Nowadays it is still quite difficult to come across something on social media that you have not seen before. But when we saw the first mobile phone footage of Ken Block backing his S1 e-tron quattro ‘Hoonitron’ down the neon-lit Las Vegas Strip in a frenzied, tire-crushing four-wheel drive, our brains needed an urgent reset. necessary.
For fifteen smoky years, Ken Block ran his Gymkhanaseries steadily on the rise, continuously innovating, driven by growing ambition and expressed in increasingly wild stunts. But his recent collaboration with Audi gave him the opportunity to actively experiment with something completely new: the electric powertrain.
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What is the Audi S1 Hoonitron?
His creation was suitably extreme: a custom drift monster with 800-volt architecture, two electric motors, four-wheel drive and 680 horsepower, wrapped in a modern interpretation of the original, iconic Pikes Peak Sport Quattro S1. This powertrain was the key to a whole range of fresh new possibilities, especially thanks to almost 3,000 Nm of instantaneous torque on each axle.
An ultra-short wheelbase and McPherson legs with over 200 millimeters of travel on the front and rear axles allowed Ken to try new things. Like making donuts from a standstill at over 140 km/h. Or drifting at a wheel speed of more than 190 km/h in relative silence.
The tires were begging for mercy even before they were properly under the car.
Read also: Ken Block’s daughter will drive a lap of honor for her father in this Porsche with 1,400+ hp
We are all deeply saddened by Ken’s passing. The Hoonitron was his first step into a new and exciting world while Electrichana his last Gymkhanaproduction would be. But his legacy lives on. And with the Hoonitron he has proven that there is still hope; that madness can continue in an electrified future.
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