Ken Block's next Gymkhana video will star a wonderfully modified '65 Mustang. Hoonigan Racing Division
Ken Block's next Gymkhana video will star a wonderfully modified '65 Mustang.
Ken Block and his team found the 1965 Mustang on eBay. Hoonigan Racing Division
Ken Block and his team found the 1965 Mustang on eBay.
The car had to be outfitted with a custom all-wheel-drive system to accommodate Block's rally driving style.
The car had to be outfitted with a custom all-wheel-drive system to accommodate Block's rally driving style.
The side fender flares give the car a wider stance, which translates to better handling at speed. Hoonigan Racing Division
The side fender flares give the car a wider stance, which translates to better handling at speed.
The 6.7-liter Ford V-8 poking out produces 845 horsepower. Hoonigan Racing Division
The 6.7-liter Ford V-8 poking out produces 845 horsepower.
The car has been outfitted with a race-ready rollcage and carbon fiber body panels. Hoonigan Racing Division
The car has been outfitted with a race-ready rollcage and carbon fiber body panels.
The huge engine is set far back in the hood to accommodate the drivetrain.
The huge engine is set far back in the hood to accommodate the drivetrain.
If you haven’t lost a few hours to watching Ken Block’s gymkhana video series, you probably should start now. Without spoiling the spectacle, the episodes follow Block as he uses overpowered cars to terrorize racetracks and public roads by drifting within inches of barriers and occasionally humans.
The star of Block’s next video, “Gymkhana 7,” is a heavily modified 1965 notchback Mustang with 6.7-liter Ford V8 overflowing from the hood. Also known as the Hoonicorn, it produces a nonsensical 845 horsepower. That’s like tying 845 adult horses to a car, and have them all start running at the same time. The best part is, it’s in the hands of a guy who can handle all that power.
“I’ve always been a Mustang fan,” says Block, “but especially the old Mustangs. It’s the original muscle car.” He wanted to find a car that would even appeal to kids, like a big Hot Wheels car. Out of respect for the vehicle, Block turned to eBay for a banged up model to work with. “I didn’t want to take a nice restored one,” he says, “so we worked had to find one that was beat up.”
The huge engine is set far back in the hood to accommodate the drivetrain. HOONIGAN RACING DIVISION
That was the start of two years of work by Block’s team Hoonigan, ASD Motorsports in Charlotte, North Carolina, and with RTR, a Michigan-based company that specializes in tuning Mustangs. Underneath the classic body, the tubular chassis, roll cage, and three-piece wheels are all custom. The tires are specially-made Pirelli Trofeo Rs. The body panels are carbon fiber. The side fender flares give the car a wider stance, which translates to better handling at speed. A six-speed transmission sends the motor’s 845 horsepower to an all-wheel-drive system.
One of the biggest challenges was adding the all-wheel-drive system to a car with such a big engine. “No one’s really put an AWD system in this sort of car,” Block says. The huge engine is set far back in the hood to accommodate the drivetrain. The team also made sure to make the suspension is nice and soft. By being able to compress the shocks and send all the weight to the front of the car, Block can easily get the rear wheels loose and drift as needed (which is a lot).
The video series in which the Mustang will make its debut started in 2008. Block, a pro rally driver and co-founder of DC Shoes (which sponsored the videos) went viral, driving around industrial sites with trains and cranes for obstacles to dodge, making the tires scream through turns. Our personal favorite is “Gymkhana 6,” in which Block takes a blown-out Ford Fiesta through a desolate San Francisco, laying rubber around streetcars and catching air over intersections.
But given the glory of this Mustang, we’re thinking Gymkhana 7, whenever it comes out, could top even that.
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