Motorsport can seem a bit dull when a race is set on a boring track and there is little to fight for should the points battle already be decided. And all too often, the drivers have all the personality dry toast. However, motorsport at its peak can be frenetic, endlessly exciting and filled with unique and endearing personalities. One such example is Ken Block, who helped catapult the sport of gymkhana to the automotive public's focus with extremely modified Subaru Imprezas and Ford Fiestas. One of those Fiestas used in the iconic gymkhana YouTube films is now up for sale at RM Sotheby's.
This is One Special Ford Fiesta
The 2011 Ford Fiesta ST, dubbed GYM3, was stock before being abducted by Swedish racing team Olsbergs MSE and fitted with a variety of rally-cross and other high-performance goodies. The most notable is the engine, a 2.0-liter Duratec four-cylinder with a humungous turbo. But do not let the "Duratec" name fool you, the maximum output is a massive 600 horsepower and 660 pound-feet of torque. That engine is mated to an Olsbergs MSE MakTrak six-speed paddle-shift sequential gearbox which sends all that power to each wheel allowing the GYM3 to travel from 0-60 miles per hour in about 2-seconds.
Stopping power comes from Alcon Racing brakes while Ohlins shock absorbers take care of the handling and soak up the landings from massive jumps and bumps. The structure has been seam welded and fitted with protection underneath to keep any important components or lines from getting snagged or broken. As you can see, the body has been altered as well with massive flared fenders, a large front carbon splitter attached to a more aggressive front splitter, and an enormous U-shaped and rally-inspired rear wing.
Gymkhana And The Cool Stuff
A race car is nothing without a stripped interior and sick livery. The GYM3's interior is empty except for an OMSE roll cage, a hydraulic hand brake featuring Ken’s Huck Gee skull logo, an array of stickers and switches, and a digital display. The exterior is wrapped in the famous back-on-white drip livery based on Block's World Rally Championship car at the time. In case you are unaware, Gymkhana is a form of motorsport that features drivers competing one at a time on a point-to-point course covered in obstacles and jumps that the driver has to navigate while drifting, sliding, and generally destroying a set of tires.
The third Gymkhana video featured this very car, and it's the first Ford to be featured in the series. In Gymkhana 3, Block shreds a French racing circuit built in 1924, the Autodrome De Monthery, which features a 52-degree banked corner. Early in 2022, Hoonigan Racing Division rebuilt the gearbox and RM Motorsports reinstalled it, replaced the clutch pressure plate and rear main seal, installed four ignition packs and spark plugs, repaired vacuum leaks, and re-tuned the engine. Before these repairs, a new ECU just for gear shifts was replaced as well.