New Audi S1 E-tron Quattro Hoonitron: wild one-off drift car revealed

Audi Sport has prepared the one-off Audi S1 E-tron Quattro Hoonitron for extreme sports ace Ken Block to use in his next Gymkhana video, taking inspiration from the highly modified Group B rally car it used to win the Pikes Peak International Hill Climb in 1987.

It's based on the recently launched RS E-tron GT electric fastback but has been extensively reworked inside and out to meet former World Rally Championship competitor Block’s demands.

It offers all-wheel-drive from two electric motors and features a carbonfibre chassis with all of the necessary safety kit to meet FIA rules.

Full performance details have yet to be disclosed, but Block said the car is “capable of spinning into a donut at 150kmh [93mph] directly from standstill”.

The car was developed at Audi Sport’s Neckarsulm base, with the styling handled by Audi design boss March Lichte.

The inspiration from the bodywork came directly from the Sport Quattro S1 that competed on Pikes Peak in 1987.

Lichte described it as “the opportunity to develop a car that combines an icon of our brand with the future”.

He added that the project took just four weeks and that Block was extensively involved in the design process.

Block said: “The S1 Hoonitron combines a lot of what Audi was already famous for in the 1980s. I think it’s cool that the Audi designers have been inspired by their own past and uniquely transferred the car’s technologies and appearance into the present.” 

The American tested the car for the first time in November and will use it in a forthcoming ‘Elektrikhana’ video, the latest entry in his hugely popular Gymkhana series.