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Ken Block launches "Gymkhana 7: Wild in the streets of Los Angeles"
By alley - Nov 17, 2014, 11:18 AM ET

Ken Block launches "Gymkhana 7: Wild in the streets of Los Angeles"

The latest installment in rally star Ken Block's award-winning Gymkhana viral video series officially launched on Hoonigan's YouTube channel today. The video, Gymkhana Seven: Wild in the Streets of Los Angeles – presented by Hoonigan, Ford and Need For Speed: No Limits – brings the franchise back to an urban landscape. Similar to Block's assault on San Francisco in the wildly successful Gymkhana 5 film, which has garnered more than 68 million views, we see the rally racer tear through city streets, but this time in an all new tire-slaying machine – a custom built 845hp all-wheel-drive 1965 Ford Mustang, dubbed the Hoonicorn. Scroll down the page to watch the video

L.A. police provided the route for Block, as they cordoned off intersections and guided the H.H.I.C. and his Mustang in and around Los Angeles. The goal however, was not for Block to take the fastest route from point A to point B, but to instead fully exploit the question every car guy has asked himself, which is "What would you do if the police shut down the streets for you?" For Block, that meant having the absolute most fun possible and driving in the wildest style imaginable.

Block and his driving aren't the only stars of the video, however. This time out, Block decided that he needed a brand-new, one-of-a-kind vehicle. The car? A completely custom 1965 all-wheel drive Ford Mustang notchback featuring an 845hp Ford V8 from NASCAR's Roush Yates and a Dakar Rally-spec all-wheel-drive transmission from Sadev. It's the only performance all-wheel drive Mustang in the world and was built in collaboration with Vaughn Gittin Jr.'s RTR tuning brand, the car – affectionately dubbed "the Hoonicorn" by Block and his team – is an absolute beast on the streets of Los Angeles, decimating tires and bursting eardrums as Block lays down some of his most precise and aggressive driving to-date.

"I've done Gymkhana-style driving in quite a few cars over years," said Block. "But by far, this car is hands-down the best I've ever driven for this type of driving. The instant torque and power from that V8 is absolutely intoxicating and it basically vaporizes the tires the moment I get into the throttle. It's also completely insane to me when I see the footage of this car being chained to a wall and doing an all-wheel drive burnout. I'm beyond stoked with not only how the car turned out, but also this video. I honestly feel this is my best Gymkhana video yet and I'd like to thank the city of Los Angeles for allowing me to borrow their streets for a few days!"

In addition to the all-new car for the video, Gymkhana Seven truly takes the "wild" ethos seriously, with Block capitalizing on the fact that some of the most congested roadways in America were shut down for him to create his latest video. Featuring some of the most over-the-top, insanely smoky moves yet, viewers will continually have their jaws agape at how absolutely out-of-control it all appears while simultaneously cringing on the edge of their seat as they realize how close some of the proximity tricks are. The video was filmed over five days in early October 2014 and it hits an assortment of iconic Los Angeles locations including downtown L.A., Randy's Donuts, the L.A. freeways, the 6th Street Bridge, Chinatown, the L.A. River and, perhaps most iconic of all, the Hollywood Sign.

"The access to locations for this project was incredible," said Block. "Obviously the film commission in Los Angeles is quite good and accustomed to working with projects that involve driving all the time. However this was the first and only time that anyone has done actual live-action driving and filming at the top of the Hollywood Sign – some of the permissions we had to obtain from the Department of Homeland Security were intense!"

Because Hoonigan is the title sponsor for the video, the apparel brand has also created a unique Gymkhana Seven-themed apparel pack that builds upon the look of the Hoonicorn and helps brings that styling directly to the fans. The pack is available nationwide at all Zumiez store locations, as well as online at

www.hoonigan.com

.

Enjoy!

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