Goodbye to Ken Block, Automotive Icon for the Ages
The 55-year-old rally driver, Gymkhana superstar, and Audi partner was killed while snowmobiling in Utah. RIP Ken Block.
On January 2, the enthusiast world received a gut punch, when news broke that superstar driver Ken Block had been killed in a snowmobile accident. In a post confirming his death, Block’s company Hoonigan wrote “Ken was a visionary, a pioneer and an icon. And most importantly, a father and husband.”
The outpouring of grief was immediate, and “broke the Internet” in the way that Block was known to do. Except for outrageous stunts, tire smoke, and unbridled automotive excess, there was only heartbreak. The 55-year-old action sports phenomenon leaves behind a wife and three children.
In an official statement from Ingolstadt, Oliver Hoffmann, Member of the Board for Technical Development at AUDI AG said, “Ken was a pioneer and in recent years also a member of the Audi family. He was valued and warmly welcomed by all. We have lost a great person and respected sportsman, who will always have his place in the history of Audi Sport.”
Fittingly, one of Block’s final Instagram posts was congratulating his 16-year-old daughter Lia on finishing her 1985 Audi Ur Quattro project car.
As fans of the Four Rings know, Block began his partnership with Audi in September of 2021, and in just over a year, it produced an amazing cache of content. While he was tapped primarily to help develop electric vehicles, there was also plenty for fans of classic Audi iron to drool over.
Here are some of our favorite moments from that too-short period.
Ken Block Hoons Audi V8 DTM Car & the e-tron Vision GT!
Here, Block travels to Audi headquarters in Ingolstadt, Germany. Once there, he gets to choose two ridiculous Audi racecars to hoon around in. They are both crazy fast, but they approach their speed in two very different ways.
The first car is Hans Stuck’s championship-winning DTM car. The second is the Audi e-tron Vision GT. Are you not entertained?
Ken Block Reveals Elektrikhana Hero Car
This is a reimagined version of the legendary Audi Sport quattro S1. Dubbed the Hooniteron, this beast will sport a carbon fiber chassis, an electric motor at each axle, and lust-inspiring bodywork that looks at once both evolutionary and futuristic.
The name is a mash-up of Hoonigan and e-tron, and as Audi design chief Marc Lichte describes, “the project was about creating a modern, all-electric interpretation of the S1 Pikes Peak.”
Dakar on Ice: Ken Block Drives the Audi RS Q e-tron
Mattias Swedish driver Ekström, who brought his RS Q e-tron to a ninth-place finish at Dakar, had kind words for Block, stating “It only took three turns for Ken to get fully up to speed.”
Now, at this point, it’s a given that Audi Sport’s hybrid racer will return to Dakar next year, and given his experience with the desert race, it’s not outside the realm of possibility that Block could claim a driver’s slot. But in Austria, the focus was on fun.
Playing on the Knife Edge: Ken Block in the Audi e-tron
Aside from Rotiform wheels, Toyo all-terrain tires, and a roof rack, the green machine is essentially stock. Of course, that doesn’t stop Block from tackling some of the most gnarly obstacles this gorgeous piece of desert has to offer, and the visuals are absolutely stunning.
This time, producer Neil Cole is the only one riding along, and from some of the expressions he makes in the various parts of the clip? He’s as excited as he is terrified, so it seems like the Hoonigan-in-Chief is earning his money.
Ice Block: Ken Block Hoons Audi Group B Rally Cars
After an all-too-brief walk-through, Block and GP Performance founder GP Kraemer hop into a custom RS e-tron GT and make their way north to the icy circuit, where the real fun begins.
Apparently, the Ice Race used to be held on a frozen lake, but after a competitor plunged through the ice into the frigid water, the organizers wisely decided to move it to terra firma. Watch the video to check out all the action, and stay tuned for an update on the forthcoming Elektrikhana video. It’s certain to be mind-blowing!
Ken Block’s Audi Sport quattro Replica is Bonkers
This car was actually done in time for the SEMA show last year. Thanks to his busy schedule, however, Block hadn’t gotten a chance to test the new whip until now.
It’s basically the same setup that sat in the Borla booth at the big show in Sin City, though there have been some small changes here and there. For instance, the steering wheel has been swapped out, the giant e-brake handle has been relocated, and because Block wants to daily this in his hometown of Park City, there’s an actual parking brake!
VIDEO: Ken Block Returns in ELECTRIKHANA, Sliding Through Las Vegas
The shriek of the electric motors and tortured howl of the tires is just otherworldly. If anything, the electric power of the Audi S1 HOONITRON allows him to do even more incredible things behind the wheel.
Backward drifts, reversing turns in mid-slide, even spinning in place. The nine-and-a-half-minute video includes all of the usual stunts and humor of his other videos. But it will take you at least three tries to watch it because you won’t believe what you just saw…
Image Sources: Audi, YouTube
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