Ken Block Takes Deep Dive into 2020 GT500 at Goodwood

If pro drifter Vaughn Gittin Jr. and the Hoonigans are this giddy about the GT500, you know it’s gonna be good.

We’re officially in countdown mode until the mighty new 2020 Shelby GT500 finally lands in the hands of giddy owners. And that means, well, we have to take what we can get on the car until then. Recently, that meant watching pro drift driver and all around lucky guy Vaughn Gittin Jr. slide his way up a hill at the Goodwood Festival of Speed. But what we didn’t see in that particular video was that chief hoon Ken Block was also in attendance.

And by attendance, we mean he had the chance to ride in the passenger seat while Gittin Jr. drives. Talk about a thrill show, and a change of pace for a guy who normally does all the driving. Except that he backs out at the last second and chooses to give fellow Hoonigan shop manager Forest the honors. We can’t blame him, honestly. We want our first experience in the GT500 to be behind the wheel, too. Not sitting helplessly in the passenger seat.

But apparently, riding along in the GT500 with Gittin Jr. behind the wheel is fun enough in itself. Forest can barely contain his giggling, in fact. “Holy hell this car’s fast,” he exclaims. “My God, the brakes are insane! This car’s amazing. Dude, this car’s so much fun. Are you kidding me? Did we even turn the A/C off? What was that, 140?”

Yes, it was in fact 140 miles per hour that Gittin Jr. maxed out at on his run up the narrow laned hill. Which is equal parts impressive and scary. But Forest was also quite thrilled and repeating himself giddily by the finish line. “These things are insane,” he concludes. “It’s faster than my diesel pickup.” Even Gittin Jr. comes away equally impressed. “It’s insane, epic,” he says. “My heart is beating like crazy every time I drive this thing. Super impressive.”

All of which is great news for those of us that haven’t been lucky enough to drive a GT500 yet. Anybody can throw massive power into a car, but it appears that Ford has built the total package.  A car that can put all that power to the pavement, corner, and brake like a supercar. And now, we just want to drive one even more than we did before!

Photos: YouTube

Join the Mustang Source Forums now!

Brett Foote

Brett Foote has been covering the automotive industry for over five years and is a longtime contributor to Internet Brands’ Auto Group sites, including Chevrolet Forum, Rennlist, and Ford Truck Enthusiasts, among other popular sites.

He has been an automotive enthusiast since the day he came into this world and rode home from the hospital in a first-gen Mustang, and he's been wrenching on them nearly as long.

In addition to his expertise writing about cars, trucks, motorcycles, and every other type of automobile, Brett had spent several years running parts for local auto dealerships.

You can follow along with his builds and various automotive shenanigans on Instagram: @bfoote.