For all lovers of cars, modifications, Rally and speed in general the news, the sad news of Ken Block’s fatal accident came to us like a bucket of cold water.
As a tribute in Autocosmos we want to review the history of this emblematic and crazy character who gained notoriety and rose to fame in 2008 with a strange video posted on YouTube where the pilot -at that time- unknown Ken Block does the everyone’s delight when playing with a Subaru in an unusual place.
Little by little and with great work of production, taking care of all the details, but without losing that spark of funny Ken Block irreverence It became a benchmark in the world of Drift, Tuning and created that fantastic halo where many brands -some of which it owned, such as DC Shoes and Hoonigan -began to gain notoriety.
Over the years, Block and his Hoonigan team left Subaru aside to go under the auspices of Ford Motor Company, which created an unparalleled marketing project and that surely gave them many dividends, since indescribable vehicles were created alongside Block. As the 1965 Mustang named Hoonicorn all-wheel drive or the huge 1977 Ford F150 extremely “tuned up” called Hoonitruck.
Here is a long list, where we share the links -in blue- of the videos and images of their emblematic cars, all marked with the number 43 and with the characteristic skull, Ken Block’s personal emblem.
Let’s start!
Subaru Impreza WRX STi 2006
It was 2008 and a video of a madman named Ken Block who, aboard a 2006 Subaru Impreza WRX STi, recorded a series of shots and sequences with a truly spectacular and reckless drive at a disused military base – we assume that in the USA.
Soon that strange name: Gymkhana began to become popular and with it sponsoring brands such as Monster Energy, BF Goodrich, Exedy and others could be seen in the Subaru painted in the classic metallic blue color that was prepared by the tuner Crawford and that according to the specifications delivered 530 HP.
The video was one of the first viral phenomena, featuring Ken Block, Subaru and until then the unknown word Gymkhana on everyone’s lips.
Subaru Impreza WRX STi 2008
The second installment of this madness called Gymkhana where Block openly promotes brands like Monster Energy, BF Goodrich or CD Shoes, a brand in which Block is co-founder.
A well prepared Subaru Impreza WRX STi that offered more than 550 HP and a lot of drifting power with the famous all-wheel drive that has made the Japanese brand famous, which makes its own in a port in Los Angeles where it goes in and out of huge semi-empty warehouses.
Ford Fiesta Olsberg-MSE
The leap of Ken Block and his team to Europe in 2010 and the first collaboration with Ford. The chosen setting was the mythical Montlhéry Autodrome, close to Paris and which is close to turning a century old.
No special effects here, just pure handling, and a lot of drift courtesy of the Ford Fiesta WRC but with a special “tuning” that allowed it to exceed 650 HP.
Montlhéry is one of the European slopes widely used in the interwar period and has cambers of more than 50%.
Ford Fiesta ST HFHV
the fourth installment It was published on YouTube in August 2011 and, as the title says, it is clearly “Hollywood”. and with all the paraphernalia of the movie mecca with everything and special effects, lots of fire and sparks.
The Ford Fiesta ST HFHV (Hybrid) which is without a doubt the least powerful vehicle Block used in any of his videos, only 350 hp, but with a whopping 515 lb-ft of torque.
Unsurprisingly in a video made in the movie setting, Ken Block and his party break into a recording set and then make a lot of messes with the Universal Studios props.
Ford Fiesta ST RX43
It is a video that is one of the fan favorites because of the degree of complexity that it took to make it.
San Francisco is the location chosen to do stunts and maneuvers in the Ford Fiesta ST RX43 was built in the United Kingdom, based on a Fiesta Rallycross, it mounts a 2.0-liter engine that delivers more than 600 hp and 663 pound-feet of torque via a six-speed transmission.
Ford Fiesta ST RX43
This video was made commercially for the launch of Need for Speed for Play Station 4 on a track recreated with all the elements of the game.
In the frame we can see planes, containers and a couple of Lambos in a scenery full of unreal elements such as a wrecking ball that resembles a huge medieval mandarria which Block must dodge.
1965 Mustang HT named Hoonicorn RTR
A purely Hollywood production where we see many American “clichés”, from Chinatown, the forced passage through the Los Angeles Canals, a representation of the pursuit of OJ Simpson in his Ford Bronco to close the installment when Block circulates at full speed along the local road that passes just above the emblematic Hollywood sign.
Shown here is a massive 1965 Mustang HT called the 850 HP Hoonicorn RTR.
Ford Fiesta ST RX43
Ken Block in this installment used a Ford Fiesta ST RX43 with 650 HP engine, A car derived from the Fiesta WRC Rally that has nothing to envy to the best supercars on the planet. This is demonstrated in the acceleration test in which he faces some of the fastest cars that are very common in Dubai, a clear example, with a Bugatti Veyron.
Ford Focus RS RX WRC
The ninth installment of Gymkhana is called: “Raw Industrial Playground” in which Ken Block returns to his roots of the series, without so many special effects and it is more similar to the first installment, which is one of the biggest hits on the internet, today with more than 400 million views.
Ken Block performs extreme maneuvers in an industrial facility in New York City, United States, and the main car is a 600 HP Ford Focus RS RX WRC.
It is one of the most elaborate works of Block and his creative team, chapter 10 consists of five different videos, with different locations and vehicles. It was recorded in the USA, Sweden and Mexico.
The first chapter of the tenth installment takes place in Lule, Sweden where we see a Ford Fiesta WRC doing stunts on snow and ice.
The second video was shot in Detroit Michigan Where else could it have been! There Block does his thing again with the huge Ford Mustang 1965 Hoonicorn that we saw in Gymkhana 7.
For the third part of the Gymkhana 10 Block and his entire team travel to Guanajuato, Mexico (Headquarters of the WRC) and there he does his thing through the tunnels and alleys of the beautiful city “Cervantina” aboard a Ford Focus RS RX Rallycross .
In the fourth installment, Ken Block returns to Los Angeles, but now aboard Ford Escort Cosworth Group A 1991 affectionately called “Cossie”a video where sparks abound, because in several scenes the car turns on the wheels -without tires-
Ford F150 Hoonitruck
The fifth part of Gymkhana 10 takes place in Texas, specifically in Shamrock and in a section of the famous Route 66where Block does mischief in a flamboyant, severely modified 1977 Ford Pick Up.
As a climax and farewell we share the latest adventure of Ken Block, which was no longer called Gymkhana, instead and according to current mobility trends, Block and his Hoonigan team decided to change their name and now call adventures where there are a lot of drift and thousands of tires go up in smoke like electrickhana.
Audi A1 Hoonitron
Ken Block and his entire Hoonigan team realized the “Electro Mobility” that currently prevails and using their new alliance with Audi, they jointly created the Audi S1 Hoonitron and they took on the task of putting on the well-known show in the streets, but now in the City of Sin.
An electrifying tour that takes us through emblematic points of Las Vegas and also shows us many historical pieces of Audi Sport during the tour, including the winning cars of the 24 Hours of Le Mans.
The latest unfinished project: Hoonipigasus, the 1400 HP Porsche 911 SVRSR for Pikes Peak
Ken Block’s last project had nothing to do with Gymkhanas, and it was not 100% realized.
Developed by BBi Autosport in collaboration with Hoonigan Racing and based on the first generation Porsche 911, this race car named hoonipigasusstands out for the pink color in honor of the iconic Le Mans prototype, the 1971 Porsche 917/20 affectionately called “Pink Pig”.
The idea when creating the Hoonipigasus was to compete in the Pikes Peak International Hill Climb in 2022. In the training sessions prior to the date of the most famous Hill Climb in the world, Block had serious problems with the Porsche engine that could not be fixed. on time, but he promised to be back in the 2023 edition, but we all know that Ken will not make it to the appointment.
