Check Out Ken Block’s Latest Gymkhana Vehicle: The All-Electric Hoonitron Audi S1 Quattro
The e-Tron Quattro Hoonitron is a very long title for a rather simple idea: it’s an all-electric drift machine designed for Ken Block to pilot in his upcoming “Elektrikhana” clip. And while its name sounds like something from a sci-fi movie, its performance is very real.
Ken is now working with Audi, and he wanted to pay homage to the original Pikes Peak Sport Quattro S1, which all of us who love the smell of petrol, yearn over.
The frame of the car has been smoothed and moulded to bring the boxy shape into the 21st century, but there’s no denying that it still carries the DNA of the original legend. This work was expertly carried out by Audi’s very own design chief Marc Lichte, who said the following on the project:
“It was about creating a modern, all-electric interpretation of the S1 Pikes Peak. The timeline was extremely tight: we only had four weeks from the first drawing to the final design.”
Unfortunately for some, the glorious 5-cylinder that powers the original car has been taken out, and now a motor sits on each axle making it AWD. And while we don’t know exactly how much power it now makes, we’re told it makes “power galore”. I’d like that in horsepower please, Audi.
The chassis has been replaced in its entirety with carbon fibre bits, and the FIA will be more than happy to let it race thanks to all the rule and regulation-busting safety gubbins it carries under the lid.
While we don’t know how much power and torque it makes (boo!), Ken has admitted that he had to adapt to the different powertrain.
“I’m familiar with a wide variety of cars using internal combustion engines and transmissions,” he tells the press, “but there were a lot of new things for me to learn here.
“Spinning into a donut at 150kmh (93mph) directly from standstill – just using my right foot – is an all-new experience for me. Our work was focused on getting the car and I used to each other,” he continued.
Elektrikhana will be available to watch on YouTube early next year, and we’re very excited to see what it’s like to watch such a video without the scream of an internal combustion engine echoing between buildings.
“The Hoonitron is writing the next chapter in our history and taking our Gymkhana story into the future,” Ken told us. We’ll definitely be waiting.
