Ken Block: Gymkhana Four is best yet

Ken Block and DC Shoes have started production for Gymkhana Four, which is slated for video launch late this summer.

Block said he never thought he'd outdo Gymkhana Three but that he's fully confident that the fourth installment will blow the earlier one out of the water.

"The locations we visited and action we documented are absolutely wild," Block said. "Fans are going to be floored when they see the finished clip."

DC president Anton Nistl credits Block's Gymkhana video content for a spike in Facebook followers--from 1 million last October to 5.6 million to date. Block's Gymkhana franchise has brought in more than 110 million global views, and Gymkhana Three made YouTube's list of top 10 videos of 2010.

According to DC, Block fans can expect a whole new level of tire-smoking and precision driving in this next video. Block said the new race car he drives is "an absolute beast."

Block's Monster World Rally Team just finished building the car--a modified 2011 Ford Fiesta--in time for its public debut on Saturday at the Gymkhana World Tour event in Los Angeles. Block will use it again later this week at the X Games 17 in a rally-car racing event and a RallyCross competition.

The reworked Fiesta is dubbed the HFHV, or Hybrid Function Hoon Vehicle. "Hybrid" is meant to denote a capacity for quick changes, as the Fiesta can be set up in different modes to be used for gymkhana driving, RallyCross racing or U.S. Rally America racing. External changes let the audience know which setup the car is operating in: white for gymkhana, green for RallyCross and black for Rally America.

Internally, the radiator moves between the front and rear for different setups, depending on cooling needs. Each mode also has individual suspension setups, engine programs, turbos, restrictors and more.

A new livery accompanies the new build but retains the drip element from Block's Gymkhana Three car. It incorporates vertical pinstripes and a tonal repeat pattern from his 2011 Ford Fiesta RS WRC car.

And, yes, a new pair of updated-livery-inspired kicks will be premiere in Gymkhana Four, and DC Shoes will start selling them when the video launches.

To keep up with the making of Gymkhana Four, visit www.dcshoes.com/auto.

By Michelle Koueiter