You’ve seen the videos. The screeching Toyo tires. The thick clouds of white smoke. That neon-green and black drip livery screaming across a French race track or through the streets of Dubai. Honestly, it’s hard to believe it’s been over a decade since we first saw the Ford Fiesta Ken Block used to basically reinvent the internet's car culture.
Before the Hoonicorn Mustang and the Hoonitruck, there was the Fiesta. It was the car that bridged the gap between Block’s early Subaru days and the full-blown, custom-chassis monsters we see today. It wasn't just a rally car; it was a "Hybrid Function Hoon Vehicle" (HFHV).
That name sounds like marketing fluff, doesn't it? It wasn't.
The Car That Could Do Everything (Literally)
Most race cars are specialists. A Formula 1 car is useless on a dirt track. A WRC car would struggle to do a standing 0-60 in two seconds on tarmac because it's geared for stages. But Ken wanted one car to rule them all. He wanted a machine that could race a stage in Rally America on Friday, win a Global Rallycross (GRC) heat on Saturday, and film a Gymkhana video on Sunday.
That’s where the HFHV came in.
Built by M-Sport in the UK, the HFHV started life as a Ford Fiesta WRC chassis. But they didn't stop there. They stuffed a 2.0-liter Pipo Moteurs engine under the hood that churned out roughly 600 horsepower and nearly 665 lb-ft of torque.
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To put that in perspective: a standard Ford Fiesta ST from that era made about 180 horsepower. Ken’s car was essentially three STs stapled together, but with the aggression of a cornered honey badger.
The Engineering Magic
- The Engine: A 2.0L turbocharged inline-four, but not the kind you find in a Focus. This was a bespoke race mill designed to handle massive boost.
- The Gearbox: A Sadev 6-speed sequential. No clutch pedal needed once you’re moving—just pull the lever and bang through gears.
- The Differential: A specialized rear diff with a center release unit. This is the "secret sauce." When Ken pulled that giant vertical handbrake, the center diff would disconnect the rear wheels from the front, allowing them to lock up instantly for those tight pivots.
Gymkhana THREE: The "Jim Connor" Era
If you’re a real fan, you remember the "GYM3" car. This was the first Ford to star in the series, filmed at the Autodrome de Linas-Montlhéry in France. This car was different from the HFHV. It was built by Olsbergs MSE and was strictly a Gymkhana weapon.
It was wider. Lower. Meaner.
The GYM3 Fiesta used an Olsbergs 2000cc Duratec engine. While it could technically push 850 horsepower, they dialed it back to 600. Why? Because you need a usable torque band. If all the power is at the very top of the RPM range, you can't control a drift. You'd just spin out or bog down.
Watching that car hit the 51-degree banking in France was a religious experience for car nerds. It looked like physics had just given up.
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What Most People Get Wrong About the RX43
Then came the RX43. This is the one you see in Gymkhana SIX and EIGHT. It’s also the car that famously drag-raced Lewis Hamilton’s Formula 1 car.
People often think these Fiestas were just "modded" street cars.
They weren't.
They share almost zero parts with the car you’d buy at a dealership. The chassis was seam-welded for rigidity. The interior was a jungle of roll-cage tubing and Cosworth electronics. Even the alternator on the HFHV was a $5,000 custom part. If it broke, you didn't go to AutoZone; you called a specialist in England.
Where Are They Now?
Ken’s partnership with Ford ended in early 2021. It was a "clean break," and several of these legendary Fiestas went up for sale.
The GYM3 car—the one from the France video—was auctioned off. The RX43, the one that shredded Dubai, was actually purchased by YouTuber Mark McCann. If you watch his videos, you'll see just how terrifyingly complex these cars are to run. It takes a literal team of mechanics just to get the engine warm. You don't just turn a key; you follow a sequence of button presses and fluid checks that looks like a NASA launch checklist.
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Currently, if you want to see them in person, the Petersen Automotive Museum in Los Angeles has been hosting a massive exhibit titled "People's Champ: The Impact of Ken Block." It features the most iconic builds, including the Fiestas that defined an era.
Why the Fiesta Still Matters
We live in an era of 1,000-hp electric cars that can go fast in a straight line. But they don't have soul. They don't have the "pop-bang" of a Pectel ECU anti-lag system.
The Ford Fiesta Ken Block drove was the peak of mechanical hoonery. It was small, agile, and sounded like a bag of angry hornets. It proved that you didn't need a supercar to be the coolest guy on the track—you just needed a hatchback, a massive turbo, and a complete lack of fear.
Take Action: How to Channel Your Inner Block
If you're looking to capture even 1% of that energy for your own project:
- Focus on Grip and Slip: Don't just chase horsepower. Ken's cars were defined by their suspension and differentials. Invest in high-quality coilovers (like the Reiger units he used) before you touch the engine.
- The Handbrake: If you're building a drift or rally car, a hydraulic handbrake is a game-changer. It’s the difference between a clumsy slide and a surgical rotation.
- Sim Racing: Honestly? Most of us can't afford a $500,000 M-Sport Fiesta. Jump into Dirt Rally 2.0 or Assetto Corsa. The physics for Ken's Fiestas in those games is surprisingly accurate and a great way to understand how weight transfer actually works.
The legacy of the Fiesta is about more than just Ford. It’s about a guy who took a "commuter car" and turned it into a global icon. It's a reminder that with enough engineering and a lot of tire smoke, anything is possible.