Audi S1 e-tron Hoonitron – Greetings from Ken Block
Audi has been surprising me again and again lately. In addition to the Audi RS Q e-tron, the S1 e-tron Hoonitron is another highly special electric car that is sure to cause quite a stir with Ken Block as the driver.
Most of the people are probably familiar with the name Ken Block, as a full-time rallycross driver he has already caused several viral hits on YouTube for his drift videos. With 110 million views, GYMKHANA FIVE is likely to be the best-known of his videos. If you don’t know it yet, here is the corresponding video:
A few weeks ago, Audi announced that they were working with Ken Block. To be honest, I didn’t expect you to build him a completely new car, but that’s exactly what happened.
The S1 e-tron is reminiscent of the legendary Audi Sport quattro S1 which was used for the famous Pikes Peak Hill Climb.
The S1 Hoonitron combines a lot of what Audi was already famous for in the nineteen-eighties. 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. Ken Block
Audi is still very cautious about the exact technical data. It is clear that the S1 e-tron will offer two electric motors and all-wheel drive and also a carbon chassis. In addition, the car should meet all FIA safety specifications.
The entire technical development of the S1 e-tron took place at Audi Sport in Neckarsulm, where the Audi RE e-tron GT is also produced. The design comes from Ingolstadt and was the responsibility of Marc Lichte and his design team.
When we first heard about this project, the whole team was immediately enthusiastic: We had the chance to develop a car that connects an icon of our brand with the future. The aim was to create a modern, all-electric interpretation of the S1 Pikes Peak. The schedule was extremely tight: While our design process usually takes one to one and a half years, we only had four weeks from the first drawing to the finished design. We were in constant contact with Ken Block and his team and exchanged ideas intensively.
We will soon be able to see how well the Audi S1 e-tron works in the next episode of the Gymkhana videos entitled “Elektrikhana”.
I’m personally very excited about the video. I realize that the car is to a large extent a show car, of course, but unlike some grotesquely futuristic design studies, the S1 e-tron will actually be used. I’m sure Ken Block’s video will be spectacular once again. Audi is thus creating another lighthouse project for e-mobility that has the chance to reach a large number of people. I’m sure that the S1 e-tron as an electric car will also surprise and maybe even convince hardcore combustion fans.
Ken Block says the following promisingly:
I know a lot of cars with internal combustion engines and transmissions, but I had to learn a lot from scratch here. It is a completely new experience to get from a standstill straight into a donut at 150 km / h – just with your right foot. We worked very hard so that the car and I could get used to each other.
