Legendary Hoonigan Racing Division rally driver Ken Block left behind an unforgettable legacy and a stable full of wild rallycross builds. Take the 1965 Ford Mustang “Hoonicorn,” for example. This all-wheel-drive (AWD) pony car is one of, if not the, most recognizable vehicles ever driven by Block. Vaugh Gittin Jr. and RTR Vehicles were responsible for the incredible machine, and Gittin himself recently sat down to tell the Hoonicorn’s story from start to finish.
Gittin was close friends with Block, and the Hoonicorn was born from an out-of-the-blue conversation. Block suggested building a successor to the RTRX, which Gittin calls the “big brother” to the Hoonicorn. Block asked Gittin what his opinion was on a classic, AWD Mustang. Gittin was right on board, and they agreed on a low-slung, performance, “Hot Wheels” worthy build. RTR was right on board, and agreed to make the Hoonicorn happen.
The Ford Mustang Hoonicorn took two years to build. Gittin himself managed a lot of the initial stages of the process. After deciding on a 1965 Mustang, Gittin began putting feelers out to designers to help nail down the vision for the build.
“The goal was just to make it so aggressive,” Gittin says. “Not sleek. We wanted sharp, big, wide, low… just making it badass, ‘Mad-Maxy,’ and we ended up with this design.”
Under the hood, Gittin and Block decided on a Roush Yates Ford Performance motor, and went with a more traditional style rally setup. That big V8 proved challenging – the tricky part then was to get the differential in front of it, so the team decided to move the engine rearward. Once the guts and driveline were worked out, Gittin set out to find a donor car. They ended up with a “cherry clean” 1965 Ford Mustang, and Gittin says they almost felt bad about overhauling it into the Hoonicorn. But they got to work, chopped it up, and fabricated the iconic wide body that became synonymous with Block’s brand.
The Hoonicorn is one of several of Block’s builds that are currently on display at the Petersen Automotive Museum, which kicked off its “People’s Champ: The Impact of Ken Block” exhibit with a special Ken Block week.
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