Ken Block to Tackle Pikes Peak Challenge Aboard 1,400-Horsepower Porsche 911 ‘Pigasus’
Nobody builds a rally monster like Hoonigan Racing. Its latest drop is looking to conquer the greatest hill climb in the world.
It’s called Pigasus. Ken Block’s latest “Hoonicorn” is a 1,400-horsepower, one-off, mid-engine Porsche 911 built to dominate the Pikes Peak International Hill Climb. The car leads with serious speed, and it’s an homage to one of the most famous racing Porsches of all time.
Shoe mogul and racer Ken Block and his Hoonigan Racing team dropped a long-lived partnership with Ford last year. Now a free agent, Block can take his Hoonicorn dreams that inspired drift trucks, classic Mustangs, and more, and apply them to new things.
BBi Resurrects ‘Vintage’ Porsche
The result is this Porsche 911, built by the expert Porsche builders and modifiers at California custom shop BBi Autosport.
BBi transformed the 911 that’s referred to only as “vintage” and not by year. The builder moved the flat-six engine forward, mounting it midship behind the driver. It also twin-turbocharged it to generate 1,400 horsepower. Finally, it made the car all-wheel drive.
A new transmission tunnel rises to shoulder height inside the cockpit. The change let BBi move the running gear up and the floorpan down, lowering the center of gravity.
To help it stay as low as possible, the suspension is height-adjustable via GPS. Starting with telemetry from last year’s runs up the peak, the suspension can raise and lower to accommodate every mile of the hill.
BBi Autosport Founder Betim Berisha spoke to what inspired the build: “The original vision of the car came from a longtime friend of mine, Joe Scarbo of Scarbo Performance, nearly a decade ago. We then teamed up with our most talented engineers and designers, threw the book out, and took an unconventional path.”
“The Hoonipigasus is an absolute dream-come-true type of build. It doesn’t get any more mental from a tech, power, aero, and visual standpoint,” he added. “We are building the world’s nastiest 911.”
Pink Pig: The Legendary Racing Porsche
The name comes from a very special Porsche 917.
A racer from the early 1970s, the 917 is the car that gave Porsche its very first overall wins at the 24 Hours of Le Mans, back to back in 1970 and 1971.
In the car’s early years, Porsche extensively modified one of the examples to research and develop its racing ideas for the next years. For the 1971 race, Porsche painted a 917 light pink, with a livery to make it look like a butcher’s carcass diagram.
Then, the brand divvied up the car into “cuts” with red dashed lines.
View this post on Instagram
Yes, it was strange, but it was the 1970s. The car didn’t win, but the Pink Pig became part of Porsche lore.
That explains the pig part, but what about the Pegasus part?
Main project sponsor Mobil Oil has long used the winged horse as its logo; thus, it adorns the side of the 911.
Street Art Livery Makes ‘Pigasus’ Pop
Street artist Trouble Andrew painted the modern rendition of the Pink Pig layout. The artist has also authored a new livery for Block’s current rally car, a Hyundai i20 WRC.
“The Pikes Peak Hill Climb is one of the big reasons as to why I’m a rally driver,” Block said. “I’ve always wanted the chance to race Pikes Peak at the top level and compete for an overall win — and with our team and BBi Autosport creating this amazing Porsche, we’ve got a good shot!”
2022 Pikes Peak Int’l Hill Climb Details
June 26, 2022, will be the 100th running of the Broadmoor Pikes Peak International Hill Climb, brought to you by Gran Turismo. The “Race to the Clouds” runs up 12.42 miles to Colorado’s Pikes Peak summit (14,115 feet).
A public road most of the year, the track features few guardrails. Many steep drops await any drivers who fail to navigate one of the 156 corners.
Fastest in the Pikes Peak Open class, where Pigasus will compete, is 9:24.333, set in 2019 by an Acura TLX driven by Peter Cunningham. Fastest ever up the hill is French driver Romain Dumas. He took an electric Volkswagen to the top in 7:58.148 in 2018.
Block has driven the course before in 2005 and 2017, though he never before battled for the overall win. Last year, the race used a much shorter course than normal, so while winner Robin Shute’s 5:55.246 is impressive, it doesn’t count as a record.
If you’d like to see the action, or view past races, check out Pikes Peak International Hill Climb on YouTube.
Electric VW Crushes Pikes Peak Hill Climb Record
The post Ken Block to Tackle Pikes Peak Challenge Aboard 1,400-Horsepower Porsche 911 ‘Pigasus’ appeared first on GearJunkie.