Video: Audi S1 Hoonitron electrifies the 2023 Festival of Speed

16th July 2023

Adam Wilkins

Backwards entries, high-speed 360-degree spins and smokey four-wheel launches are just three of the party tricks that were new to the late Ken Block when he moved from fossil fuels to the Audi S1 Hoonitron EV for his last video, Electrikhana filmed on the Las Vegas strip (and in and out of casinos).

The 1,200PS+ 5,965Nm (4400lb ft) EV cost $10-$12million to build and was created with one aim in mind: to entertain. And at the Goodwood Festival of Speed presented by Mastercard, it did just that with Tom Kristensen taking the wheel to give a flavour of what Block would have achieved on the 1.16-mile course. Oh, and we’ll just repeat that torque figure in case it didn’t sink in the first time: 5965Nm (4400lb ft). With so much potency at its disposal, it’s little wonder that Block got through three times the number of tyres filming Electrikhana as would have with an ICE-powered car.

While the S1 Hoonitron looks utterly modern, its wedgy styling pays tribute to the Audi Quattro S1 rally car of 1987. Like the Hoonitron itself, the Quattro was a small, potent coupé and it dominated rallying at the time thanks to its four-wheel-drive transmission, something it shares with its electric descendent. The absence of engine noise brings the tyre squealing to the fore, while the EV soundtrack plays out your ultimate radio controlled car fantasies.

Hoonitron’s appearance at the Festival of Speed is part of a series of celebrations of Ken Block’s life after he died in a snowmobile accident in January of this year.