Ken Block was more than just a rally driver. He was a marketing genius, a viral video star, and, to many, a legend. The Petersen Automotive Museum’s new exhibit, People’s Champ: The Impact of Ken Block, celebrates that legacy. At the heart of it all sits one extraordinary machine: the 1965 Ford Mustang RTR Hoonicorn, specifically, Version 2, with its twin turbos poking menacingly through the hood.

As Hoonigan co-founder Brian Scotto explains in a video interview at the exhibit, the Hoonicorn was a direct response to a challenge. After Gymkhana 5 in San Francisco, which Scotto recalled as “Without question, the most popular film we’ve ever made,” the team felt they needed something new. “There were only so many new ideas we could do with a car until they started to feel too gimmicky,” Scotto admitted.

The answer? A completely reimagined, all-wheel-drive 1965 Mustang. But not just any Mustang. “Ten years ago… when we started this nobody would say that the cool one was the one with the notch,” Scotto pointed out. They deliberately chose the less-popular notchback body style. The design brief was simple yet ambitious: Would a child play with this as a Hot Wheels? “It needed to feel cartoonish in some of its pieces,” he said.

The Hoonicorn borrowed elements from WRC cars, like the distinctive arrow cut on the wide-body fenders, but applied them to a classic American muscle car — a combination rarely seen at the time. It was a deliberate attempt to bridge different automotive subcultures. “This car spoke to a different audience and connected in a different way,” he explained.

Version 1 was impressive, with around 800 horsepower. Version 2, the one on display, takes it to another level, which was originally rated at 1,400 horsepower. “I would say it’s well over 2,000,” Scotto said. “We found that out during filming this versus that… it’s probably in the 2,200- to 2,500-horsepower range.”

But the Hoonicorn’s significance goes far beyond horsepower figures. “I believe that this car sort of kicked off like the super build concept,” Scotto stated. Before the Hoonicorn, cars built to this level of expense (around a million dollars) were almost exclusively race cars.

The Hoonicorn was built just to be awesome, primarily for videos. “This became probably the most iconic car that Ken ever drove. He never competed in it. This car was always just a car that was built to to just be for fun,” Scotto said of the car, which took two years to build. That delay resulted in Gymkhana 6.

The Hoonicorn’s influence is undeniable. It sparked a wave of high-budget, wildly creative builds, inspiring countless enthusiasts and builders to push the boundaries of what’s possible. It showed that a car built solely for entertainment could still have a massive cultural impact, changing how people thought about car customization and automotive content. And, you can pay your respects to this iconic machine by visiting the Petersen Automotive Museum’s exhibit.