Ken Block is to the car world what the Kardashians are to makeup: influential, aspirational, cannily progressive, and emulated by millions. The 52-year-old stunt driver has nearly 6 million Instagram followers. His “Gymkhana” driving videos, named after the historic British motorsport events, command rapt attention from his legion fans. The latest one, “Climbkhana TWO,” set on the extreme edge of China’s serpentine Tianmen Mountain road, has 14 million views.
Every time Block hints he will make a new installment for his driving series—which combines death-defying driving skill on impossible roads, drifting as beautifully executed as Olympic dressage, and other behind-the-wheel acrobatics with dry humor and epic camera angles (search for “Ken Block + Randy’s Donuts”)—it’s a big deal. Block has implied that his newest video will showcase a new car—a build designed by Ash Thorp, the guy who designed the latest Batmobile. This levels to this are nearing nirvana for car aficionados.
