It's fitting that this story is brought to us on bonfire night, because if TopGear.com knows Ken Block, it's that he enjoys torching a perfectly good set of tyres.
Ladies and gentlemen, may we present to you the car that will star in Block's upcoming Gymkhana 7 video: an 845bhp, four-wheel-drive, 1965 Ford Mustang. Yes, all those words are in the same sentence.
"I'm stoked to be able to publicly unveil this car for the first time at SEMA," says an unquestionably effusive Block. "This is a project I've been working on for two years, so to see it fully come to fruition and be able to drive it for Gymkhana 7 was absolutely amazing."
Some details, then, on this project. It's taken ASD Motorsports in Charlotte, North Carolina, two years to put it together, using the base of a '65 'Notchback' Mustang. Yeah, the classic one. The fact it's celebrating its 50th anniversary this year is not lost on Block, or his team.
It was then modified by ASD and RTR – the same RTR behind this Mustang – who installed a 410 cubic inch Roush Yates V8 (that's 6.7-litres of poweeerrr) producing that aforementioned 845bhp and a (excuse the pun) monster 720lb ft of torque. This is somehow attached to a six-speed transmission and Sadev all-wheel-drive system.
There's custom ASD Motorsports-designed suspension, a full tubular chassis, roll cage, door bars, three-piece 18i wheels and – we love this bit – custom Pirelli Trofeo R tyres in a "custom Ken Block compound".
The styling? We're told it mixes inspiration and influences from the current WRC field, DTM and "even toy cars from Block's youth". This is excellent inspiration, we reckon.
"I knew that working with Vaughn Gittin Jr and his RTR team was the right choice for this project," explains our good friend Ken. "The attention to detail with the fabrication and bodywork blows my mind.
"This is hands-down the best Gymkhana car I've had yet," he adds, which means the upcoming Gymkhana 7 should be a corker. No idea when it'll drop, but for now, have a click through the pics, let us know what you think, and then head here for TG's behind-the-scenes look at Block's Gymkhana series.
'Mazing, innit?