Audi USA today announced that the S1 e-Tron Quattro Hoonitron, designed and built specifically for driver Ken Block, will be unveiled to the public in the United States for the first time at the Rolex Monterey Motorsports Reunion in Laguna Seca during Monterey Car Week which starts next August 12th. The electric one-off was created to accompany the American driver in his most recent installment of the Gymkhana series, which will be called “Electrikhana”.
Inspired by an Ingolstadt Legend
Powered by a pair of electric motors that power all four wheels and are built on a carbon fiber frame, the special complies with FIA safety standards. The design of the “Hoonitron” is inspired by one of the brand’s most legendary racing cars, the Audi Sport Quattro S1 with which Walter Rö hrl won the Pikes Peak Hillclimb in 1987. To celebrate its success and honor it, Ken Block’s electric prototype will be shown from 17 to 21 August 2022 together with the legendary record-breaking S1.
You should know that Röhrl’s time of 10 minutes and 48 seconds is an unbeatable record, which can never be removed from the palmarès of the German champion or of the Ingolstadt manufacturer since the track has been modified in the following years to eliminate the dangerous portions. dirt roads of the uphill track.
Two Engines and Power at Will
“The S1 Hoonitron combines a lot of what Audi was already famous for in the 1980s,” Block said when his car was first unveiled in December. “I think it‘s great that the Audi designers have been inspired by their past and have uniquely transferred the technologies and looks of that car into the present.” For now, the power figures of the Audi S1 e-Tron Quattro Hoonitron remain shrouded in mystery, but it is fair to remember that the RS Q e-Tron, the electric SUV that competed in the Dakar, is equipped with two engines. of Formula E to deliver a combined power of 680 hp, a value that seems more than enough for Ken Block’s spectacular evolutions.
Ken Block’s Enthusiasm
And it is the rider himself who confirms his satisfaction. “Audi allowed me to test the car for a few days in Germany,” he said. “I know of a wide variety of cars that use internal combustion engines and automatic or manual transmissions, but there were a lot of new things for me to learn here. Accelerating and evolving at 150 km / h directly from a standstill, simply using the right foot, is a completely new experience for me ”. And if he says so, you have to believe him. We look forward to the last episode of the Gymkhana to see what the stars and stripes tightrope walker will be capable of.
