Tuesday 18th November 2014

Block Hoonigan Gymkhana 7: Time For Coffee?

Remember that 845hp Hoonigan Mustang Ken Block built? Here's why...

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Another year, another video of Ken Block tugging his hydraulic handbrake from a million different angles. Right into our collective faces. Has the shark been jumped?

Maybe it's too easy to be cynical. In an age where a million new videos are vying for your click it's easy to miss something. Especially if you're sure that you've already seen the same thing six times before.

Your logo here, possibly obscured by tyre smoke

But we'd contend that this video isn't just a gloriously and utterly irrelevant orgy of V8 noise and smoking tyres. It's not only an ode to the original 1965 Ford Mustang (albeit with a space frame, 845 horsepower, all-wheel-drive and that aforementioned hydraulic skid handle). More, it's a snapshot of our day and age. It's a calculated way of bringing some big brand logos to our screens in a carefully orchestrated context.

Ford, Need For Speed, Monster Energy, DC Shoes. Once upon a time these brands would have spent big money on 'normal' racing. Except they probably wouldn't! Only Ford (and possibly DC Shoes) is old enough to really remember a world before the internet, YouTube and viral marketing.

Because a video like this is a far cry from the original GoPro fest that Ken and his crew shot on a quiet desert airfield. It's a megabucks production with a bigger budget than many Hollywood films of yesteryear. Block, and DC Shoes, have come a long way from their original VHS skateboarding videos.

It says a lot about internet marketing that on the same day this video is launched, Ford has revealed the new 2015 Shelby GT350 (more on this shortly) in a weird future-past celebration of Mustang heritage and the all-new pony car.

You could, of course, ignore this attempt at deconstructing what Gymkhana Seven stands for and just enjoy the video.

It's pretty awesome.

Ken Block Gymkhana Seven

Ken Block's Gymkhana timeline:
Ken Block Gymkhana Practice - 2008, 14m views
Ken Block Gymkhana Two: The Infomerical - 2009, 44.9m views
Ken Block's Gymkhana three - 2010, 57.0m views
Ken Block's Gymkhana Four - 2011, 26.5m views
Ken Block's Gymkhana Five - 2012, 68.6m views
Ken Block's Gymkhana Six - 2013, 23.6m views

[secretagentbloke]

Seeing the police cruisers tailing that white Bronco was a cheeky reference! Great timing doing those donuts under that low rider

[redroadster]

That was brilliant, next one do in London that would be really cool .

[petrolsniffer]

I await for the posts of 'still a st rally driver' 'more than one take look at the skidmarks' etc etc

Great effort this time very entertaining makes a nice change from the fiesta wonder if he could do a world wide city tour doing this? would love to see it down some narrow streets of Stockholm for example

[Reardy Mister]

Is there something wrong with me? I got bored.

For entertainment and wow factor, I much preferred this:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JXMyZ929lpY

Same stty drink involvement, same sounds, bigger stunts and more breasts.

[DanielSan]

secretagentbloke said:

Seeing the police cruisers tailing that white Bronco was a cheeky reference! Great timing doing those donuts under that low rider

Small details like that are what make these videos so good Imo. That and a screaming V8

[RacerMike]

Possibly his best one yet, and definitely his coolest car.....and I didn't think I'd say that! It definitely seems a little bit more like his fist efforts than the last two which seemed to have a bit too much of the brand placement and less of the focus on driving.

I think a world tour sounds like a great idea :P

[Fartgalen]

Reardy Mister said:

Is there something wrong with me? I got bored.

I found it slightly boring too. I only watched to the end to see if it was actually Ken Block driving. (Still couldn't tell).

[Pumajay]

I think this is devloping Terry Grant syndrome... once you've seen it a few times it does get a bit boring.

Thats not to say it isnt entertaining, some of the huge slides he can pull off and the noise of that car! For me the car is the star of this one!

[Jader1973]

So, is it one take? Or did he have multiple goes at each corner?

If it is not one take I kind of fail to see the point to be honest.

C'etait un Rendevous is more impressive - at least he had traffic to deal with

[xRIEx]

I think this is the best one yet and fantastic car entertainment. Hollywood can't do a decent car chase any more, too focused on smashing/blowing st up. I would love to see this sort of thing with some ridiculous bullst narrative (e.g. bank robbery and getaway) followed by these sorts of shenanigans (hoonanigans?) in a car chase. It might even better the Ronin chases.

Car manufacturers should sack off TV advertising and give Ken Block (or A N Other) their car to play with, seeing as how neutered car advertising has become. Stick it on Youtube, no ASA bks to deal with because it's not an "advert".

Because I sure as hell now want a 800+hp 1965 Mustang.

[anonymous-user]

It's obviously not as good as when first seeing the series, but the location and LA urban grittiness they captured, taking place whilst the rest of the world were going about its normal business was awesome.

[xRIEx]

Reardy Mister said:

Is there something wrong with me? I got bored.

For entertainment and wow factor, I much preferred this:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JXMyZ929lpY

Same stty drink involvement, same sounds, bigger stunts and more breasts.

See, that one bored me - I thought it was really one dimensional. Block's setups have more set pieces.

[TobyLaRohne]

Jader1973 said:

So, is it one take? Or did he have multiple goes at each corner?

If it is not one take I kind of fail to see the point to be honest.

C'etait un Rendevous is more impressive - at least he had traffic to deal with

Its very obvious he had to have several stabs at each part, just look at the state of the road and the rubber marks on the road...It kind of takes the shine off of it for me knowing its been repeated over and over.

[Dale Lomas]

Five days of shooting... there's a big feature on Speed Hunters, worth a look (especially for the cynics)...

Here's something I forgot to add to the main article:

[Patch888]

Good vid but the car really made it, immense machine.

[Chr1sch]

Fartgalen said:

Reardy Mister said:

Is there something wrong with me? I got bored.

I found it slightly boring too. I only watched to the end to see if it was actually Ken Block driving. (Still couldn't tell).

Yep me too, wanted to love it as per the older/original ones but this felt a bit same old same old in a bonkers car

[BigI]

I found it really boring too, I appreciate the skills executed, but just found the fiesta ones more entertaining. Whilst that car is undeniably cool, it was so low that it was never going to have mega jumps or anything exciting. You could see how much just popping off a curb unsettled the car, whilst I got the OJ Simpson reference, I didn't get it? Was that the same junction he was filmed on or something?

[xRIEx]

TobyLaRohne said:

Jader1973 said:

So, is it one take? Or did he have multiple goes at each corner?

If it is not one take I kind of fail to see the point to be honest.

C'etait un Rendevous is more impressive - at least he had traffic to deal with

Its very obvious he had to have several stabs at each part, just look at the state of the road and the rubber marks on the road...It kind of takes the shine off of it for me knowing its been repeated over and over.

This comes up with every video, but I really don't understand the issue. It's not a competition like WRC, he's not trying to do the course in the fastest possible time, he's trying to get shots of manoeuvres he's happy with.

It's an entertainment video. Do film and TV directors/producers only allow one take? Do recording artists only do one take and say, "that's your lot, it's the only fair and honourable way to record a song"?

Race teams are allowed practice to set their car up at every circuit they visit - maybe that's what Block was doing, giving feedback on each part of the course and making adjustments to the car. At the very least he'd need to do a couple of practice runs to know the finer points of each bit.

[gsuk1]

I love these. Dont understand the bored comments - Must be something wrong with you :-)

I like the use of the old school car too. Makes a change from tuned Fords etc...

[LotusOmega375D]

I bet the pizza was cold by the time he got there.