Joe “Mad Scientist” Kenefic
I have been into automobiles ever since I was a 15 years old when my mom helped me get my first vehicle, a 1987 Chevy Blazer. Like many kids in the mid ‘90s I was all about having a killer car stereo however, that quickly evolved in to performance when I started autoX in my Z24 Cavalier. From that point I was hooked! Light weight, handling, and good tires have always been part of my formula but horsepower was never too far behind. I started a small shop in the early 2000’s and developed a full bolt on turbo kit for the J-body platform which was featured in both Sport Compact Car and Super Street (two of the most prominent magazines of the time). I soon realized I needed more help with running a shop and had an opportunity to join up with another local Fort Wayne, Indiana shop that specialized in older Ferraris and modernizing them. Eventually that business needed to close up due to shifting market trends but I never got to far away from the performance industry. I would take on special projects in my home garage and soon enough found a new home at Modified Auto Designs in Indianapolis, IN. We built complete solutions for the MKVI Supra, 350Z, Evo, Viper, just to name a few. This is where the MAD Scientist name was born and had a great experience with that team until the 2008 recession took hold. Again I retreated to my home garage and took in builds here and there including NSX, 911, GT-R and many others as I grew a new relationship with Forged Performance in Marietta, GA. I would come hang out for a few weeks at a time and work on stuff with the team and it was great timing for me to show my talent to a much broader audience. As the years past by, the opportunity presented itself to move to Georgia and officially become part of the team at Forged. In my time there we developed an award winning engine and transmission program for the R35 GT-R as well as a complete chassis solution that put us in the winner’s circle at the biggest street car events in the country, including One Lap of America, Red Line Time Attack, GT-R World Cup, and TX2K. We became known for our innovative ideas and trusted advisors to others in the industry. The time had come for me to start a new chapter and bring our ideas and creations to the next level. Colab is where the next chapter begins and I cannot wait to take everyone involved along for the ride!