Ken Block has made a name for himself among car fans. Hardly anyone can drift as well as he can – and with his “Gymkhana” videos he has been breaking records for years. The previous trademark of these videos were high-horsepower combustion engines such as the “Hoonitruck” or the infamous “Hoonicorn”, a converted Ford Mustang with 1400 hp. But times are changing – because now Block (also) drives electrically.
It squeaks in Vegas
For Audi, the drift artist chased the unique and purely electric S1 e-tron quattro Hoonitron through the empty streets of Las Vegas. The car is a prototype built in Neckarsulm with two electric motors from Formula E. Impressive as ever, it cuts tight corners, hits punching bags with its rear end and immerses the city of players in a cloud of smoke with smoking tires.
The background noise is a bit strange. Because while in old videos by Block, alongside the agonizing screaming of the tires, a roaring engine always set the tone, Block whirrs and squeaks its way through Vegas, presumably without waking up the sleeping hotel guests. The “Hoonigan” team describes the S1 as a very loud car.
Thousands of horsepower for up to $12 million
That makes the drive in what is probably the most expensive Audi that has left the factory to date no less impressive. On the contrary: thanks to the power of the electric motors, every step on the pedal is like a rocket launch, within a few seconds Block exceeds every speed limit applicable in the USA. The car is said to have used “over 100 tires” for the film.
Unfortunately, there is no official information on the S1 e-tron quattro Hoonitron, so there are currently only estimates of what the car can do. Block thinks that the S1 will probably get “somewhere between 2000 and 3000 hp”. He and his team estimate the costs at ten to twelve million US dollars. In a rather long video Block talks about his experiences with the S1.
The design was created in record time and is based on Walter Röhrl’s Audi Sport quattro S1. A new era is now dawning for Block – because his upcoming “Gymkhana” videos will probably be continued electrically for the time being.