The Mustang That Broke All the Rules and Physics Along the Way
The Hoonicorn RTR. Imagine a 1965 Ford Mustang that has been fed nothing but raw nitroglycerin and caffeinated rage. Now, imagine that monstrosity in a world where gravity is more of a polite suggestion. That’s precisely what Ken Block and his madcap team at Hoonigan conjured up—a machine so absurdly powerful and purpose-built, it redefines the very idea of "extreme."
The story begins with a humble classic Mustang body, but that’s where any semblance of sanity ends. Beneath its widened carbon-fiber fenders lies a Roush Yates 6.7-liter V8 capable of belting out a staggering 1,400 horsepower, courtesy of twin turbos large enough to inhale small birds. And unlike the average muscle car, which sticks to rear-wheel-drive tradition, the Hoonicorn features a custom-built all-wheel-drive system. This makes it less of a car and more of a tarmac-devouring, sideways-sliding monster.
What’s remarkable is how this vehicle isn't just a garage queen. It was designed for action, specifically for Ken Block’s Gymkhana and Climbkhana series, where it pirouettes around impossible courses with surgical precision. Block himself described it as “the most fun you can have in a car,” which is saying something for a man who has driven nearly everything with wheels.
And let’s not forget the absurdity of its looks. With an aggressive stance, a matte black paint job adorned with Hoonigan branding, and enough aerodynamics to make a fighter jet blush, the Hoonicorn is as much an art piece as it is a death-defying machine.
The Hoonicorn RTR: Ken Block’s Wildest Dream, and His Greatest Legacy
Some cars are built for speed. Some are built for precision. And then there’s the Hoonicorn RTR, a machine that wasn’t built for anything sensible at all—except for obliterating tires, physics, and expectations.
It started life as a 1965 Ford Mustang, but by the time it was done, it had as much in common with the original car as a fighter jet does with a paper airplane. It was widened, slammed to the ground, fitted with an all-wheel-drive system that had no business being in a Mustang, and then handed a Roush Yates-built V8 that screamed like a banshee and churned out an unholy 1,400 horsepower. The result? A machine so wild that it felt less like a car and more like an untamed beast that Ken Block had somehow learned to ride.
The Mad Scientists Behind the Madness
Ken Block didn’t build the Hoonicorn alone—he had a team of absolute geniuses behind him. The build was spearheaded by RTR (Ready To Rock), the tuning house founded by Vaughn Gittin Jr., a drifting legend in his own right. The chassis was hand-built by ASD Motorsports, a team with deep roots in NASCAR.
And the powerplant? Well, at first, the Hoonicorn was fitted with an 845-horsepower, naturally aspirated Roush Yates V8, a purebred racing engine with individual throttle bodies that sounded like a war between mechanical gods. But then, in 2017, Block decided that wasn’t enough—so they strapped twin turbochargers to it, force-fed it methanol, and turned the power up to 1,400 horsepower.
The result was the Hoonicorn V2, an even more deranged version of an already deranged car. It became a drifting, spinning, flame-throwing menace, capable of humiliating hypercars in straight-line races and dancing sideways around obstacles with unnatural precision.
A Car Built for Chaos
What made the Hoonicorn so terrifyingly unique was its all-wheel-drive system. Mustangs are supposed to be rear-wheel drive—that's the rule. But Block and his team tore up that rulebook and created a car that could drift, grip, and accelerate like nothing else on the planet.
The numbers were absurd:
- 0-60 mph? About 1.8 seconds.
- Top speed? Irrelevant, because it wasn’t built for that.
- Tires destroyed per minute? Countless.
But raw numbers don’t explain what the Hoonicorn really was. It wasn’t just a fast car—it was a showman’s dream, built to put on the most ridiculous, smoke-filled, tire-shredding performances the world had ever seen.And oh, did it deliver.From its Gymkhana Seven debut in Los Angeles, where it skidded through streets with millimeters to spare, to climbing Pikes Peak sideways, to obliterating McLarens and Bugattis in drag races, the Hoonicorn became something bigger than just a car—it became a legend.
Ken Block’s Greatest Legacy
And yet, for all its insanity, the Hoonicorn was nothing without the man behind the wheel. Ken Block wasn’t just a driver—he was a magician, a man who could make a 1,400-horsepower, all-wheel-drive monster look like an extension of his own limbs.
Block wasn’t just famous for his driving skills—he was a visionary. He saw motorsport not just as competition, but as entertainment, as art. He built the Hoonicorn not to win races, but to create moments that would be watched and rewatched millions of times.
And then, in January 2023, the unthinkable happened.
Ken Block, the man who had made the impossible look effortless, was killed in a snowmobile accident. The news hit the motorsport world like a punch to the gut. The man who had redefined what it meant to be a car enthusiast, the man who had inspired an entire generation of gearheads, was gone.
But his legacy? That lives on.
The Hoonicorn is more than just a car—it’s a symbol of what happens when passion meets insanity, when rules are ignored in favor of something greater. It is, in many ways, the perfect representation of Ken Block himself.
And somewhere, if there is a heaven for drivers, you can bet Ken is still hooning—sideways, in a cloud of tire smoke, with a massive grin on his face.
" Legends never truly die; they leave behind a roar that echoes forever in the hearts of those they inspire. "
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Mario Andretti
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Italian-American racing icon
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Hoonicorn RTR - Ken Block