Ken Block’s with Audi now and his 1,400-horsepower “Hoonicorn” Ford Mustang is in the hands of his uber-talented 15-year-old daughter. That means it’s time for Audi to provide Block with a replacement, which it now has, with the Audi S1 E-Tron Quattro Hoonitron. It has twin-motor all-wheel drive, absurd power, and a body shaped like a cyberpunk version of the Audi Sport Quattro S1 that raced Pikes Peak in 1985.
The Hoonitron was “exclusively and uniquely developed” for Block by Audi Sport at Neckarsulm, where the R8 and RS E-Tron GT are built. Audi says the Hoonitron has “power galore,” making it more than suited to hauling around its stiff, yet lightweight carbon fiber chassis, and full suite of racing safety equipment—presumably a roll cage, fire suppression, and high-voltage kill switch.
The only thing quicker than this Audi probably is zero-to-60 is how quickly it was formed, as Audi’s design lead Mark Lichte explains.
“It was about creating a modern, all-electric interpretation of the S1 Pikes Peak,” remarked Lichte. “The timeline was extremely tight: while our design process normally takes one to one-and-a-half years, we only had four weeks from the first drawing to the final design. We were constantly in touch with Ken Block and his team and engaged in intensive exchanges.”
Now that the design is done and the Hoonitron is assembled, Block has had the chance to test it, and he’s already stunned by its potential.
“Audi gave me the opportunity to test it for a few days in Germany,” Block said. “I’m familiar with a wide variety of cars using internal combustion engines and transmissions, but there were a lot of new things for me to learn here. Spinning into a donut at 150 km/h [93 mph] directly from a standstill—just using my right foot—is an all-new experience for me.”
The Hoonitron will soon star in one of Block’s signature stunt driving videos, the next of which is in production under the working title “Elektrikhana.” Let’s see if that means a return to Pikes Peak where Block filmed the original Climbkhana, or a trip somewhere different entirely. Hedge your bets below, folks.
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