Now’s your chance to hang a piece of hooning history on your garage wall. To benefit the newly formed 43 Institute, eBay Motors will host an online auction packed with Ken Block memorabilia. The auction starts today and includes car parts sacrificed in making the blockbuster Gymkhana video series, plus collectibles from Ken Block’s rally career. Damaged wheels, wrecked bumpers, you name it.
Ahead of the auction, Motor1 spoke to Ken’s wife, Lucy Block, about the foundation honoring her late husband’s memory.
“There’s still an ongoing reminder that pops up on my calendar,” Lucy Block said. “It says ‘sit down with the kids and Ken and talk about what foundation we want to start.’ [The reminder] still pops up because it was something we intended to do for probably three years.”
Following her husband's tragic passing in January, 2023, and a period of grieving, Lucy Block decided it was time to follow through. But instead of a foundation dedicated to slaying tires, or delivering all-wheel drive drift missiles to underprivileged children, the 43 Institute’s mission cuts to a core aspect of Ken Block—the person—that most of his fans never saw.
“As we had Ken’s celebration of life last January, everyone that came together, it really was a different form of what I thought Ken’s legacy would’ve been for these people,” Lucy Block said. “So many of the people brought up how Ken said or did something that pushed them to do more than they thought they could… He pushed them to take chances to do something bigger than they thought was possible.”
The 43 Institute doesn’t create its own programs, Block said, but instead uses Ken’s considerable reach and fan base to fund other organizations. Their goal at the institute is to provide opportunity and mentorship to young people who are exceptionally driven, just like Ken had done so many times. For example, the institute has already worked with Stoked, an sports-oriented program that offers access to activities like snowboarding and skateboarding to underprivileged kids, then provides mentorship for the kids who take to those action sports.
Funds generated by this auction will be put toward programs like Stoked, Lucy Block said, with a focus on developing mental and physical health, two pursuits Ken valued tremendously.
So a collection of awesome Ken Block memorabilia was gathered to kick off the fundraising. Not coincidentally, the auction starts on 4/3. A full inventory can be found on the eBay motors auction landing page, where you’ll find more than 30 items up for grabs.
If you’re a fan of the Gymkhana series (and who isn’t?), it’s a goldmine. In true Ken Block fashion, nearly every item bore the brunt of his handiwork: There are sequential transmission gears from the Hoonicorn V1, damaged beyond belief. A ben Fifteen52 wheel from Gymkhana Ten, and burnt clutch plates from Climbkhana: Pikes Peak.
For pure rally fans, there are plenty more auction items, like a door from the 2015 GRC season and my personal favorite, a turbofan-style wheel from Ken’s infamous Ford Escort Cossie. Assorted memorabilia abounds, like race suits, a Modernica Chair, a signed poster, and even a Specialized bike.
Take a look at the auction and pick a spot on the garage wall where you might be able to hang a dented wheel or a warped front bumper. The money goes to a good cause and celebrates the memory of our all-time favorite tire slayer.
