1400 horsepower, Proxes R888R and Pikes Peak
You know that old saying “if it’s not broken, don’t fix it”? Seems logical, right? Wrong!
That saying has no place in a Hoonigan garage. To a Hoonigan, any machine incapable of striking unadulterated terror into the heart of even the most experienced driver is broken, and requires fixing. Fixing with horsepower, and lots of it.
The original Hoonicorn that went wild in LA for Gymkhana 7 and blasted Top Gear’s Matt Le Blanc around London had 845 horsepower at all four tyres.
Seemingly an ample amount to perform the physics-defying stunts Ken Block subjected an unsuspecting Joey to on the streets of the UK capital.
However, the Head-Hoonigan-In-Charge (HHIC) hath decreed the Mustang’s sub-1000 horsepower figure unworthy.
Two turbochargers breathe 21 pounds of screaming boost into a 6.7-litre Roush-Yates built V8. Reworked to run on methanol fuel, the second coming of Hoonicorn sees the cutting-edge AWD Rally technology working with the meth-addicted motor to produce 1,400 horsepower, at all four wheels.
To what end has Block created this abomination? Behold: Climbkhana.
On the infamous Pikes Peak hill climb circuit Block uses Hoonicorn V2 to obliterate many, many Toyo Tires Proxes R888R. The new R-spec rubber gives Block the precision and stability required to push the limits of one of the world’s most dangerous race venues.
“Climbkhana is the next generation of the Gymkhana series,” Block told Toyo Tires USA.
“I’ve long wanted to extend Gymkhana beyond the backdrops it has been living in. As a rally-driver, I have always wanted to mix what I do in the films with stage roads. During a race, I’m focused on being fast and clean through the road, but Climbkhana gives me an outlet to let it all hang out and run it sideways, and add some additional obstacles along the way. And what better roads than hill climbs, which are essentially uphill stages. And what better Hill Climb to start with than the famous Pikes Peak!”
Block told the Hoonigan blog that Hoonicorn was given a twin-turbo birthday in service to the new video.
“We got approval for a new video concept using the Hoonicorn, but I needed more power for what I needed it to do,” said HHIC Block.
“So I developed the concept for the general idea of what I wanted— two turbos sticking out of the hood—and handed that over to my team.
“They came back with a functional way to make that happen and added methanol to get the setup to produce the power that I wanted. We ended up with 1,400 horsepower! Ha, so they may have over delivered a bit—and I’m happy about that!”
Having driven mental-machinery inch perfect with all four wheels belching smoke, through fireworks and explosions and all manner of madness, Block says the Hoonicorn V2 is genuinely frightening.
“When I say that this is absolutely most frightening thing I’ve ever driven, I’m not exaggerating AT ALL. The motor revs and spins my Toyo tyres to destruction so quickly that I can’t change the gears fast enough. It’s genuinely a mind-numbing, crazy experience to try to drive this thing. It’s amazing.”
Climbkhana’s full release is expected mid-2017.
