Early Virality
If you were a petrol head in the early 10s, you know that one of the first YouTube viral video sensations was Ken Block’s Gymkhana showcases. Block, who was a fairly decent rally driver and drifter, showcased his masterclass in car control through death-defying driving stunts.
Equally as famous as Block himself are the various cars he used in these videos, heavily modified rally/drift racers. He started off with an Impreza WRX, and gradually went for Ford models. One of his last Gymkhana cars, an MK2 Ford Escort, is now on sale.
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Star Spangled Escort
Now listed on Bring A Trailer is a star of one of the Gymkhana videos, a 1978 Ford Escort MK2. This particular car was converted to left-hand drive, given that the Escort was a British model. It was bought by Ken Block and his Hoonigan Racing team back in 2008 for a short stint as a tarmac rally car. It was then converted into a pure Gymkhana competition car, with Block saying it was the “ultimate rear wheel drive Gymkhana car.”
Most of the conversion and modification work was done by Quick Motorsport, where the chassis was reinforced, and the suspension was modified. They also installed the 2.5-liter DOHC Millington Diamond inline-four linked to a Sadev six-speed sequential manual gearbox and a Ford Motorsport 9” rear end. Power is rated at a very respectable 333 hp, with the redline tapping out at a screaming 9,000 rpm.
When the car was returned to the United States, a tasteful Rocket Bunny kit complemented by a carbon fibre hood painted in the iconic American flag, and rims from Fifteen52. Other mods include Geartronics flatshift system, an upright handbrake lever, AP Racing disc brakes, Reiger three-way adjustable dampers, and a WRC-style independent rear end. Inside is a completely stripped interior that only has the essential bits for driving, Recaro carbon fibre bucket seats, Sparco steering wheel, and a roll cage.
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Collectors Item
This particular car was actually displayed in the Petersen Automotive Museum, which is an achievement for any car. It was acquired by the current seller back in 2021, and it’ll be sold with a lot of accompanying extras like collection of memorabilia will accompany the car along with a binder of records, multiple sets of wheels and tires.
Currently, the top bid is at a cool $215,000 with bidding ending in 5 days. Whoever ends up with the car will own a piece of modern automotive history from a man who moved the needle forward for the Gymkhana discipline.
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