2023 had a rocky start, we did indeed lose one of the automotive industry’s biggest heroes, Ken Block. Hoonigan Racing Division was created in 2010 as a means for Ken Block to race in the World Rally Championship. Originally named the Monster Energy World Rally Team, Ken Block and Chris Atkinson raced in the FIA World Rally Championship. Ken would go on to compete in the FIA European Rallycross series with Andreas Bakkerud, and ultimately, Ken was the sole driver in the Global Rallycross Championship for Hoonigan Racing.
By the 2013 season for all three racing series, Monster World Rally Team Ford turned into Hoonigan Racing Division as we know it today. Within the racing division exists many partners, engineers, graphic designers, photographers, and the list goes on. Besides just racing and Hoonigan Merch (which has become wildly popular), the Hoonigan Racing Division is responsible for the epic builds that fueled the Gymkhana video series.
The goal is always go bigger, create wild driving scenarios, and shock the world while performing seemingly impossible stunts sometimes within iconic locations and environments. With the absence of Ken, it is unclear how the Hoonigan story will continue, but there is no denying the support and enthusiasm behind a brand that so successfully celebrates the greatness of being an automotive enthusiast. To honor Ken Block and the Hoonigan crew, here's taking a look at 10 of the Hoonigan’s best vehicles.
10 Hoonipigasus
The Hoonigans go Euro! Hoonipigasus is just one of many air-cooled era 911s that took a step in a wild direction. Classic 911 modification is prevalent in the automotive enthusiast community, but this isn’t your average safari or “reimagined” build. Hoonipigasus is a Pikes Peak climber's dream. Ken Block had been itching to drive Pikes Peak, and thanks to the folks at BBi Autosport, the Hoonigan team and the engineering mind of Joe Scarbo, who originally dreamt up the concept of the Hoonipigasus.
The all-modern, but vintage-looking 911 Pikes Peak climber was built. After the car was built, the car was pitched to Mr. Block, who took the offer to drive such a beast of a car. Aside from a 1970s Porsche 911 shell every bit from the chassis, engine, suspension, aero and much more are all bespoke to the project which is a loose homage to Porsche’s 1971 917/20 race car nicknamed, “The Pink Pig”.
9 Hoonifox
The Foxbody is cool, so cool in fact, that Ken Block wanted to Hoonify one. In essence, the idea was to apply lessons learned from the Hoonicorn 1960s mustang and apply it to a Foxbody Mustang. Although just a concept, the Hoonifox has gone through various livery ideation in the Hoonigan’s collaboration with Ash Thorp, a graphic designer responsible for some of the team’s “cossie” Ford Escourt Cosworth project.
He is responsible for bringing the Hoonifox concept to life, virtually. Hoonifox was to be powered by one of eight Ford engine options ranging from an F-250 based 7.3 liter Godzilla engine, to a highly tuned and turbocharged EcoBoost inline-4. Unfortunately the Hoonifox never came to fruition as an actual project, but the concept shows incredible potential as all Hoonigan projects do.
8 Ford Fiesta GYM 3
How about a Ford Fiesta that makes 600 horsepower and 660 foot-pounds of torque? That’s exactly what Ken Block uses to tear up the L’Autodrome de Linas in France. This incredible Fiesta can hit 60 miles per hour in 1.9 seconds making it as real of a rally racer as it gets, but with a ton more power available for Ken to play with.
Not only does Ken Block explore the grounds in a giant continuous smokey power slide, but also shows the precision of such a machine by doing donuts around a fellow Hoonigan slowly riding on a Segway. Equally impressive is the various drifts and maneuvers excecuted on the famous, near-vertical banked section of the track.
7 Audi S1 Hoonitron Electrickhana
When Ken decided to make the switch to a VAG backed program after ending a lengthy partnership with Ford, the team and Audi decided this would be the perfect opportunity to create an electrified Hoonigan build. The Audi S1 Hoonitron was born and Gymkhana now became Electrikhana.
This time in Las Vegas, Nevada, Ken Block can be seen lighting up the streets in the Hoonitron in a display of near silent drifting that rivals the vibrance of the seemingly endless lights of the Las Vegas strip. Many famous locations are visited with doughnuts and drifts including an initial exit from Cesars Palace. At one point the Hoonitron actually enters a casino for a celebratory doughnut. Check it out in Hoonigan’s “Electrickhana”.
6 Hoonicorn RTR V1
Perhaps one of the most popular Hoonigan builds ever, the Hoonicorn 1965 RTR Mustang blew away the world when revealed. With a naturally aspirated Roush/Yates Ford Performance V-8 under the hood, and massive individual throttle bodies sticking high above, this 845 horsepower death-trap can be seen in Gymkhana 7 doing a four wheel burnout.
Yes, all four wheels roasting the tires as all-wheel-drive was a must with this build. Seen tearing up the streets in Los Angeles, the Hoonicorn was designed and built by Ken Block, Vaughn Gitten Jr, and the tuners within the RTR brand, which is known for developing drift capable Ford Mustangs of all types.
5 Ford Escort RS Cosworth WRC “Cossie V2”
Unfortunately Ken Block’s beloved Cossie V1 rally Ford Escort RS Cosworth racer perished in a car fire in 2018. The Cossie was a passion project for Ken and after losing the first one, he wasted no time building yet, another high-powered Cosworth Escort. Turnaround was just a year and the Cossie V2 was ready in 2019.
After partnering with designer Ash Thorp, the team created a worthy follow-up to the iconic Cossie V1, which was already an insane version of a beloved Ford from the European market. Power came from a 2-liter Escort WRC engine that was then modified and developed further. Many components were changed and carefully developed for the Cossie V2 project, including revised suspension, specialty transmission, electronics from Cosworth themselves, and other extensive upgrades.
4 Hoonitruck
Take a hoonicorn, and truckify it, the 1977 Ford F-150 will never be the same, and we love it. Powered by a V-6 this time, the very large twin turbos help this Roush Yates, Ford Performance EcoBoost V-6 make 914 horsepower. This all-wheel-drive F-150 has come a long way taking inspiration from Ford’s Raptor powertrain and turning up the boost as you do when being a Hoonigan.
This time the team appears in China, where Ken takes the Hoonitruck up a road widely considered to be one of China’s most dangerous, a narrow winding road up Tianmen Mountain. You can see the hillclimb in action in Ken Block’s “Climbkhana”.
3 Travis Pastrana Subaru STI
A “Hoonigan” is defined by the Hoonigan team as, “A person who operates a motor vehicle in an aggressive and unorthodox manner, consisting of, but not limited to, burnouts, doughnuts as well as acts of automotive aeronautics.” By definition, Travis Pastrana fits the Hoonigan definition perfectly, especially when piloting the Gymkhana Subaru WRX STI with over 860 horsepower.
In one of the Hoonigan’s wildest stunts, Pastrana can be seen literally flying through the air in his Subaru executing a full river jump in which he launches from bank to back clearing a passing power-boat in the process. Labeled as a “hometown takeover Travis unleashes his talents all over Annapolis, Maryland in Gymkhana 2020.
2 Hoonicorn RTR V2
Hoonicorn lives on and the successor is absolutely bananas. In case the first Hoonicorn wasn’t wild enough the team when and did it all over again. Another all-wheel-drive, 1965 Ford Mustang with a Roush/Yates Ford Performance V-8.
This time, however, the Hoonicorn is putting down a mind-boggling 1,400 horsepower to the ground through a square set of 295-width tires. The team achieved this amazing power via meth injection and twin turbos. This is a car Ken, himself said he was a bit afraid of because of its violent nature. The bonkers Hoonicorn RTR V2 can be seen in Gymkhana 10.
1 Ford RaptorTrax
How do you make the world’s most capable off-road pickup even more wild? You give it four-track-drive. The RaptorTrax utilizes a set of tank-style tracks that replace the already massive 35 inch BF Goodrich All Terrains. Built for snow use, the RaptorTrax’s drive is more akin to a snowmobile in the way it uses its tracks to traverse deep snow, rather than an all-terrain application.
Although not an official Gymkhana vehicle, as that is mainly reserved for drifting and stunts, the RaptorTrax can be seen in Ken Block’s “Shredfest” video highlighting his time in the track-equipped F-150 Raptor climbing and traversing literal mountains in British Columbia allowing him and his friends to enjoy snowboarding in the freshest of powder.