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Group B Audi Quattro Reborn as Ken Block's New S1 Hoonitron, It's Bloody Fantastic

Don't tell us they don't make rally cars like they used to. Because thanks to world-renowned horsepower junkie Ken Block, the Group B Audi Quattro is back, as the all new S1 Hoonitron concept. Watch out, Pikes Peak, your daddy's back to show you how things are done once more.
Elektrikana 16 photos
Photo: Audi/Ken Block
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This concept car is all-electric and ready to stick it to traditional race cars. So this newest one-of-a-kind Ken Block project won't climb the Race to the Clouds under a hail of internal combustion noise. It will just post the fastest lap time physically possible whether or not it makes a lovely sound or not.

Its development was closely supervised by Audi's performance division in Neckarsulm, Germany. Two Audi electric motors power an all-wheel-drive system similar to the one found in consumer Audi models finds its way under the hood. If there's one thing we know about electric motors, it's that they ride waves of low-end torque in the same way ICE race cars gobble up high-RPM, full-throttle pulls.

In the twisty corners of a good Hillclimb, that means acceleration out of tight corners on a scale most human beings can't fathom. If we were the current world record holders for the Pikes Peak Hillclimb, we'd be feeling pretty gosh darn nervous right about now.

"The S1 Hoonitron combines a lot of what Audi was already famous for in the 1980s," said Ken Block. "For instance, the car's spectacular aerodynamics have now been translated into a totally modern form. I think it's cool that the Audi designers have been inspired by their own past and uniquely transferred the car's technologies and appearance into the present."

Block fans will soon be able to gawk at the oddly Hot Wheels appearing Quattro tribute car. The latest in the famous Gymkhana series of automotive stunt videos is now in the works and it looks like it will get the 'Elektrikhana' name. It's due to feature the new Audi in a not insignificant capacity. What a time to be alive!

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