Home » Ken Block’s Wild Gymkhana Ford Focus Is Up For Sale

Ken Block’s Wild Gymkhana Ford Focus Is Up For Sale

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The late Ken Block did a lot of grand things during his time on this planet. He was an entrepreneur, a rally driver, and an avid action sports enthusiast. Perhaps above all else, though, he knew how to put on a show. Now, one of the cars he used to do just that is going up for sale.

The Ford Focus RS RX is now up for sale at Race Cars For You. The vehicle in question was driven by Ken Block, serving as the hero car in Gymkhana Nine. It was one of just three four-door Focus Rallycross cars built by the motorsports legends at M-Sport.

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Before we look at the car, let’s remember the glorious art work it starred in back in 2016. Gymkhana Nine: Raw Industrial Playground stands as one of the most popular of the series. It saw Block doing what he did best—pulling mad stunts in a striking race car, tires smoking all the while.

With 61 million views on Gymkhana Nine, it’s easy to say that this Focus has some pedigree. Block certainly did a good job of breaking it in, too, as he danced the Focus on tarmac and gravel and through more than a few weeds.

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To serve in a Gymkhana film, Block’s cars needed serious power and all-wheel-drive grip. They also typically needed a Monster logo or eight slapped on the body, too. The Focus built by M-Sport delivered on both those counts.

[hoonigan] Ken Block's Gymkhana Nine Raw Industrial Playground 00 01 02

[hoonigan] Ken Block's Gymkhana Nine Raw Industrial Playground 00 01 26

[hoonigan] Ken Block's Gymkhana Nine Raw Industrial Playground 00 02 12

[hoonigan] Ken Block's Gymkhana Nine Raw Industrial Playground 00 05 48
Block drove the car hard, but as far as we know, he put it away dry.
As with so many of Block’s cars, this Focus was every part a juiced-up rally beast. Under the hood lives a 2.0-liter turbocharged engine built by M-Sport and Ford Performance, good for a rather lurid 600 horsepower. It’s paired with a Sadev six-speed sequential transmission, with the company also supplying differential upgrades to prepare the vehicle for its tire-shredding Gymkhana duties. A Cosworth race-spec ECU runs the show, complete with datalogging.

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The steroidal Focus bodywork isn’t just window dressing; the build is all race car, through and through. The seam-welded chassis rocks a FIA-spec rollcage and heavy-duty underbody protection, along with Recaro seats and a bespoke M-Sport steering wheel. Reiger supplied the suspension which handled all the rough rallycross antics Block put the Focus through.

As for the livery, it was designed by artist Felipe Pantone, aping his personal style. The Focus wears something approximating dazzle camoflage, which makes it difficult for enemy U-boats to determine its speed or direction. It’s then further adorned with the requisite Monster Energy logos which make it instantly recognizable as a Block car, plus some branding for Hoonigan and Forza Horizon 3.

Block Car (3)

Block Car (2)

Block Car (1)
All race car.

As per photos on the sale listing, the vehicle appears to be in great condition, visually speaking. Race Cars For You indicates that the vehicle “has been completely gone through &  is ready for its next home.” If you’re thinking about buying the Focus, know that it likely won’t come cheap. Star cars rarely do, after all. Price is available on asking for those interested. No reason for sale is given, and the current owner is presently unclear.

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This would be one of those cars that we’d hate to see wind up in a static display, particularly given the stature of its former owner. This car, more than most, was built to run. Let’s hope that, whoever the new owner is, they choose to really stretch its legs. Any less would be a shame.

Image credits: Race Cars For You, Hoonigan via YouTube screenshot

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Beto O'Kitty
Beto O'Kitty
4 days ago

Makes me miss my rebadged 2005 Ford Focus ZX-33!

Toecutter
Toecutter
5 days ago

What a delightfully hoonable thing.

Cars? I've owned a few
Cars? I've owned a few
5 days ago

This car, more than most, was built to run. Let’s hope that, whoever the new owner is, they choose to really stretch its legs. Any less would be a shame.

I agree, but it would be even more tragic if someone with more money than skill ham-fistedly wadded it up.

Silent But Deadly
Silent But Deadly
5 days ago

The odds are very very good that the new owner will have more money than skill because that definition covers most drivers on the road today, regardless of their financial status.

Personally, I have no problem with it being demolished in action as this is a far better outcome than dying by degrees in a static collection.

Joby Tapia
Joby Tapia
6 days ago

Well, it sold for $264k in 2020, so I imagine you’d need something north of that to acquire it

Speedway Sammy
Speedway Sammy
5 days ago
Reply to  Joby Tapia

Scrolling through that website showed me I’m even more of a peon than I thought I was.

Spikedlemon
Spikedlemon
6 days ago

That the Ford Focus RS RX exists, and was Ford built, is tremendous.

But in the same breath it’s so completely depressing that Ford backed away from the Focus (and its hatchback, and car lineup) entirely.

Jack Trade
Jack Trade
6 days ago
Reply to  Spikedlemon

For sure. I own a Focus, and she’s always been a pleasant surprise that Ford was able to make an everyday car that’s so engaging and fun to drive. I realize most buyers don’t care about that anymore (if they ever did), but in a lot of ways, she seems like one of the last gasps of a general car-enthusiasm-for-everyone bent that Ford often had at its best.

There’s a great video that Ford put out in 1998 (IIRC) that showcased the soon-to-debut Focus by showing the design and building of the road car alongside that of its rally car companion. It was a deft way of creating a mental connection in the minds of buyers, something you don’t see so much of anymore – everything’s either a humdrum conveyance or a performance monster, and there’s rarely that kind of intersection.

Last edited 6 days ago by Jack Trade
Mr E
Mr E
6 days ago
Reply to  Spikedlemon

The only downside to the RS was the awfully tight Recaros. Perhaps over time they stretched out, but from the factory they were a tad too skinny for even my ordinary-average-guy-self.

I’d still like to own one, eventually.

Duck!
Duck!
3 days ago
Reply to  Spikedlemon

I regularly track my ST and it’s such a great car for getting there, driving, and then getting home. It’s also pretty quick! I run faster than s2000’s sometimes!

I also regularly think about how the EU gets the interesting hatchbacks, and we just get trucks and the mustang.

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