On April 3, official Ken Block Day, eBay Motors launched “From the Collection: Ken Block,” an unprecedented auction of memorabilia from the collection of motorsports legend Ken Block. In partnership with Lucy Block and Block House Racing, the auction offered 43 curated items symbolizing Ken Block’s most iconic races, films, and creative projects.
All proceeds benefited 43 Institute, a foundation established in Block’s honor. Its mission is to provide grants and support to a new generation of underserved and hardworking creatives, business leaders, and athletes.
The goal is to “make dreams happen,” as 43 Institute’s website states.
Tragically, Block passed away at age 55 in a snowmobile accident in January 2023.
Lucy Block, Ken’s wife, pro rally driver, and Block House Racing principal, said:
Because of the way Ken drove, parts fell off. All the parts that got damaged, he kept. They were trophies. For me, the memories are there, and that’s the important thing. But knowing that these items are worth something to others, we thought there’s no better way to continue Ken’s legacy than to auction these off.
Cars as Art
What Andy Warhol did for modern art, Ken Block achieved for enthusiasts who love driving on loose surfaces. His artistic sense and thirst for the podium were unrivaled, while his commitment to rally fans was legendary. Block’s game-changing combination of artistry and no-holds-barred racing brought a whole new audience to four-wheeled motorsports.
Block lived based on his “Just Ain’t Care” mantra, meaning:
To go for the win at all costs, without regard to mechanical sympathy or otherwise.
Block’s unique approach evolved from the hotbed of Southern California action sports. Skateboarding, snowboarding, and motocross were the high-octane fuel that drove his graphic creations. Block launched his first company, Eightball, in high school. He dove deep into t-shirt design and production while studying computer graphics at Palomar College in San Marcos, Calif.
Ken Block’s next creative venture was Droors Clothing, which evolved into DC Shoes in 1994. He founded the action sports shoe and apparel company with his partners, Damon Way and Clayton Blehm. It was a phenomenon that grew quickly. Primarily known for its skateboard shoes, DC produced a distinctive and highly sought-after driving shoe, the Pro-Spec 1.0, along the way.
Setting the Stage
After Block and his partners sold DC in 2004 to Quicksilver, he focused on stage rally competition, which was relatively unknown in the US. Unlike mainstream auto racing, which takes place in front of grandstands packed with fans, stage rally runs road-legal vehicles one at a time, flat out on real roads, in beautiful locations, with the fans close enough to the action to feel the sting of flying gravel.
Block grew up as a fan of the World Rally Championship (WRC). He entered the sport in 2005, taking the Rally America Rookie of the Year title in his first year of competition.
While Block started his rally career stateside, he progressed quickly in the sport and is, to this day, one of an elite group of just four Americans to land points in WRC competition. His impact on the growth of American rallycross—door-to-door competition in rally cars—was massive.
Block brought a showman’s and a designer’s sensibilities to motorsports. The pieces that were up for auction encapsulate a remarkable career. Rather than the traditional approach of having the sponsor’s logo and colorway dominate the race car’s livery, Block used logos to embody a radical design concept.
These extraordinary items, as former Hoonigan Racing Division content director Ron Zaras put it, are “real-life, historical, tangible symbols of how Ken Block changed the automotive world.”
Pantone Race Suit – Block partnered with artists to design a new driving suit every year. Acclaimed graffiti artist Felipe Pantone created 2016’s design. The kinetic-patterned livery wrapped his new Ford Focus RS RX in the 2016 FIA World Rallycross Championship.
Cossie Wheel – The Ford Escort Cosworth employed in Gymkhana TEN was reportedly Block’s favorite race car, with some tricks up its sleeve. Sparks flew once the crew crafted a set of steel bands that unleashed a Fourth-of-July-worthy shower of sparks while maintaining the grip necessary for precision driving.
Hoonicorn Lip – The universe-expanding 845 horsepower all-wheel-drive Hoonicorn RTR 1965 Mustang played a starring role in Gymkhana SEVEN: Wild in the Streets of Los Angeles.
Zaras said:
With Hoonicorn, Ken leveraged every contact, every sponsorship, every everything to build his ultimate vision of what the coolest car in the world could be. It’s a SEMA-level build, one of the most important cars he built.
The items sold at auction on eBay Motors represent snapshots of Ken Block’s remarkable career, blending art with motorsports. Auction proceeds will fuel 43 Institute’s mission to further the ambitions of those seeking careers in action sports, motorsports, and the creative arts.
Follow @ebaymotors Instagram for more on automotive culture and @blockhouseracing to see the latest from the Block family.
