Video: Extended Cut Of Ken Block’s London Invasion

A little more than 10 years ago, Ken Block decided to turn his DC Shoes money into a racing career, entering his first rally in 2005 driving a Subaru WRX STi in his pre-hooning days. Meanwhile across the pond, Top Gear was still largely a local flavor, with three British bumpkins releasing some of their most popular material, such as the Car Winter Olympics.

It was only earlier this that these two worldwide phenomenons finally collided, albeit with Matt Leblanc filling the shoes of Top Gear’s famous trio. Ken drove his Hoonicorn (before its twin-turbo surgery) through a tour of London, and Top Gear has released a 10-minute “Extended Director’s Cut” of the head Hoonigan’s speedy vacation.

Even sans all-wheel drive and that big horsepower boost from the twin-turbo setup, the combination of Ken’s hooning skills with Top Gear’s unlimited budget and top-notch production values is a match that could only be bested by the discovery of a lost Formula One racing movie starring Steve McQueen and Paul Newman. It’s a meeting of titans, and obviously fans didn’t get enough the first time around.

There’s nothing all that unexpected from the extended cut, just more of the same glorious Hoonigan action, albeit with a few extra minutes of footage and some fresh angles thrown in. However, though he’s never won a major racing championship, Ken’s ability to put on a tire-shredding, high-octane show has carried him even farther than his shoe empire.

Sure, Top Gear isn’t what it used to be, but if you’re looking for a Gymkhana video with fewer gimmicks and better production, you won’t be disappointed.