We've all seen the tire-shredding, physics-defying antics of Ken Block's much-hyped third episode in the Gymkhana series, and we've seen the car before, too, but these live shots give us a little better appreciation of what the car looks like in the flesh--and an idea of what gives it that smoky-donut-spinning capability.
Starting with a 2011 Fiesta as the base, the baby is thrown out with the bathwater and a 2.0-liter Ford Duratec R engine is tossed in, strapped with a WRC-spec Garret TR30R turbo, 50-mm inlet restrictor, Elcentric ECU, six-speed pneumaticall-shifted sequential gearbox, and three mechanical limited-slip differentials for the all-wheel-drive system.
Then the chassis mods start: fully custom Olsbergs MSE machined front and rear subframe, custom Ohlins electro-controlled remote-reservoir coil-over shocks, interchangeable spring rates, Alcon six-piston front and four-piston rear calipers on Alcon 355-mm vented rotors all around, finished off with a custom "Block 43" engraved hydraulic handbrake with Alcon piston.
Wheels and tires are Rays TE-37 18x9.5 at all corners, the exterior is all carbon fiber body panels with a custom front splitter, and in the interior is suitably stripped out with a KBT built FIA t-45 steel roll cage.
