Yes, speed is part of the fun at the Goodwood Festival of Speed. After all, speed is part of the actual name, but still, not all participants at the historic hill climb are there simply to go fast. Professional rally driver and all-around show-off Ken Block likes speed, but as we’ve learned through no less than 10 Gymkhana specials over the last 11 years, he also likes spinning, drifting, and lots of tire smoke.
Kill All Tires:
As you’ve probably guessed by now, Block’s return to Goodwood features all of the above. Following an aggressive start and a surprisingly buttoned-down first stint, we get a slight drift from the Ford GT-powered pickup before a proper spin-cycle of all-wheel-drive donuts at show center for the crowd. From there, Block is surprisingly down-to-business, putting the classic F-150 through its paces before slowing to keep the left front fender from peeling away. We don’t know what caused it to come loose, but he may as well have kept his foot on the skinny pedal because the fender dropped off between the tunnels anyway.
Of problems to have at Goodwood, a loose fender flare ranks pretty much at the bottom when it comes to concerns. That holds especially true for a bonkers machine like the Hoonitruck, which produces no less than 914 horsepower (682 kilowatts) from a 3.5-liter EcoBoost V6. In fact, the engine is based on the one used in Le Mans-winning Ford GT race car, and that tire-slaying power goes to all four wheels through a six-speed racing gearbox. As for the body, it looks like a late 1970’s Ford F-150 but it’s actually a custom build from the ground up. A tube chassis houses all the mechanicals while the truck shell is formed from aluminum.
We hope to see more tire-smoking antics from Mr. Block as the 2019 Goodwood Festival of Speed heads into the weekend.
