Modified Ford GT Twin Turbo 1012rwhp Pictures 
PANDORA’S BOX
Super Cars are deemed to be just that and for most 525hp and a 0-62mph time of 3.3 seconds keeps them content. For Joe Cermin however owning something so powerful just tempts him to expect more
gallery (41 photos)
The GT40 was an icon of 1960’s racing and still stands to be one of the finest looking designs of all time. So crucial was its impact on the Ford brand that a concept was built for the Manufacturer’s centennial year in 2002. The response at motor shows was phenomenal and to Ford it was a no-brainer, this model had to be brought in to production, all be it just a handful in order to maintain its exclusivity.
Now you’d have thought that Florida born Joe Cermin would have had his hands full with a motor like the GT. Let’s be honest, why would you want to hone a car that already has staggering performance, let alone the ability to make full grown men go weak at the knees? Apparently Joe and that’s why he set about scouting for someone who could transform his GT with a custom twin turbo, the purpose, to storm the street racing scene.
Now at this point we should probably tell you that Joe has rolled with a fair few hotties in the past, namely a twin supercharged Lamborghini Diablo VT Roadster, a V12 Mercedes SL55 and a twin turbo Lotus V8. It’s fair to say then that he’s become accustomed to sublime and ridiculous amounts of power and that the GT provided the next stage of the game. Joe was adamant that it was possible to milk the 5.4litre V8 engine for up to 1700 horse power and by bringing together some of the best brains and hands in the industry he managed to do just that.
The first amendment meant changing the supercharger pulley and re-programming the ECU to get an extra 100 horses at the back wheels which set him back $1200. After that Joe sourced a bolt on GT35R twin turbo set-up which would later send the power output soar to a ridiculous 1012hp. It set him back around $25,000 which could have bought him an executive second car or luxury holidays for the next Five years. For Joe though, it was the best investment he could have made as he didn’t want a car that anyone with a bit of money could buy, he wanted a car that had his own unique stamp on it; one that was beyond the imagination of most other people (people who are happy to settle for driving a car that is as the factory intended). He also compared the price to what he spent on his Mercedes; for the same money he got a very humble 20bhp extra from the SL55, whereas his GT was in for a ridiculous jump in power gains.
Now getting hold of an appropriate twin turbo kit was pretty straight forward as the GT’s engine is more or less the same as its counterpart Mustang which of course are much more commonly sighted and toyed with than GT’s. He’d heard that Stage 6 Motorsports in Jacksonville, Florida had earned themselves a reputation for installing custom turbos and so was happy to leave his GT in their capable hands. The mechanical brief was to get the maximum performance while also ensuring reliability because the car was due to get a real hammering on the road. It was really important to keep temperatures down as the standard drivetrain had a lot of extra load on it.
Of course the guys at Stage 6 were more than happy to take on this challenge but although the kit was theoretically compatible, finding a home for it was not so cut and dry. The initial suggestion to put it low down in the engine bay between the engine block and driveshaft but this idea was scraped due to the heat it would cause and the risk to the surrounding components. Below the valve cover was also theoretically possible but when the belly pans are installed there would be restricted air flow. This option also meant taking out the engine as well as tampering with the transmission which seemed like an inefficient use of time. It was decided in the end that the Two GT35R’s should reside at the back of the engine bay where they would receive optimum airflow around the turbos and where also it could be easily removed for maintenance purposes. The flip side of this solution was that extra piping was required and there would be more turbo lag. These pay-offs became pretty insignificant though as soon as Joe discovered just what the car was capable of.
Surprisingly aside from a bit of internal strengthening and some tampering with the fuel system, not a lot needed to be altered to install the Stage 6 turbos. The crankshaft, pistons and cams are all standard. Even the transmission, driveshaft and differential are the ones that rolled out the production line with it. The clutch however is custom Spec as the factory fitted ones tended to melt under the pressure. Being a Super car, the GT’s intercooler is ultra efficient, the headers were also left to do their job. Minimal investment was made for the ancillary components and a pair of Tial 44mm V-Band wastegates were brought in to keep the curve stable. To plumb these in required a 3” stainless steel pipe and a Tial 50mm blow-off valve to release the pressure. The guys at Stage 6 Motorsports customised an upper intake manifold while a Wilson Manifold with a 95mm throttle body also came as part of the package. In addition Joe got polished aluminium filter piping, a super high flow air filter and MAF.
To sort the fuel system the team needed 16 63lb injectors as opposed to the standard 34lb Ford components. There’s now Four fuel pumps and a Stage 6 upgrade to the fuel rails and with the help of HP Performance, their on-site dyno and a 60hp shot nitrous bottle the ECU was re-programmed to suit the demands. Nothing has been altered on the chassis because Joe is keen to keep its stunningly iconic looks. Even the 18 and 19” wheels are standard; he’s just changed the rubbers to Hoosier R6 road racing slicks which he just uses in the dry. Inside the cabin is a whole different ball game though; the standard cheap plastics don’t really compliment the image of one of the most sought after cars in world history. To rectify this somewhat Joe has acquired some Sparco harnesses, an Autometer boost gauge and nitrous button in the passenger footwell and a GReddy remote boost controller by the steering wheel. For the purposes of cruising, Joe can run the GT on low boost but as soon as it gets to 4000rpm and the turbo kicks in there’s an extra 400bhp on tap at the touch of a button. At this magical number that there is just brutal force and no turbo lag.
As you may expect though, driving the GT at 29psi is pretty expensive, at the car’s top speed of 220mph it does about 3-4mpg. The 115 octane race fuel then needs to be delivered so it’s not advisable to use it all up at once. When it comes to racing however, no expense is spared, the result – it’s unbeatable from a rolling start. Anyone who wants to challenge Joe is very welcome to try their luck, except these days even the guys on two wheels know when its time to admit defeat. Recently Joe beat a modified Hiabusa and a 2006 R6 was thrashed by Five or Six car lengths.
You’d think then with a kit that produces 832rwhp and 705lb ft of torque on a standard pump at 18psi and a reputation for being the ultimate street racing machine, Joe would call it a day. No chance – Joe is currently liasing with Stage 6 on an even more radical project, his aim to get 1600hp out of the GT. The standard engine has proved to cope well with up to 1200rwhp but with a worked motor and PT72 turbos it is thought that they can go the whole hog. Of course Joe wants to give a big shout out to the team at Stage 6 Motorsports (www.stage6motorsports.com) and also HP Performance who have helped him to achieve the unthinkable! This truly is a mind blowing machine and proves that those who dream it can also do it – why stop at average?
CAR MAKE & MODEL
Modified Ford GT Twin Turbo 1012rwhp Pictures
CAR REF NUMBER
21104
CAR COLOUR
Red
ENGINE MODIFICATIONS
two precision garrett gt35r turbos, two tial 44mm v-band wastegates, two stainless steel up-pipes, two 3” stainless steel downpipes, tial 50mm blow-off valve, greddy remote boost controller, stage 6 custom upper intake manifold, wilson manifolds 95mm throttle body, polished aluminium filter piping, super high flow air filter and maf, polished aluminium filter piping, stainless steel braided oil supply and return lines, 16 63lb injectors, four in-tank fuel pumps, stage 6 upgraded fuel rails, 60hp nitrous shot, hp performance custom ecu tuning
TRANSMISSION MODIFICATIONS
standard six-speed manual gearbox, spec twin disc clutch
SUSPENSION MODIFICATIONS
ford gt suspension
ALLOY WHEELS
18” bbs ford gt (front) and 19” bbs ford gt (rear)
TYRES
235/45 eagle f1 front tyres and 315/40 hoosier r6 rear slicks
BRAKES
standard ford gt 14” (front) and 13.2” (rear) vented discs
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