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Video Game to Real Life: Ken Block Hoons e-tron Vision GT

It has been about two weeks since Audi announced a new partnership with Ken Block. And it didn't take long for them to start promoting this connection. He already drove the RS e-tron GT, the 1984 Sport Quattro, a Group B Sport Quattro S1, and the Group S prototype. And I feel that we're just scratching the surface here.
Video Game to Real Life: Ken Block Hoons e-tron Vision GT 17 photos
Photo: Hoonigan
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At this point, it seems highly likely that Ken Block is walking down the path of electrification. Sure, he's having fun in all of Audi's legendary ICE-powered vehicles now, but how long will that last? There are still a lot of people who oppose the idea of electrification. It will take a while until people can shake the "electric cars are not cool" attitude. And Ken Block could play an important role in changing that.

We get to see Audi's "secret lair" once again, and you can't help but feel excited about the idea of driving any of those cars. Most Audi fans would stop at nothing to get their hands on a turbocharged inline-5 Quattro. And the second coolest one after the Group B car may be the IMSA GTO one. The next car we get to see is the Audi V8 DTM, a legend by itself. Audi won back-to-back championships with this machine in 1990 and 1991.

It would take them another decade before winning their next title. This is a car I can relate to, as I've had a close encounter with a drift-spec replica a few years back. This old DTM-look may not appeal to everyone, but it does help to know that its V8 engine can rev up to 11,500 rpm. Some newer DTM models are being stored under the same roof, and here's to hoping that we'll get to see more of them in a future episode.

Video Game to Real Life\: Ken Block Hoons e\-tron Vision GT
Photo: Hoonigan
The first stop of the day is a small airfield, where Ken gets behind the wheel of the Audi V8 DTM. There's just a bit of sideways action, but the audio side of things is certainly exciting. After doing a few laps in this, it's time to go back to Neuburg. Ken Block is now facing the Audi e-tron Vision GT, a vehicle that you can drive in the Gran Turismo Sport video game.

Even though some will complain that it's missing a proper engine, this is an utterly serious race car. We're talking 3 electric motors, one in the front and one in the rear. That makes for a total of 815 horsepower and 738 lb-ft (1,001 Nm) of torque. This machine has an ideal 50-50 weight distribution, and it clocks in at just 3,197 lbs (1,450 kg). Audi has used technology developed by racing in DTM and at LeMans for this vehicle.

It may be difficult to judge how fast someone is going by looking at a video, but there are a few hints there. Mr. Block isn't smiling anymore, as he seems to be 100% focused on the task at hand. He even spins out at a certain point, but later talks about the incident by mentioning that the tires were probably still cold. But the final clue is the lap time he set: 1 minute and 10 seconds. That's 11 seconds faster than his time in the RS e-tron GT, and 31 seconds faster than the 1984 Sport Quattro.

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About the author: Dragos Chitulescu
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The things Dragos enjoys the most in life are, in no particular order: cars, motorcycles, diecast cars, and drifting. He's seen (and driven) many vehicles since he started his writing career back in 2009, but his garage currently houses a 1991 Mazda RX-7 FC3S Turbo II and a 1999 Suzuki SV650-S.
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