Video: Climbkhana II Promises More Tire-Smoking Absurdity

Typically, a Ford F-150, a cliff-lined mountain road, and 900 horsepower wouldn’t blend together nicely. However, Ken Block’s superhuman car control and willingness to take massive risks acts as the binding agent between these disparate elements. The absurd demonstrations of car control we’ve come to associate with the adrenaline-fueled mogul behind DC Shoes and Hoonigan Industries is once again on display with his latest video release, Climbkhana II.

Continuing on the success of Climbkhana I, Block thrashes his latest toy, a 900-horsepower F-150, along some of the most treacherous roads in all of China. The 6.7-mile Heaven’s Gate road is — like Pikes Peak — unforgiving and lined with cliffs. To make matters more interesting, it’s half the width of most of the aforementioned Coloradoan peak.

A 3D-printed intake manifold is a one-off jewel courtesy of Ford Performance.

Blending Old and New

Instead of going with a more conventional V8, Block and his builders decided to stuff a 3.5-liter Ford Performance/Roush-Yates Ecoboost V6 — one snagged from their Le Mans-winning GTE Pro program — in the tube-framed chassis under the skin a ’77 Ford F-150. The motor, tuned to make 914 horsepower, sends that power to all four wheels courtesy of a custom four-wheel-drive system. The assortment of wild modifications is no different from any of Block’s other creations. Still, the size of the truck makes it a very different animal — especially considering how accurate he has to be on this treacherous pass.

Each of the Fifteen52 Turbomac HD wheels is wrapped in 315/35R20 Toyo Proxes ST III. Despite the incredible grip available, its 702 lb-ft of torque is more than enough to smoke all four tires without much effort — as we saw in its debut in Gymkhana 10.

Block’s ability to position a car between obstacles may be his greatest skill.

Pulling those stunts with wide-open lots and deserted streets is one thing, but angling the 197-inch-long F150 around the sinuous Tianmen Mountain is another. Like his first Climbkhana, the margin for error along this picturesque, serpentine road is nonexistent, and any mistake means a long, painful tumble.

Block and Hoonigan will release the video online next Monday, November 18th. Like all the other big-budget productions from these guys, expect views in the tens of millions within a few days of its debut.

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Tommy Parry

Tommy Parry has been racing and writing about racing cars for the past seven years. As an automotive enthusiast from a young age, he worked jobs revolving around cars throughout high school, and tried his hand on the race track on his 20th birthday. After winning his first outdoor kart race, Tommy began working as an apprentice mechanic to amateur racers in the Bay Area to sharpen his mechanical understanding. He has worked as a track day instructor and automotive writer since 2012, and continues to race karts, formula cars, sedans, and rally cars in the San Francisco region.
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