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Behind The Scenes: Exclusive Rides Owned By Ken Block and Other Racing Legends

Ken Block was one of the most well-known motorsports superstars in the world. His unique brand Hoonigan became a household name in the rally car world. To be a rally car racer, you need to have a certain sense of danger, and Block pushed that envelope every day. His love for the rally car circuit and motorsports helped his career spanning over three decades. With the untimely loss of Block in a recent snowmobile crash, the motorsports world will never be the same.

Block left his mark on the automotive world, thanks in no small part to his insane, unique car collection. Other racing legends in the industry have also been known to have expensive car collections. People like Jeff Gordon and Dale Earnhardt Jr. love to drive in civilian life almost as much as they did on the racetrack. With a substantial net worth of millions of dollars, there’s no surprise that these car enthusiasts can afford whatever they want to drive. To celebrate Block and the mark he made on the car world, we looked at the fast and expensive rides owned by him and other racing legends here.

Photo Credit: Instagram

2013 Ford F-150 Raptortrax (Ken Block)

One of the perks of being a famous auto celebrity like Ken Block is that you have the money to build your dream toys. Block did exactly that with the 2013 Ford F-150 Raptortrax. The Raptortrax was a specialty truck designed to be a giant snowmobile. Block showed off the Raptortrax for Motor Trend Magazine and annihilated mountains of snow (via SV Off-Road).

Photo Credit: Instagram

The 2013 Ford F-150 Raptortrax was a purpose-built project by Block. The idea behind the truck was to build something that climbs even the snowiest mountains. The Raptortrax took everything great about the Ford Raptor to the next level.

The post Behind The Scenes: Exclusive Rides Owned By Ken Block and Other Racing Legends appeared first on Motor Junkie.

1932 Dodge Series DK Coupe Hot Rod

This 1932 Dodge Series DK is one of 651 five-passenger coupes produced for the model year and has been modified with a 360ci V8 and a three-speed automatic transmission, both of which reportedly sourced from a 1979 Dodge. The car is finished in two-tone bronze and cream over tan cloth upholstery. Other features include Kugel independent front suspension, disc brakes, power steering, an aftermarket climate control system, power front windows, a power-adjustable driver seat, an adjustable steering column, and wire wheels. The car is said to have spent time in Tennessee and was purchased by the current owner in 1997. This ’32 Dodge hot rod is now offered by the seller on behalf of the current owner with a custom-made floor plaque, marketing material, a framed photograph of the car, and a clean Oregon title.

The car is said to have been refinished in bronze and cream under current ownership and features purple body accents that wrap around the car and hood cowling. Additional exterior features include a chrome radiator surround, headlight buckets, and bumpers along with running boards, a vented engine cover, dual side mirrors, a receiver hitch, a rear antenna, and Dodge-branded taillight covers.

Truespoke wire wheels feature polished center caps and are mounted with Mazama Reputation tires that are said to have been recently fitted. Spare tires are mounted in the front fenders, and the seller notes rust on the spare tire covers under the top fasteners. The car features a Kugel independent front suspension, power steering, and power-assisted disc brakes at all four corners.

The cabin features replacement front bucket seats and a rear bench trimmed in tan cloth upholstery that extends to the door panels. Amenities include a Vintage Air climate control system, a four-way power-adjustable driver’s seat, power windows, and carpeted floor mats.

The leather-wrapped Grant banjo-style steering wheel is mounted to an adjustable steering column and fronts Classic Instruments gauges consisting of a 120-mph speedometer and auxiliary gauges for coolant temperature, fuel level, volts, and oil pressure. The six-digit odometer shows 68k miles, approximately 12k of which were added under current ownership. True mileage is unknown.

The 360ci V8 features a Walker radiator in addition to a chrome-finished alternator, fan belt pulley, and valve covers as well as a MagnaFlow exhaust. The fuel pump and battery are said to have been recently replaced.

Power is sent to the rear wheels through a 727 TorqueFlite three-speed automatic transmission and a Plymouth-sourced rear differential with a 3.23:1 gear ratio.

A custom-made floor plaque showing the car’s features along with marketing material and a framed photograph of the car are included in the sale.

Carbon-Fiber 1970 Charger and 1969 Camaro Just the Start of a Wave of Composite-Bodied Classic Muscle Cars

One thousand pounds. Half a ton. Way more than any strongman contestant can lift. That’s how much weight Finale Speed has been able to cut out of a 1969 Camaro by replacing its steel body with carbon fiber. And the company’s aiming to bring that supercar technology to pretty much any American muscle car.

“Carbon fiber’s been around for years,” said JD Rudisill, who founded Finale Speed in Yukon, Oklahoma, in April 2022. “It’s what they use in Formula 1, all the hypercars, because it’s just a fraction of the weight of steel. Half the weight and double the strength, is what they say. It’s just that nobody had used it on the classics.”

Other aftermarket companies have offered ready-made carbon-fiber components, Rudisill noted, and a handful do offer full carbon-fiber bodies, but Rudisill said that as far as he knows, Finale is the first company to offer full carbon-fiber bodies for 1968-1970 Dodge Chargers and first-generation Chevrolet Camaros.

The latter made its debut this past week at Barrett-Jackson’s Scottsdale auction as a complete car dubbed Viral, powered by a 650hp LT4 6.2-liter crate engine. The former has had a far more eventful few months. From the start, Rudisill wanted to work with Dodge representatives to license the second-generation Charger’s design, and even before those agreements were in place, he got an invitation to unveil the Charger’s bare carbon-fiber body at Dodge’s Speed Week event in August – the same event at which the company debuted its all-electric Charger Daytona SRT Concept.

“We just got there, and we’ve got Tom Sacoman (Director of Dodge Product and Motorsports) and Ralph Gilles (Stellantis Head of Design) crawling all over it,” Rudisill said. “I’m in shock. Then Tim Kuniskis sees it and says he wants it at SEMA, still unfinished and with a Hellcrate in it.”

Tim Kuniskis with the Finale carbon-fiber Dodge Charger body

Finale carbonfiber Dodge Charger

Finale carbonfiber Dodge Charger

Finale carbonfiber Dodge Charger

Finale carbonfiber Dodge Charger

Finale carbonfiber Dodge Charger

According to Rudisill and Finale’s Chris Jacobs, the company has been able to make such great strides in less than a year due to a number of factors. While Rudisill gives credit to the eight guys in the shop who came to the company from Rudisill’s prior venture (“The eight best guys you want working on carbon fiber cars,” he said), he also has 15 years of experience working with carbon fiber in automotive applications. Finale has also partnered with Brothers Carbon in Sheboygan Falls, Wisconsin, which supplies the dozen or so pieces that Finale then pieces together into bodies.

(For what it’s worth, Brothers displays a complete carbon-fiber Bumpside F-100 body on its website. Speedkore has also built full carbon-fiber Dodge Chargers, but does not appear to offer the bodies separately. Kindig-It Design offers 1953 Corvettes with full carbon fiber bodies. Classic Recreations, which was already building carbon-fiber Shelby G.T.500s, also announced a full carbon-fiber Shelby Cobra body last year.)

Perhaps just as important, Finale employs a straightforward, old-school method for building carbon fiber bodies that dispenses with the time-consuming process of CAD modeling, 3D printing, and other high-tech prototyping solutions normally associated with carbon fiber. More like creating fiberglass body panels, the process starts with sourcing a body from which Finale can pull fiberglass molds, which then go to Brothers for laying up with prepreg (carbon fiber sheets with the resin already embedded in the carbon fiber weave) and curing in an autoclave. “With the prepreg, they just roll it out and trim it to fit,” Jacobs said. “It looks just like they’re installing Dynamat.”

Finale carbonfiber Chevrolet Camaro

Finale carbonfiber Chevrolet Camaro

Finale carbonfiber Chevrolet Camaro

Finale carbonfiber Chevrolet Camaro

Finale carbonfiber Chevrolet Camaro

Finale carbonfiber Chevrolet Camaro

Finale carbonfiber Chevrolet Camaro

Finale carbonfiber Chevrolet Camaro

Finale carbonfiber Chevrolet Camaro

Finale carbonfiber Chevrolet Camaro

Finale carbonfiber Chevrolet Camaro

Finale carbonfiber Chevrolet Camaro

Finale carbonfiber Chevrolet Camaro

Finale carbonfiber Chevrolet Camaro

Finale carbonfiber Chevrolet Camaro

Finale carbonfiber Chevrolet Camaro

Finale carbonfiber Chevrolet Camaro

Finale carbonfiber Chevrolet Camaro

Finale carbonfiber Chevrolet Camaro

Finale carbonfiber Chevrolet Camaro

Finale carbonfiber Chevrolet Camaro

Finale carbonfiber Chevrolet Camaro

Finale carbonfiber Chevrolet Camaro

Finale carbonfiber Chevrolet Camaro

Finale carbonfiber Chevrolet Camaro

Finale carbonfiber Chevrolet Camaro

Finale carbonfiber Chevrolet Camaro

Once Brothers delivers the individual panels to Finale, the crew there begins piecing together the panels into a full body, attaching them to each other and to the steel inner structure of the donor car using a panel bonding adhesive. All of the panels are exact replicas of the originals, Rudisill said, so OE components like glass and door strikers will mate right up to the carbon-fiber bodies.

“It’s a true art to line up the panels, but the biggest hurdle is making the molds,” Rudisill said. Because he wants the carbon-fiber weave to be visible in the end product regardless of whether the customer specifies a bare or painted body, he said his crew puts in the time to make sure the source body and the fiberglass molds are as straight and smooth as possible.

According to Jacobs, Finale makes use of the donor car’s steel inner structure – including the firewall, dash structure, and much of the floor – to retain the car’s VIN and make registering the car straightforward. He said the company currently has a good stock of donors with VINs, but should they run out, they might consider producing entirely new bodies under the Low Volume Motor Vehicle Manufacturers Act.

While Rudisill said he started the venture to build the carbon-fiber Camaros (“One of my personal favorite cars,” he said), the manufacturing process essentially allows Finale to replicate any cars in carbon fiber. He and Jacobs are currently pursuing a licensing deal with Ford to build and offer complete bodies for an undisclosed vehicle, and Jacobs said the license deal with Dodge allows the company to build carbon-fiber bodies for any Dodge vehicle. “In the future, I’d like to see us get out of the box with something like an A-body Barracuda or a 1971 Charger,” Jacobs said. “We’ve even been talking about GM G-bodies. We have total freedom to do what we want; it’s just a matter of finding a clean version of that model and using some portion of an existing car.”

That also includes offering carbon-fiber bodies in pretty much any state of completion, from bare bodies to turnkey cars. Finale currently lists the 1970 Charger body, sitting on a Salvaggio Designs perimeter chassis and equipped with Detroit Speed front and rear suspension, Wildwood 14-inch disc brakes, and Forgeline wheels, for $199,000. Viral, the carbon-fiber Camaro, is a complete running and driving car with a full interior; Finale currently lists it for $429,000. According to Jacobs, Finale currently has body panels for another five Camaros and five Chargers. Lead time for the cars sits at six to eight months, and Jacobs said that Finale currently has the capacity to complete two to three cars per month.

For more information about Finale’s carbon fiber-bodied Charger and Camaro, visit FinaleSpeed.com.

Pick of the Day: 2002 Toyota 4Runner SR5

ClassicCars.com Journal contributor Tyson Hugie was a panelist in the Collector Car Symposium at the 2023 Barrett-Jackson Scottsdale Auction. The topic? Predicting tomorrow’s collectibles. One of the vehicles on Tyson’s list as possibly being popular (read: more expensive) with collectors in the future is the 1996-2002 Toyota 4Runner. For this reason, this 2002 4Runner SR5 4X4 for sale on ClassicCars.com by an Omaha dealer is our Pick of the Day. (Click the link to view the listing)

4Runners of this generation came with either a 2.7-liter inline-four with 150 horsepower or a 3.4-liter V6 with 183 horses. Today, we can expect 270 horsepower from the V6 that powers the current 4Runner, (which is actually more than the V8 that was available in the previous generation). The six became the only engine available in the U.S. starting in 2001; ditto the four-speed automatic transmission, as the five-speed also was missing from the order form.

Seller claims this 2002 4Runner SR5 4X4 is a “like new” one-owner vehicle with 122,000 miles. It’s loaded with options that include cruise control, AM/FM/CD, limited slip differential and moon roof; not mentioned is air conditioning, but the pictures do show that it is equipped with cold air. This 4Runner also features the Sport package, which consisted of color-keyed fender flares, bumpers and grille, projector-type fog lamps, hood scoop, sport seat fabric, adjustable headrests, leather-wrapped steering wheel, 4.10 rear differential, 16-inch alloys and more.

So, what will it take to get this future collectible in your garage? $17,900. For old-world body-on-frame style with a dose of special interest, it’s worth checking out, so to view this listing on ClassicCars.com, see Pick of the Day.

Pick of the Day: 2002 Toyota 4Runner SR5

ClassicCars.com Journal contributor Tyson Hugie was a panelist in the Collector Car Symposium at the 2023 Barrett-Jackson Scottsdale Auction. The topic? Predicting tomorrow’s collectibles. One of the vehicles on Tyson’s list as possibly being popular (read: more expensive) with collectors in the future is the 1996-2002 Toyota 4Runner. For this reason, this 2002 4Runner SR5 4X4 for sale on ClassicCars.com by an Omaha dealer is our Pick of the Day. (Click the link to view the listing)

4Runners of this generation came with either a 2.7-liter inline-four with 150 horsepower or a 3.4-liter V6 with 183 horses. Today, we can expect 270 horsepower from the V6 that powers the current 4Runner, (which is actually more than the V8 that was available in the previous generation). The six became the only engine available in the U.S. starting in 2001; ditto the four-speed automatic transmission, as the five-speed also was missing from the order form.

Seller claims this 2002 4Runner SR5 4X4 is a “like new” one-owner vehicle with 122,000 miles. It’s loaded with options that include cruise control, AM/FM/CD, limited slip differential and moon roof; not mentioned is air conditioning, but the pictures do show that it is equipped with cold air. This 4Runner also features the Sport package, which consisted of color-keyed fender flares, bumpers and grille, projector-type fog lamps, hood scoop, sport seat fabric, adjustable headrests, leather-wrapped steering wheel, 4.10 rear differential, 16-inch alloys and more.

So, what will it take to get this future collectible in your garage? $17,900. For old-world body-on-frame style with a dose of special interest, it’s worth checking out, so to view this listing on ClassicCars.com, see Pick of the Day.

Jay Leno Drives ICON 4×4’s 1949 Mercury EV

Jay Leno Drives ICON 4×4’s 1949 Mercury EV – Emmy award-winning automotive series Jay Leno’s Garage recently featured ICON 4×4’s 1949 Mercury EV Derelict Coupe alongside an interview with Co-Founder and Lead Designer Jonathan Ward. In the episode, Ward explains the purpose behind ICON’s Derelict line is to celebrate and preserve the original patina and […]

The post Jay Leno Drives ICON 4×4’s 1949 Mercury EV appeared first on CarShowz.com.

2023 Barrett-Jackson Scottsdale Auction Diary: Day Four

DPC is back on the road and covering the 2023 Barrett-Jackson Scottsdale Auction. Part three of his odyssey from Phoenix to WestWorld of Scottsdale is available here

My 13-year-old son has developed a love of cars in the last few years and I’ll take some responsibility for this development. He’s been to the last couple of Barrett-Jackson Scottsdale auctions but due to my job I’ve been unable to just stroll WestWorld with my son looking at cars.

I recommend checking out the staging area (Photo by David P. Castro)

On Wednesday, after fulfilling my duties as an automotive journalist, I surprised my son by picking him up after school and we headed to WestWorld for the auction. His excitement was apparent, and I felt the same way.

It was about 5:00 p.m. when we got to WestWorld and the auction was still in high gear. I functioned as our tour guide, and we strolled through the pavilion. Large crowd, great energy and too many things to see. Most importantly I made a beeline to the Mini Donut Trolley and shared the offerings from my favorite vendor at Barrett-Jackson Scottsdale.

We made our way to the auction floor and watched the cars roll by from my favorite spot at the staging lanes. I seemed to have a random anecdote for a lot of the cars that passed by, and like a dad I probably bored him with my work stories.

Since this was a school night I needed to make our evening somewhat educational and we made a our way to JFK’s 1962 Lincoln Continental. He understood the historical significance of the car and it was interesting to see a piece of Camelot up close. After that sobering school lesson we made our way to Will Ferrell’s 1961 Volkswagen Microbus. My son loves old VW vans and the movie “Elf,” so we took in the restored Microbus from every angle and agreed it was a great car. Who wouldn’t love a classic Volkswagen restored to it original glory that is being sold by Ron Burgundy?

We ended up walking around, looking at cars, and just talking about nothing in particular. It was one of those special evenings that are unfortunately too rare. After watching the action from the seats on the auction floor we headed home. Our energy was positive but my Mini Cooper emitted a funky smell after I turned over the engine and then a battery warning light lit up the dash.

No matter, we left the parking lot and made our way to the 101. It was 6:45 and we were about two miles away from WestWorld when my car let me know it was very hot and I needed to slow down. The Mini was lurching and I parked at a Hilton. Going by its odor and stutter-step performance I figured it would need a tow to get home. Even a sick car couldn’t ruin the day.

2023 Barrett-Jackson Scottsdale Auction Diary: Day Four

DPC is back on the road and covering the 2023 Barrett-Jackson Scottsdale Auction. Part three of his odyssey from Phoenix to WestWorld of Scottsdale is available here

My 13-year-old son has developed a love of cars in the last few years and I’ll take some responsibility for this development. He’s been to the last couple of Barrett-Jackson Scottsdale auctions but due to my job I’ve been unable to just stroll WestWorld with my son looking at cars.

I recommend checking out the staging area (Photo by David P. Castro)

On Wednesday, after fulfilling my duties as an automotive journalist, I surprised my son by picking him up after school and we headed to WestWorld for the auction. His excitement was apparent, and I felt the same way.

It was about 5:00 p.m. when we got to WestWorld and the auction was still in high gear. I functioned as our tour guide, and we strolled through the pavilion. Large crowd, great energy and too many things to see. Most importantly I made a beeline to the Mini Donut Trolley and shared the offerings from my favorite vendor at Barrett-Jackson Scottsdale.

We made our way to the auction floor and watched the cars roll by from my favorite spot at the staging lanes. I seemed to have a random anecdote for a lot of the cars that passed by, and like a dad I probably bored him with my work stories.

Since this was a school night I needed to make our evening somewhat educational and we made a our way to JFK’s 1962 Lincoln Continental. He understood the historical significance of the car and it was interesting to see a piece of Camelot up close. After that sobering school lesson we made our way to Will Ferrell’s 1961 Volkswagen Microbus. My son loves old VW vans and the movie “Elf,” so we took in the restored Microbus from every angle and agreed it was a great car. Who wouldn’t love a classic Volkswagen restored to it original glory that is being sold by Ron Burgundy?

We ended up walking around, looking at cars, and just talking about nothing in particular. It was one of those special evenings that are unfortunately too rare. After watching the action from the seats on the auction floor we headed home. Our energy was positive but my Mini Cooper emitted a funky smell after I turned over the engine and then a battery warning light lit up the dash.

No matter, we left the parking lot and made our way to the 101. It was 6:45 and we were about two miles away from WestWorld when my car let me know it was very hot and I needed to slow down. The Mini was lurching and I parked at a Hilton. Going by its odor and stutter-step performance I figured it would need a tow to get home. Even a sick car couldn’t ruin the day.

Limited-edition 2024 BMW M3 CS revealed with 543hp

The BMW M division celebrated its 50th anniversary last year by launching a number of new models, one of which was a hardcore M4 CSL.

There was no similar hardcore version of the M3, which probably left fans of the more practical M thoroughbred a little sour. It turns out they only needed to be patient, as BMW M on Tuesday revealed a new M3 CS for the 2024 model year.

2024 BMW M4 CS
2024 BMW M4 CS

The CS cars fill the gap between the Competition grade and hardcore CSL. They up performance via the typical means of more power and less weight, and this is true for the latest M3 CS. The car is confirmed with the same 543-hp rating as the M4 CSL, generated by BMW M’s familiar twin-turbo 3.0-liter inline-6. The performance boost over the 503 hp of the M3 Competition is courtesy of extra boost pressure and tweaks to the ECU.

The engine gets mated to an 8-speed automatic transmission and an all-wheel-drive system, and at full performance should deliver a 0-60 mph time of 3.2 seconds and top speed of 188 mph. The all-wheel-drive system, a unique setup of BMW M, uses a multi-plate clutch to transfer torque between the axles. The system features a rear bias, and a 4WD Sport mode can further intensify this bias. Should the driver want a classic rear-wheel-drive feel, there’s also the option to have all of the drive torque sent to the rear wheels only.

Additional chassis mods include aluminum strut braces to boost rigidity, uprated brakes (carbon-ceramic rotors are available), and unique tuning of the stability control, wheel camber, dampers, and anti-roll bars all aimed at enhancing track performance. The wheels can be ordered in a gold color or matte black, and measure 19 inches up front and 20 inches at the rear. The wheels come with performance tires as standard but buyers can fit track-ready Michelin Pilot Sport Cup 2 tires as a no-cost option. In each case, the tires measure 275/35 up front and 285/30 at the rear.

2024 BMW M4 CS
2024 BMW M4 CS

For weight reduction, BMW M engineers used lightweight carbon-fiber-reinforced-plastic for the hood, roof, front splitter, front intakes, side mirror caps, and rear spoiler. Carbon parts are also used throughout the cabin, including for the standard bucket seats that also feature Merino leather trim. A titanium muffler rounds out the list of weight-saving mods that all up add to around 75 pounds. The stated curb weight is still some 3,915 pounds, though.

2024 BMW M4 CS
2024 BMW M4 CS

Also inside is the new dash introduced across the 3-Series range for 2023. It eliminates the traditional instrument cluster cowl, leaving a 12.3-inch floating screen for the instrument cluster that is conjoined with a second 14.9-inch floating screen for the infotainment hub. Both screens feature M-specific displays in the M3 CS.

Also fitted as standard is M Drive Professional, a package that includes both the M Drift Analyzer and M Laptimer for recording drives for later evaluation. M Drive Professional also includes M Traction Control, which lets the driver adjust the traction control between 10 settings, and the M Mode drive mode selector, which has Road, Sport, and Track options.

The 2024 M3 CS is confirmed to be a limited edition—BMW M hasn’t said how limited, though—and is set to arrive later this year with a starting price of $119,695, including a $995 destination charge.

HIGH-RES GALLERY: 2024 BMW M4 CS

This article was originally published by Motor Authority, an editorial partner of ClassicCars.com.