The Petersen Automotive Museum in Los Angeles, California is currently hosting an extensive exhibit called “The People’s Champ” featuring quite a few rally vehicles personally driven by motorsports legend Ken Block himself. One such model is the iconic 1965 Ford Mustang “Hoonicorn” made famous in the viral Gymkhana 7 video – which Ford Authority checked out in person in July 2025.
The Hoonicorn was the first all-wheel-drive (AWD) performance Mustang. Cooked up on a whim by Block himself and some help from Vaughn Gittin Jr., the 1965 Ford Mustang originally harnessed a naturally aspirated Roush Yates Ford Performance V8 engine, tuned to deliver a whopping 845 horsepower in its “V1” guise.
A later rendition of that powertrain was dubbed “V2” and fitted the high-performance pony with a pair of turbochargers, nudging its output to 1,400 horsepower. The build was specifically updated for Climbkhana, where Block made the gallop up Pikes Peak in Colorado, topping out at 14,000 feet elevation.
The 1965 Ford Mustang Hoonicorn began life as a “cherry clean” Mustang. Block, Gittin, and the team almost felt bad about tearing it apart since the donor car was so clean, but once they were well into the project, none of that seemed to matter anymore. They chopped it up and fabricated the iconic wide body that became synonymous with Block’s brand.
Kicking off the exhibit, the Petersen threw a “Ken Block Week” celebration. The exhibit honors the life and legacy of Block, giving fans an exclusive exhibit featuring some of his most iconic builds. That includes not only the Hoonicorn, but the Ford F-150 Hoonitruck and the 1994 Ford Escort RS Cosworth, also known as the “Cossie V2.”
Block had a longstanding relationship with Ford before parting ways with The Blue Oval in 2021. That partnership produced 19 race wins, 17 podium finishes, a pair of X Games medals, just to name a few accolades. The Henry Ford Museum in Michigan acquired several of Block’s vehicles for display in 2021.
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