Petersen Museum’s Brilliant New Ken Block Exhibit Helped Me Grieve The Passing Of A Childhood Hero

The tragic passing of American rally legend, vehicular Gymkhana innovator, Hoonigan founder and DC Shoe co-founder Ken Block in early 2023 devastated car enthusiasts. Block and his series of Gymkhana videos brought the excitement of motorsport to an audience of over half a billion people around the world, including this humble writer. Born in my hometown of Long Beach, California, Block’s jovial, unpretentious attitude and passion for motorsports resonated with me as an already car-obsessed early adolescent. The Petersen Automotive Museum in Los Angeles, California has a new exhibit dedicated to his myriad contributions, called “People’s Champ: The Impact Of Ken Block.” Open from now through October, it’s a fitting ode to the motorsports legend. I expected the exhibit to be impressive, but I didn’t expect it to help me process and grieve the passing of Block, one of my childhood heroes.

The Petersen is widely regarded as one of the finest automotive museums in the world, but the current selection of exhibits might be the most compelling I’ve ever seen there. The Ken Block exhibit is housed on the museum’s second floor in the Meyer Family Gallery, but crossing the threshold feels entirely transformative. When you enter the gallery, you get the same feeling that you do when you pass from Frontierland into Star Wars land at Disneyland California; you walk through the entrance and it’s as though you’ve entered the Ken Block dimension, where nothing else in the world exists or matters.

Three of his race suits stand tall on display as his affable voice plays over the speakers in the form of interviews and other sound bites. The interviews are broken up by the sound of Block vaporizing tires and turning fuel into noise as clips of his famous Gymkhana videos play on massive screens. Eight of the monumental vehicles that acted as his chariots of vehicular badassery in different eras of his career sit silently atop plinths, as though paying respects to their fallen champion.

One of my favorite things about Block was his openness to different marques. Many car guys have a firm allegiance to one or two brands, but this exhibit alone include Fords, Subarus, Porsches, and Audis. From the 2005 Subaru Impreza WRX STI that starred in the very first Gymkhana to the Hoonipigasus Porsche 911 SVRSR that was built for the 2022 Pikes Peak International Hill Climb, Block’s noble chariots stand proudly on display. Various pieces of memorabilia are encased in class along the perimeter of the exhibit, and a comprehensive timeline of his storied career occupies an entire wall. The floorplan is peppered with cars, including his 1965 Hoonicorn Ford Mustang, 1994 Ford Escort RS Cosworth, 1986 Ford RS200 Evolution, 2016 Ford Focus RS RX, 2022 Audi S1 E-Tron Hoonitron, 1977 Ford F-150 Hoonitruck, and my personal favorite, the 2008 Subaru Impreza WRX STI featured in Gymkhana Two.

As I sit on the bench facing the “Ain’t Care” wall of shrapnel that still vaguely resemble the car parts they were before Block pushed them to their limit, it finally sits in. Block’s voice comes across the gallery speakers, chills make their way across my skin, and I start to feel a lump in my throat; this man who brought joy, excitement, and inspiration to me and millions of other car nerds across the globe really has passed. I was fortunate enough to share spaces with Ken a couple times in my life, and though I never personally knew him, I felt intrinsically connected to him. I was 12 when the first Gymkhana video made waves on YouTube, and as a giant gawky pubescent car nerd it gave me hope. It inspired me to own my inexplicable infatuation with the automobile, and almost made it cool. This exhibit gives closure to those who have a personal connection to the cultural contributions of the late, great Ken Block, and gives the next generation a chance to learn about and witness why he was such an impactful figure.

Along with “People’s Champ,” The Petersen has several other brilliant and enthralling exhibits on display right now including “Best In Low: Lowrider Icons of the Street and Show,” “Cars are Beautiful: Mr. Brainwash @ The Petersen,” and “Modern Concepts: Future Visions from the Recent Past.” Each of these exhibits are beautifully curated and contain brilliant artwork and of course, unique, rare, and tantalizing cars. A docent told me that the current array of exhibits has drawn in a remarkably diverse crowd of car fans, including folks who wouldn’t normally feel at home in a museum, and I believe it. I implore anyone in the LA area to pay the museum a visit. There will be a cruise-in event on Saturday, April 5 and other events throughout the week that includes 4/3, National Ken Block Day. Visit the Petersen Automotive Museum website to learn more about ticket prices and hours.