From co-founding DC shoes in 1994 to being a household name in the rally scene, Ken Block's journey to the top is no way ordinary. Ken Block first fell in love with rally racing when he was very young, but it wasn't until much later in his life that he was able to turn that dream into a reality. Ken Block is now a professional rally driver with an insane collection of cars that would make any petrolhead teary-eyed.
Ken Block co-founded DC shoes in a garage in 1994. In 2004 Quicksilver purchased DC shoes in a $87 Million deal. What Ken Block decided to do next was something straight out of left field. Ken Block traded his comfy office for the rough and rugged dirt track. At the tender age of just 36 years old, Ken Block decided to enroll himself into a rally driving school with the hopes of fulfilling a childhood dream. He immediately took to it, and within the space of a year he was racing professionally.
Three years after he started racing professionally, Ken Block released his first Gymkhana video in 2008. It quickly went viral and the rest is history. Ken Block has since released a series of Gymkhana videos that have amassed over 550 million views combined. Block is a pure adrenaline junkie, his love for extreme sports is only rivaled by his love for his cars.
Let's take a deeper look at some of his co-stars...
1965 Ford Mustang Hoonicorn RTR
The Ford Mustang Hoonicorn made its first appearance at the Ford booth at SEMA 2014. The tuned-up Mustang has a massive 6.75-liter Ford V8 engine with an output of 845 horsepower and 720 lb-ft of torque. The Ford Mustang Hoonicorn stole the spotlight in Ken Block's viral Gymkhana 7 video.
Ken Block's love for rally cars goes back quite a long way. So it is no surprise that the Hoonigan Racing Division, RTR, and Ken Block went back in time and drew inspiration from the WRC DTM toy cars that he used to play with he was a child. In any other car collection the Hoonicorn would stick out like a sore thumb but in the Block fleet it fits right in.
2015 Ford Fiesta ST RX43
When asked what his dream car was, Ken Block simply pointed at his Ford Fiesta ST RX43. Block said, "When I do 0-60 mph in less than two seconds that is the dream. Then I can throw it sideways or rally it through a forest. That right there is my dream car,"
Ken Block's Ford Fiesta ST RX43 was built by M-sport for him to use it at the 2013 Global Rallycross Championship. He also used the 600 horsepower Ford hatchback in both Gymkhana 8 and Gymkhana 6. The Fiesta ST RX43 is wickedly fast, it was modified to improve its acceleration in preparation for the rallycross competition. What resulted was a 600 horsepower hot-hatchback capable of going from 0-60 mph in 2 seconds.
2016 Ford Focus RS RX43
The Ford Focus RS RX43 is a collaborative effort between Ken Block's Hoonigan Racing Division, M-Sport, and Ford Performance. Like The Fiesta, Ken Block's Ford Focus RS RX43 was built for rallycross. It has a turbocharged 2.0-liter four-cylinder engine that produces 600 horsepower and 650 lb-ft of torque. The Ford Focus RS RX43 goes from 0-60 mph in just 2 seconds.
1977 Ford F-150 Hoonitruck
One of the most interesting cars in Ken Block's garage is his 1977 Ford F-150 Hoonitruck. The Hoonitruck was created so that it could star in Gymkhana 10. The Hoonitruck has a 3.5-liter twin-turbocharged EcoBoost V6 engine that produces 914 horsepower and 702 lb-ft of torque. The Hoonitruck was built as a tribute to Ken Block's late father who used to drive a 1977 Ford F-150 when Ken was growing up.
2013 Ford F-150 RaptorTrax
The Ford F-150 Raptor Trax looks nothing like your everyday Ford Raptor, but it wasn't meant to. The Ford F-150 RaptorTrax is specially designed for the snow. When it was first released the RaptorTrax was the fastest snowcat in the world. The Ford F-150 RaptorTrax is the ultimate expedition vehicle it has a powerful 6.2-liter V8 engine that produces 600 horsepower.
1965 Ford Mustang Hoonicorn RTR (Version 2)
The Ford Mustang Hoonicorn Version 1 is an 845 horsepower V8 that would put most supercars to shame, but not even it was enough to satisfy Ken Block's hunger for adrenaline. Ken Block went and upgraded the legendary pony even further.
With the help of RTR, Formula Drift Champion Vaughn Gittin Jr's Mustang-orientated tuning shop, Ken Block created a 1400 horsepower monster. The car has a 410 cubic inch Roush Yates V8 engine that kicks out an incredible 1400 horsepower and 1250 lb-ft of torque. the Hoonicorn Version 2 is an absolute beast.
The Ford Mustang Hoonicorn Version two is the most powerful car Ken Block has ever driven. The Hoonicorn Version two is only the second installment of the Hoonicorn Trilogy, a Version 3 is apparently in the works. We wait with bated breath to see what crazy modifications Ken Block will come up with next.