Why is Ken Block using a salvage titled Fiesta's license plate?

"CCC (formerly CyclistCarCoexist)" (ccpbb)
06/29/2015 at 16:33 • Filed to: None

Ken Block and his PR crew occasionally take their Fiesta to other places and race it in as a street-legal car. It kinda got fishy as a 3 door Fiesta body is not homologated in the states and I doubt that engine can pass any state emissions test. And I saw a picture of the car with the licence plate that made its point as “street legal car” while racing in New Zealand. So I did a Carfax. Lots of sketchy shit.

This picture was extracted from @roncar, from the Hoonigan team.

Apparently this had a former life as a 2012 Fiesta SE. I call that horse shit as I believe Ken Block’s Fiesta rally car is a R5 Fiesta from M-Sport custom built in england for about ~$500,000 dollars apiece. And I doubt this is BAR/emissions certified or equipped with OBD-II.

Total loss. So is Ken Block grafting VIN numbers to their Fiesta rally car? Because I would believe the NZ authorities to cross check the car’s vin numbers and their licence plates. This is getting a bit bizarre...with a Fiesta rally car with a super-salvaged car’s licence plate.

The blue color change....maybe a change in livery color that year? 1 huge accident and then it was bought from someone.......

Ok....vehicle purchase....was it bought by ken block? Because I don’t think any normal sap would import a salvage title stock Fiesta SE hatch from Japan back to the States. WTF is going on? I know about Carfax having information black holes at times, but nothing like this.

Ken Block, what are you doing with another car’s license plate on your rally car? Because it most DEFINITELY does not belong there...

DISCUSSION (18)

Takuro Spirit > CCC (formerly CyclistCarCoexist)
06/29/2015 at 17:05

I think the big part of this story is how he has yet to have his airbag recall performed. Ken does not have large breasts. He may die in an impact.

Santiago of Escuderia Boricua > CCC (formerly CyclistCarCoexist)
06/29/2015 at 17:06

Rally cars have to be street legal. An R5 would definitely have obd2. Emissions would not pass for sure, because race car

Racescort666 > CCC (formerly CyclistCarCoexist)
06/29/2015 at 17:07

While I can’t speak to the CarFax report that you’ve got, I can speak to common practices in the racing community. It is very common to turn salvage cars into race cars. It usually doesn’t take much to total a car and leave the shell relatively intact. These are perfect for race cars because a professionally built car will be stripped down as far as it will go, cleaned, caged, and repainted. If the previous owner did some of the disassembly, you’re part way there. Plus, salvage cars are usually cheap.

CCC (formerly CyclistCarCoexist) > Racescort666
06/29/2015 at 17:11

Well, true. But this is on a different level of customization. If you fit a race AWD system in a car, perform all kinds of Seam welding/stiffening, and the thing is, at least a part of the basic chassis would be retained. With a non-unibody car, it would be easy to shorten a wheelbase. This is a supposedly a 3 door fiesta. So yeah. And this Carfax was pulled from his license plate.

Tareim - V8 powered > CCC (formerly CyclistCarCoexist)
06/29/2015 at 17:25

3 door cars aren’t any shorter in wheelbase than their 5 door counterparts

PS9 > CCC (formerly CyclistCarCoexist)
06/29/2015 at 17:57

Meh. There might be something dodgy about the paperwork or whatever, But;

1) Did they obtain the vehicle through thievery?
2) Did they obtain it’s parts through thievery?
3) Did they shaft the people involved in performing it’s modifications?
4) Do they intend to sell the vehicle in it’s present state to anyone in the US?
5) Do they get some kind of gratuity for the ‘street legal racecar’ claim?

If all of that is a no, then I’ve no fucks to give. VIN grafting? Yeah maybe, but so what? Block isn’t running an importing ring meant to slide 3 door rally fiestas into the US. This is one car.

Won’t pass emissions? LOL, neither will the coal rollers or the muscle car guys who gut their cats. It may claim to be ‘street legal’ but we all know it’s primary use is for places where emission regulations don’t apply, so we shouldn’t expect it to qualify for a PZEV sticker.

I’d care more if they selling dodgy VIN shaved cars to people who don’t know any better about our import laws...but they’re not. I’ll care some more when someone can demonstrate who is getting hurt by all of this.

mattc993 > CCC (formerly CyclistCarCoexist)
06/29/2015 at 17:59

Who cares?

10/10 would drive with the sketch plate.

Manny05x > CCC (formerly CyclistCarCoexist)
06/29/2015 at 19:36

Can you car fax a vin for me? I am going to go look at a Mazda 3 and need that solid.

CCC (formerly CyclistCarCoexist) > Manny05x
06/29/2015 at 20:06

Sure, I'd prefer License plate digits, because it's unlimited with license plates but weirdly limited by vin numbers

Manny05x > CCC (formerly CyclistCarCoexist)
06/29/2015 at 20:14

Here is the vin its in a dealer so I got no plate number. JM1BK344771765664

CCC (formerly CyclistCarCoexist) > Manny05x
06/29/2015 at 20:22

Kinja'd!!!

Manny05x > CCC (formerly CyclistCarCoexist)
06/29/2015 at 20:28

You are the man, thanks for that maybe I can use it to get the price down.

CCC (formerly CyclistCarCoexist) > Manny05x
06/29/2015 at 20:45

no prob, never a bad thing to help a opponaut.

Manny05x > CCC (formerly CyclistCarCoexist)
06/29/2015 at 20:57

Thanks, that's why I love this community.

NoneOfYourBiz > CCC (formerly CyclistCarCoexist)
06/29/2015 at 21:59

Occam’s Razor:

They went to the nearest scrapyard, found a 2012 Fiesta with a plate still stuck to it, pulled said plate to use for publicity photos.

Scrapyard cars often have sketchy histories so it fits.

Dsscats > CCC (formerly CyclistCarCoexist)
06/30/2015 at 00:10

*Takes plate off crashed Fiesta*

*Puts plate on non-US legal rally car*

????????

*DORIFTOS ON THE STREET*

Dusty Ventures > CCC (formerly CyclistCarCoexist)
07/04/2015 at 12:12

I can’t provide info on the license plate itself, but I can give a little info on rally cars. It’s not an R5 car, it’s a modified WRC car. (Side note, R5 cars aren’t anywhere near $500,000, prices are capped at $200,000 by the FIA.) Ken’s car is a street legal car, as all rally cars are required to be. Seriously, every rally car in the world. Even the crazy Dakar cars. Check out the license plates:

Kinja'd!!!

Returning to Ken’s car, my guess is the hinkiness comes from his car being the Euro-spec 2-door, as you pointed out. So while it may be built as a road legal car (yes, it has OBD-II, yes it could probably pass emissions), it’s techncailly probably not legal for ownership in the states. Hence the play with the license plate. That said, whatever they’re doing with plates and VINs is probably being done with the assistance of Ford Motor Company themselves. And if anyone would know how to make an irregular car “technically legal” it would be FoMoCo.

CCC (formerly CyclistCarCoexist) > Dusty Ventures
07/05/2015 at 22:18

oh.