After 11 years, Ken Block parted ways with Ford and inked a deal in 2021 with Audi. It looks as though he is allowed to "cheat" a bit as his latest bespoke car doesn't have the fabled Four Rings. Granted, he's staying within the Volkswagen Group by jumping behind the wheel of a Porsche. Mind you, it's not a model the folks from Zuffenhausen have built, but rather a unique vehicle with a mid-mounted engine reminding us of the 911 RSR.
Speaking of race cars, the bonkers one-off machine dubbed "Hoonipigasus" is dressed to impress in a special livery hearkening back to the 1971 Porsche 917/20 "Pink Pig." At the heart of the wild creation is a twin-turbo, flat-six 4.0-litre engine producing a colossal 1,400 bhp. All that punch is channelled to both axles in a tailor-made race car that weighs only 1,000 kilograms (2,204 pounds).
Porsche Hoonipigasus
The one-of-a-kind racer represents the work of BBi Autosport and has been engineered with a height-adjustable suspension that uses GPS coordinates based on last year's Pikes Peak telemetry. Yes, the Hoonipigasus will take part in The Race to the Clouds on June 26 and Ken Block will be taking the hardcore coupe to the summit of Pikes Peak in Colorado. 2022 marks the 100th running of the PPIHC and the car will compete in the PPO (Pikes Peak Open) class.
This year's event won't be Ken Block's first Pikes Peak participation as he used a Group N rally car with a measly 200 bhp back in 2005 during his first year in racing. Fast forward to 2017, you might remember seeing him in a 1965 Ford Mustang Hoonicorn RTR V2 starring in the "Climbkhana: Pikes Peak" film. The car in question also happened to have a pair of turbos and 1,400 bhp like the Hoonipigasus.
Ken Block and Audi are an item:
For those unfamiliar with the Pikes Peak International Hill Climb, it's a hugely challenging 12.42-mile course with no fewer than 156 turns and an elevation gain of 1,440 metres (4,725 feet). At the finish line, drivers are at a whopping 4,302 metres (14,115 feet) above sea level.
Source: Hoonigan