In most motorsports from around the world, the first attraction is the
cars and the technology behind them. Here is a car that needs no
introduction. This is a car that seemingly defies physics under the
hands of its driver. This is no infomercial, display of driving
prowess, or showmanship. This is a car that has been absolutely
overshadowed by something much greater than the actual car itself –the
driver, Ken Block.
I’m going to have to admit that I was not a fan of this car before I
was given the opportunity to shoot it. Seeing what magical things this
car can do from watching the infamous Gymkhana 1, 2 and the biblically
epic Top Gear segment was great. But, having grown up on seeing the
likes of Colin McRae or Richard Burns’ WRC Subarus or even the modern
day WRC Citroen of Sebastian Leob, Ken Block’s Gymkhana Subaru seemed
soulless in comparison.
But how was I wrong….
The Subaru may be powered by a built race boxer engine, but this man is where the true heart, power, and soul of the car lies.
At first glance, this car looks like a basically stock 2009 Subaru STI,
lowered with some wheels and a bunch of stickers thrown on. But this
car’s body is far, far from stock. Carbon fiber has been used in as
many places as possible to bring the weight of the car down. The roof
is carbon fiber, as with the hood and doors. The wing, wing mirrors,
dashboard and roof scoop are also made from carbon fiber! A lexan rear
window was also used. This build is as serious as it gets!
When I was asked by Rod to shoot this car with Ken Block, I immediately
thought of the Salton Sea in the south east part of California. I
apologize for a brief, and potentially boring, history lesson about the
Salton Sea. So, for those of you that aren’t familiar with the Salton
Sea, the sea used to be the place to go to in California for
vacation in the during the early part of the 1900s. The sea has three
rivers feeding it constantly, but there is no outlet for the water! So
over time, the sea became saltier and saltier as the water evaporated
and the minerals had no where to go. This resulted in most of the fish
population dying, and their bodies washing up on the shore. The dank
smell of hundreds upon hundreds of decaying fish permeates the air. As
the sea got saltier, tourist numbers plummeted, towns and business were
abandoned. Presently, the area of the Salton Sea is a mere skeleton of
what it was before. Blighted homes, cafes, and gas stations line the
surrounding area. And so the thought of the Salton Sea as a location to
shoot this car and Ken seemed like a perfect match –and really, it
was.
Here’s Ken doing what he loves best along the shore the sea.
The weather during the day of the shoot was hovering around 108 degrees
Fahrenheit with a humidity of 45%. Imagine being in those temperatures
when you’re in a full dress suit! But oh how cool and collected Mr. Block looks
sitting on his car with that suit and those shades…
The flared STI fenders house a pair of custom Volk TE37s. I do love the highlighter yellow stripes…
Pure bad-assery.
Here’s Ken doing what he loves best –again. And yes, he did get sand on his suit!
I just love how the exterior body of the car looks basically stock. No
need for the panache and flare of a body kit! The loud, but well
designed livery, fills the job of adding the visual drama.
This is a SR5 2.6L race engine built and tuned by Crawford performance.
It is pushing roughly 650 horses to the four wheels! The neon yellow
tubes greatly improves the aesthetic quality of the, not so pretty,
boxer engine.
Ken Block’s office cubical is simple, modern, and is definitely
designed for maximum productivity! You need the best of office supplies
when you’re rocking out sideways most of the time. He sits at his desk
with a custom pair of Recaro carbon Kevlar bucket seats, and is
complimented by a pair of Willians seat belts. The computer in his
cubical is not a Dell or an HP, but a Motech M800 with digital dash
display!
Ken Block’s cubical also comes with a built in jungle gym.
As I’ve said earlier, did not like how this car looked before. But as I
took more and more photographs of the car, it became apparent to me
that this a real cool car. The livery’s corporate in-your-faceness was my first
initial turn off to the car, but if you can somehow ignore it and just
look at from an aesthetic standpoint, it is fantastic. The color scheme
of the white, black, and highlighter yellow is a great reminder to
another great race car, the Formula1 2009 BrawnGP car.
The Salton Sea really is a barren wasteland. It reminds me greatly of the post-apocalyptic world of the Fallout videogames.
The Salton Sea is excruciatingly hot during the day, but as the sun
ducked behind the mountains, the temperature started to slightly drop,
and the colors of the late afternoon started to show. After a day in
the blistering sun, with the smell of decay, and flies hovering around
your every move, the sea showed its beauty –and so did Ken Block’s
Subaru.
Ken
Block’s gymkhana car and it’s twin rally car will definitely go down in
motorsport history as an all time great. Will it be remembered as
warmly as the Lancia Stratos, Ford’s RS200, the 555 Impreza Rally cars,
or the Gruppe-B monsters? It may or may not. But as of right now, this
is a car and driver that has rocketed far beyond 15 minutes of fame and
straight into stardom.
-Linhbergh Nguyen
Complete Spec List:
Custom built by the Crawford / Skunkworks team
Engine / Engine bay:
– CP SR5 2.65L race engine
– CP billet 84mm stroker crankshaft
– Pauter billet Long rods, CP spec
– J/E forged pistons, CP spec
– Subaru “Gold” STI rod bearings
– Subaru STI main bearings
– Subaru STI piston rings
– Subaru STI head gaskets
– Subaru STI 10mm oil pump
– Subaru STI camshafts
– Subaru STI intake manifold
– CP High flow water pump
– CP Race prepped cylinder heads
– CP Fuel rails with stainless steel lines
– CP rotated twin scroll turbo kit with Garrett ball bearing turbo
– Subaru twin scroll headers
– ARP head studs, CP spec
– Tial 44 wastegate
– CP cold air intake
– K/N air filter
– CP front mount intercooler
– CP Air oil separator
– CP Fuel swirl pot
– CP Radiator tank
– CP custom radiator
– CP oil cooler
– CP stainless steel exhaust with dual CP Megaphones
– Bosch fuel pump and fuel injectors
– E85 fuel
Suspension:
– Tein Super Racing Coilovers, custom valved for Gymkhana
– Tein springs
– Cusco swaybars
– CP custom front hubs
– CP custom tie rods
– CP custom front A arms
– CP alignment and setup
Body:
– 2009 Subaru STI
– CP carbon fiber roof, 7lbs
– CP carbon fiber hood
– FIA legal roll cage supplied by Vermont Sports Car
– STI carbon fiber roof scoop
– STI front lip
– Prodrive carbon fiber wing
– Prodrive carbon fiber OEM wing cover
– Prodrive carbon fiber dash
– Syms carbon fiber mirrors
– Syms carbon fiber door panels
– Recaro carbon / kevlar seats, customized for Ken Block
– CP Lexan rear window
– Willans seat belts
– Sparco steering wheel
– Tinted windows
– Stickers by RallyGrafix
– Paint by Patrick Flynn’s Auto Body
Drive train:
– KAPS six speed dog box
– STI short through shifter
– Exedy triple carbon clutch
– Driveshaft Shop aluminum driveshaft
– Driveshaft Shop high performance axels
– Volk TE37 wheels with custom paint
– Carbonetic front and rear carbon differentals
– BFGoodrich KDW “Smokey” tires
– Motul tranny and differential fluids
Electronics:
– Motec M800 ECU
– Motec SDL digital dash display
– Motec SDC center diff controller
– Motec PDM power distribution module
– Motec Knock detection system
– Motec custom wiring harness for entire car
– Motec 5 bar MAP sensor
– Engine tuning by CP
– Kenwood two way radio system
– Odyssey battery
Brakes:
– Brembo Gran Turismo six piston monobloc front
– Brembo Gran Turismo four piston rear
– STI brake bias controller
– Prodrive / STI hydraulic hand brake
– STI brake booster delete
– Stainless steel brake lines and fittings
– Motul RBF 600 brake fluid