Ken Block’s Hoonicorn V2 – 1965 Ford Mustang gets 1,400 hp thanks to twin turbochargers, methanol fuel

Despite sitting out of two of Ken Block’s latest Gymkhana videos, the mad four-wheel drive, sideways-all-the-time 1965 Ford Mustang Hoonicorn RTR – featured in Gymkhana Seven – isn’t quite out of it yet. The American rally driver has unveiled an updated version, and naturally it’s got a lot more power.

How much power exactly? Try a whopping 1,400 hp at the crank, 555 hp more than in its previous iteration. The solid increase in oomph comes as a result of twin turbochargers – which stick out of the bonnet – and the 6.7 litre V8 now runs on methanol fuel.

The extra firepower is apparently required as part of a new video project that will feature the updated Hoonicorn. “We got approval for a new video concept using the Hoonicorn, but I needed more power for what I needed it to do,” said Block.

“So, I developed the concept for the general idea of what I wanted – two turbos sticking out 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!”

The Mustang was then covered in a new livery that ditches the previous all-black scheme for a graduated grey-and-black look, mixed in with reflective stripes (as seen on the Fiesta RX43 in Gymkhana Eight) as well as a stylised version of the American stars and stripes on the bonnet.

“When I say that this is the absolute most frightening thing I’ve ever driven, I’m not exaggerating. At all,” Block added. “The motor revs and spins my Toyo tires 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.”

So, on to Gymkhana Ten, then?

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