- Ken Block is back, this time behind the wheel of an all-electric Audi S1 E-Tron Quattro
- Electric Hoonitron car sounds different with electric whistle
- The video follows the car around the Fremont Street and the Strip in Las Vegas
Say what you will about the electric whistle of the Electrikhana Audi S1 E-Tron Quattro “Hoonitron,” but it’s a milestone for rally driver Ken Block and his team at Hoonigans in partnership with Audi. Block and the Hoonigans fam have built an empire filming mind-blowing gymkhana masterpieces — think of them like complex obstacle courses for rally cars — but this is the first time they’ve ever used an all-electric vehicle.
Audi first revealed the S1 Hoonitron back in December 2021. The machine was built in just four weeks and pays homage to the Pikes Peak Hillclimb Audi Sport Quattro S1, which took home gold at the 1987 competition.
Now, nearly a year later, we’ve been graced with some outrageous footage of Block behind the wheel of the S1 Hoonitron and its 800-volt power system, shredding through the streets of Las Vegas, of all places. Was it worth the wait? You be the judge.
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“The way my Audi S1 Hoonitron melts tires and billows smoke is nothing like anything I’ve driven before,” Block wrote on Instagram. “I slayed almost 3 times the tires that we normally do throughout making a Gymkhana film to show off the over-the-top creation.”
Three times the usual number of tires! This monster is quite literally burning through rubber as it rips around the city’s famed Fremont Street downtown and drifts by iconic spots along the Strip, smoke billowing behind it. How they managed to secure so much time to film in areas usually crammed with tourists is a feat in itself.
“The instant torque and wheel spin of the Audi S1 Hoonitron really allows it to do things that no car I’ve ever driven before can,” he went on to say. “Just look at the speed instantly jump 20-30kph at a time!”
Block explained on his Instagram that an advantage to the battery-powered S1 Hoonitron is that there’s no gearbox, so it can go from zero to 120 km/h almost instantaneously, noting that “that makes for some WILD reverse entry slides,” which you’ll see in the video.
The only thing that folks don’t seem too sold on is the robotic whistling noises that the electrified engine emits as it’s pushed to its limits. It’s different for sure, but when you consider the scale of making this whole thing happen, not to mention Block’s natural talent behind the wheel, the electronic squeal is easier to tolerate.
Keyword: Watch: Ken Block's first-ever Electrikhana, starring the Audi 'Hoonitron'