GT is also not the only recent supercharged Ford car to be underrated: MM&FF also found that chassis dyno tests on the 2003-04 "Terminator" Mustang Cobras with the supercharged 4.6 DOHC V8s showed them to also produce close to the advertised flywheel horsepower rating at the rear wheels.

The front fenders curve over 18-inch wheels and Goodyear Eagle F1 Supercar tires. In the tradition of original Ford GT racers, the doors cut into the roof. Prominent on the leading edge of the rear quarter panel are functional cooling scoops that channel fresh air to the engine. The rear wheel wells, filled with 19-inch wheels and tires, define the rear of the car, while the accent line from the front cowl rejoins and finishes the car's profile at the integrated “ducktail” spoiler.

Looking in through the backlight, one finds the essence of the sports car in Ford's modular 5.4-liter supercharged V-8 engine. The finishing touches are Ford blue cam covers, each featuring an aluminum coil cover imprinted with the words “Powered by Ford.”

Problems

Early production Ford GT experienced many minor problems (including glitches with the electrical and climate control systems, leaking power steering and engine coolant hoses, and a steering column rattle on some cars), and two bigger problems.

In December of 2004, Ford recalled all Ford GTs that had been built up to that point (448 units were built, but only 283 had been shipped to dealers, and only 106 had been delivered to retail customers) because of concerns regarding the strength of the suspension control arms. They had been "squash cast" for added strength, a new process also used by Porsche and Alfa Romeo. But after Ford discovered a crack in one of the high-mileage development cars, the company decided to replace the parts on all the production cars.

There was also a TSB (Technical Service Bulletin) to inspect the engine on early cars built in 2004 for an oil leak at the main seal. The finish of some crankshafts was flawed, causing an oil leak. Ford dealers stopped the leak with a new main seal and a "Speedi-Sleeve" around the crankshaft, a device commonly used to repair worn engines in older cars. Some journalists felt that this was an improper fix for an expensive supercar and criticized Ford for not either replacing the defective crankshaft or replacing the entire engine.

There are a few other TSBs for the car, including the need for hose clamps to be adjusted or replaced.