Is Hoonigan DEAD?

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Today's video is about Hoonigan and their recent announcement that WheelPros, is now..Hoonigan. Hoonigan, is no longer Hoonigan. It's a bit confusing, but WheelPros had changed their name to the Hoonigan brand and the response from the community was...rough. Nowadays we've seen names like Brian S., Hert, and more leave the channel. The Hoonigans IG channel is pretty sales heavy and now people, are a bit worried. But what are your thoughts? Let me know below
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Timestamps
0:00 The Legacy of Hoonigan
1:00 The Best Car KZbin Channels
2:15 Hoonigan Is WheelPros
2:40 The History of Hoonigan
3:30 The History of WheelPros
3:45 The Purchase of Hoonigan
4:55 The Announcement Was Weird, Right?
6:55 Let's Talk about this Situation
8:00 Why Is This So Important?
10:30 Hoonigan Vs. Enthusiast
All music licensed through Epidemic Sound.
All video owned or licensed by Alex Martinez

[@AlexMartini.]

Subscribe if you haven't ✅ - bit.ly/3kXgWr0 Looking for car parts? 🙆Mod your car at MartiniWorks here - bit.ly/3mJVoCD MY THOUGHTS: I've followed Hoonigan for a minute and always loved their mindset. Gotta say, it influenced me when I went back into making content because I thought I got too "corporate" from my past life, haha. Seeing WheelPros buy Hoonigan it was only a matter of time, and the minds at Wheelpros are smart enough to not "hopefully" mess it up, but that's not to say it was a bit weird for them to wipe the history of Hoonigan completely from the site without any mention. It's like that one "History is written by the victors" except the audience they bought in 2021 know that Hoonigan's history is more than a wheel distribution company, so that feels a bit bleh. Overall I have big expectations for my homies at Wheelpros to not mess it up. I also have huge admiration for the team members that left to pursue their dreams and do what they feel is right given the circumstances and hope they all succeed in their own way. Who knows, maybe we'll see them spin up something even better than what Hoonigan was when it launched eh?! Let me know your thoughts below and thanks for watching! :)

[@agentorange9586]

THATS A RAPPPPPP

[@RafaelRodriguez-ph3vi]

I heard they where hiring

[@anon556]

​@@kylee.woyote7237the brand is long dead brother. Hoonigan died with Ken block. All that's left is a shell of a former giant.

[@ghostoftheunderloved]

For me, the "Death Blow" of the YT Channel was the end of Build Breakdowns and other showcases of other people's builds. The shift toward internal projects and the wringing out and pretty much over saturation of "This vs That" really killed my personal interest in keeping my viewership of the channel up. Even the Project Cars channel has this feel of an oversaturation of advertised products within it. Hoonigan as a Content Channel have really moved from a Media Machine to a Marketing Machine and it's unfortunate.

[@justinsellsreo]

yep, all of the originality and fun they had when they were in LB at the OG yard is gone. nowadays they start personal projects on the channel and never finish them (except vins bmw), they've eliminated all of the fan stuff like build breakdown and they make artificially competitive drag races on this versus that.

[@Kodama666]

amen to that build breakdown and some of the other similar shows they did were top tier hoonigan content, kinda surprised they never brought it back i feel like this was the sentiment of a lot of the community also shoutout Hert gonna miss seeing him on there, but i hope him and tpain do some cool shit that we can follow

[@baboost2994]

When they stopped yelling that's a wrap!! Is when I knew shit was changing. Still got good races though

[@minmogrovingstrongandhealthy]

The thing is back in 2020 YT simply stopped suggesting me car related channels I didn't realized at the time, nor really gave a F anymore, since I stopped bothering to own one. I live in Europe and I am fed up by the new laws, regulations, legal extortions, corporate scams etc. I can't own what I want therefore I am out. There is always a taxi or a bus, bike. Don't care anymore ... I have a moded Yugo that I cant register anymore, that I will drive on rally courses for my own enjoyment whenever I feel like it or will be even able to and that is it. Jay Leno's channel pop up then SAT which is a Serbian car program and everyone else kinda faded away, YT or internet in general doesn't suggest me any other car channels even tho seem like I am still subbed. I didnt even knew Ken Block passed until months later ... And few months back I had to resub to Mighty Car Mods. I use to watch all these popular channels YEARS ago and then slowly it faded away. Thanks to stupid Google and to what I mentioned about the new laws. On top of that today I am broke and depressed (EU is milking me dry, they already ki-led my father now they are ki--ing me) and watching people have these fake hyped up videos of car culture of having fun with cars would make me even more depressed knowing I wont be ever be a part of it anymore even if it would be an actual thing again. Most people I know either are d--d, broke just like me, vanished or ill. And the cycle repeats itself.

[@kumakendo]

This vs that definitely killed the channel. Then all the star power left when hert, danger dan, and supi moved on. And then most of their regular collaborators stopped working with them like the Vargas bros and bad daddy Braddy. But I knew the writing was on the wall way back in 2021 when John Chase left.

[@Kamisama1738]

It went from a car brand acting like a skate brand to just a brand.

[@MysteriousToe]

Best description

[@adruuun]

And now they sell there shit at zumiez😅

[@michaelmassucco993]

That's how every "hot brand"evolves, and then dies..seen this happen over and over with hundreds of cool things over the years.

[@barnburner3920]

that's a really accurate description.

[@marquisethomas5611]

Good point. I guess thats why it had that raw we're not trying to be cool but its still cool feeling. Like a couple dudes in a parking lot doing kick flips

[@casualcombine]

I feel like they are using Kens daughter as clickbait. It is cool to see her do these cool things, but I hate the way they market it.

[@AlexMartini.]

I'm not sure what they're doing there but I hope it's with clear and authentic reasons. The Ken/Lia all of that is super sensitive to so many people and I have faith that if Brian is still at the helm of pushing what content goes live that he wouldn't do it for a malicious reason. BUT, I don't know that so it's in the air for now.

[@AutoYoung]

WHAT?! Please, PLEASE explain...

[@justinmcgrane1429]

Scotto left Hoonigan like less than a month ago but will still work with them on some stuff.@@AlexMartini. Looks like they took the video down because I cant find it anymore.

[@xswagavelli7652]

Lmaoo they jus hype up her expanding and progressing her driving career…? Of course they want people to be hype and support her. I dont see the problem yet. Wheres the clickbait/bad “marketing” proof?

[@seanharrison6162]

All i can say is that they used it to launch her racing career with millions of eyes she just recently signed with Williams the F1 team(I'm sure they do other stuff that's just how I know them) which makes me feel like it was done to prove that she can pull an audience

[@dariosantos9445]

ALL I'MMA SAY IS THIS. They seem to be putting Lia in the spotlight, and that's cool and all. BUT. They better do right by that girl, not only because it's the correct thing to do. But also because of how many lives her dad touched, and influenced. Ken Block was an absolute legend, and an idol in the car world. I'm sure most of us feel the same way. They better not just use her, and the rest of the Block family as marketing or anything like that. I also agree, they better not fuck it up.

[@JustInvertedFpv]

She's going to be in driving in F1 Academy next season. I hope she does well!

[@ViperKillerWannabe]

I honestly think Lia is pretty safe for now. With her joining Williams she’s definitely going to be doing her own thing away from Hoonigan.

[@chads19761]

I believe after the full year of honoring her dad with her family Lia is now pursuing her own path with other support. Hoonigan will always be there but I believe after Pike's peak and some of the IG stories and hints following I think it is her path now. I am glad to see it though. Lia has the brightest future ahead of her. I believe there is also the 43 institute charity and Block house racing. Now she is of course doing F1 Academy and will be great for sure.

[@mojonojo3]

Im fairly sure HRD was not acquired by Wheelpros,

[@mojonojo3]

HRD = Blockhouse

[@pillarofdawn]

Feels kinda weird now with Hert leaving, Scotto stepping back a bit, and of course the passing of Ken. I really hope they can manage to keep what makes Hoonigan special.

[@aaronproctor4745]

Dan and Soupy too, all the good ones left

[@a-iz4pg]

Nope, you're gonna end up going down with the ship if you don't get off now.

[@yunglildick42069]

Vin left today as well, end of an era man

[@zwei94]

Vinny too now

[@pillarofdawn]

@@zwei94I just saw his vid, it sucks man :/

[@vin_tra]

Honestly this was a really well thought out and neutral vid. I always enjoy your content. Thanks for not being a clickbait dipshit with nonsense points. The funny thing about Hoonigan is that it was always much different than the audience was able to see. We all had real jobs and got to play youtubers when we had time. Also, It was always (partially) owned by bigger companies that dictated where we were headed. It was never a bunch of dumb kids with a yt channel. I say this because while this change is jarring and the media side of things has certainly fallen off, WP (now Hoonigan) has big plans and enough money to make it happen. Will it be the Hoonigan we all knew and loved, no. What will it be next, i have no idea but i know the intentions are good and there are people at the helm with a vision. And yes, we just wanna follow Wisconsin's lead but just with warm weather year round.

[@vin_tra]

Also best time of Hoonigan was def early DT days. We were such idiots. It was brutal at the time, so much work and flack from our bosses but it was def a case of you dont know your living the good ole days until they pass.

[@T-o-m-s]

@@vin_tra very cool of you to give your point of view. It's really what transpire from comments around the net, people didn't understand who you all where and how the company works. I was always impressed that you where host on the KZbin side but all had jobs (very important ones) on the other side. Thanks for the years of quality content and for the futur ones. Hope the best for your future (whether it's at Hoonigan or not). Day one french fan of the brand since the day the first Gymkhana hit the internet in the face!

[@sebastianl.1842]

Now that you're gone too, I don't know if hoonigan will be any good. The quality of the content has dropped considerably in the last two years. i wish you every success in whatever you'll be doing.

[@gregorholmes1837]

Boy some one signed something when they got canned. All I wanna know, with you guys gone who’s gona stand around n do nothing?

[@andrewharris7868]

@vin_tra it's cool from your prospective cause you know the behind the scene. but from the fan side we saw shenanigans we loved from the people we loved. Now it's all gone and we're a bit heartbroken.

[@Wazootdrifts]

I think the idea of Hoonigan (originally) will live on with us regardless of what happens, but I am very scared that on screen, that is now dead. It's been trending down for awhile now, and just seems like product placement now...

[@AlexMartini.]

Always loved the brand, and will continue to love it still. Just want to make sure the new leaders keep it as what it was; a badass brand that people loved; not another shell to sell tees through and not make dope content because it's "expensive"

[@Wazootdrifts]

@@AlexMartini. exactly!

[@rosgamer_original]

The fact that Wheel Pros is absorbing the Hoonigan name says it all. This is purely a business decision for profit gains; heart & principles of what Hoonigan was is secondary or irrelevant. Even more is I'm willing to bet they've calculated more than half of the Hoonigans will continue to stay loyal to the brand which is good enough in their eyes. IMO, the Hoonigan brand was like a great movie that led you thru an epic adventure, eventually it will come to an end.

[@seanmcmanus4243]

I only started watching them during Quarantine... but it hurts to see how far they've fallen. I love all the guys there, and it makes me sad to see people like Suppy and Hert who left.

[@Bularistan4o]

Suppy was a contractor actually.

[@TheTulerie]

I wasn't too sad to see hert go TBH. He made okayish content with hoonigan. But it was just the typical fuccboi builds with hert. If it wasn't a cambered out drift car with "Johnnys", then to him it wasn't cool. Watching dude diss the MORR Wrecker is what did it for me. That was a totally unique build that took a ton of effort & engineering that even if you weren't into off road stuff, you could appreciate. But he totally shit on it, just because it wasn't "cool" in his eyes.

[@andrewr022488]

If you haven’t, you need to go back and watch the DT episodes. That’s what made the channel what it is today!

[@W4RY3NTRY]

@@TheTulerie ive been saying that for years and i was called a hater. he never really did anything for hoonigan on camera. he would hold and film and you can easily tell it was him cause it was like he had parkinson's. it wouldnt stop shaking.

[@loudnotfast6063]

In my opinion, I feel like “peak hoonigan” was the 2016-19 era that I initially started on to be honest. Because of the fact of, like you said, they were pure and genuine and not in the interest of money. When daily trans was still going on, when build breakdown was happening, when they did build and battle. That era was peak/pinnacle. Essentially since Dan left, it hasn’t ever been the same since. I don’t think hoonigan is dead-dead yet but it does seem to be on the decline. I genuinely hope wheel pros does the hoonigan heritage right.

[@bigskinny42]

John Chase leaving was the start of the decline. His art created so much of what the HOONIGAN brand stood for and the YT channel was just the showcase of who they were. Agreed, Danger Dan really made building cars feel relatable. The end for me religiously watching HOONIGAN was when Suppy and the gang finished the Indy Truck. Hert went to do Hotwheels and Ken's passing really was the end of what HOONIGAN is/was to those of us who followed the brand for the last decade.

[@loudnotfast6063]

@@bigskinny42 absolutely agree

[@ashetonthedude]

I came to make a comment like this but found yours so I’ll reply here. For me peak hoonigan was og shop, banger edits, etc. long before all daily transmissions and such. It was still good but even then it felt much more commercialized. Now even more so.

[@loudnotfast6063]

@@ashetonthedude I understand the point you make, I never experienced that because I started watching around the time of gymkhana 5-7. I think about daily transmission 100ish. After the OG’s were gone, it just isn’t the same.

[@lavachemist]

Agreed 100%. Danger Dan leaving was the beginning of the end of Hoonigan as we knew it. Hert and Vin leaving is the official end of that era.

[@rorycaracciolo6814]

Watching them used to feel like watching a bunch of guys that you wished you could be friends with and hangout with just goofin around and genuinely enjoying every day. Now it feels like watching Billy Mays try to sell me stuff the whole time.

[@coreytrevor3910]

Thinks took a turn when they went from, lets film Hert fuck up his RX7 out back at midnight on a Thursday to "Ok guys here is what we are filming this week". I get the need for money but look at someone like LZ, he has a huge compound, parts and a ton of employees, the bigger you get with viewers the more money goes back into it. They are a victim of there own success in a way. Ken started DC because he wanted to make clothes that him and his friends could wear. He sold to pursue his motorsports dream. Hoonigan was a marketing/media company. It grew to this huge thing not because of Ken, but because of all the employees. Kens gone and that sucks and all the people we watched along the way are gone too. The brand isnt dead, it just evolved to a place where it was money instead of value.

[@jimmyrohde5304]

To me Hoonigan died with Ken. His personality made Hoonigan for me. He was a cool down to earth guy who loved his family. it was always clear to me where his priorities were. There is not another guy in the industry like him.

[@ntando_nje]

One of reasons i watched was because of the hosts and guests, Danger Dan, Suppy, Hert and Jon Chase amongst others were what made the channel cool, now that they're gone we're left with over compensating Had it not been for Hoonigan i wouldn't have known of the Vargas bros, Micah Diaz, Chuckles, Bisimoto, Larry Chen etc, they really broadened the automotive content i enjoy

[@witchcraftauto]

Same, I discovered a lot of those names too through the build breakdown videos.

[@scottstevenson8849]

Vin is going as well now, not the same without all the old boys in it.

[@cameronrobbins3521]

Same I discovered dde thru hoonigan

[@W4RY3NTRY]

larry chen would be a lot cooler if he shut up

[@DanBeanner-zo3ms]

Me aswell the brand is dead. Community is still here but the original core group has left. Basically the new owners are going to milk every dime they can out of it.

[@sloqlap7822]

This is basically when Ford made the Mach-E a Mustang.

[@therealpofo]

Ken created DC and the same thing happened with DC that is going to happen to Hoonigan. He built a profitable brand and before it became uncool he stepped aside to reap the benefits. Using that capital he was able to do more of what he loved. I would have loved to see his next creation and the countless people he would have inspired. You have to know when to move on and he knew when it was time.

[@W4RY3NTRY]

a lot of people dont know that and thats cool you pointed that out. ken seemed like a cool dude but i wouldnt want to be business partners with him.

[@pr3yanimal]

My biggest fear with this adoption of Hoonigan as a name, as a WHOLE for WheelPro, is that because of the major conglomerate basically taking their name in the wake of... whatever has been going on internally, they're going to be focusing far too much on profit. Which... I feel like defeats the whole purpose of "building something stupid and crazy and fun." Project cars as a whole, really. Some people can make money off of them, but that shouldn't even be anywhere Near the main goal, it should be to keep inspiring new and continuing faces in the community to set out and do whatever their heart wants within the automotive space. A solely profit-driven motive, even if it bolsters community in hopes of continuing that profit, is highly, highly worrying. I'm hoping they understood the original goal and spirit of Hoonigan, and it doesn't just get cannibalized.

[@pineywuds]

Private equity ruins most things that are fun and unique, sorry to say!

[@a-iz4pg]

Private equity only knows profit, and if they can't get any profit off it then they strip mine the business and sell it off for scrap.

[@botzachary9891]

My take is that the old Hoonigan is gone and can never return, it just isn't possible. The Hoonigan brand is now fully focused on marketing to the community that it created through a decade of all the awesome shit it has done, and shoving it into as much of the old Hoonigan content as they can still produce. That's what happens when companies like these are bought out by giant corporations. I still enjoy the content, but you can feel the drop off in quality as of late. However, the soul of Hoonigan will forever live on through the people who have watched it for so long, and I think that community will keep that energy alive no matter what happens. KB43VER

[@MrSeanman30]

It's what is happening to Donut Media to an extent.

[@eastsiderunn]

I remember the first daily transmission…it just ain’t the same no more

[@toddbrown4185]

Ken and Brian sold Hoonigan a few years ago. I know Brian has mentioned in the past that they had a deal to continue running the media for something like 5 years (I think that was in like 2018 or 2019). I feel like the fall of Hoonigan was long before Kens passing or Brian’s resignation. I think this is why Lia and Lucy made Block House racing, and people like Hert and Brian are starting to move on and think of the future. I hope they retire the brand and not run it into the ground, but it seems like wheel pros is turning it fully corporate

[@D3Vlicious]

As a marketing guy, i feels like the transition could be smoother if they had somebody who really understood Hoonigan in charge of communications. They could have had someone there to really steward the transition in the eyes of the core fans so that it doesn't alienate them and that the brand doesn't look like it's just becoming some corporate owned badge. Instead, they had the CEO just say the most boilerplate corporate marketing speak ever.

[@rationxlity]

well there's just no one there to do that transition they all left or planned to leave.

[@jasonmaldonado9756]

I saw a small reel video on Instagram, about a guy peeling off the Hoonigan sticker off his truck because the hoonigan he knew was dead, and I was kind of hurt seeing it, him peeling it off, with such sadness. I started watching them during quarantine and it was amazing, just car content on adrenaline, and that is natural. All of the guys, THE OG HOONIGAN, guys were in their most natural state. I had no idea that Wheelpro, who in my opinion will always be Wheelpro and not Hoonigan, bought them AND Throtl. I was noticing something different a few months back and most recently. Noticing that its been only THIS vs. THAT on the main channel, and its been a bit off and weird. I thought and felt like with Ken Block's passing, this really changed after that, with new people on the show giving a different vibe than the usual roudiness we see in TvT, and the OG guys leaving the channel. I understand some of the guys, like Dan, John, Hert, and others are doing their own thing now, which Is great for them I want to add. However, its missing the community aspect of the show, bringing local guys from LA or from other states to explain their builds, cheapo, rusted, used, or anything you can get from a junkyard or a backyard and put it together to make it run and say "I made this with my friends." Alex explained a lot of the questions I had before this video came out and he is right, its not looking like a community on the channel, and I hope it goes back to how it was, a community.

[@bigmike4923]

I watch almost everything that they put out and its still really good, but it does feel a little commercial at times. Obviously with a channel and brand of this size its hard to remain 100% relatable. I think they are going the right direction with the hoonigan project garage. I miss the old build breakdown/burnyard vids

[@kristian50]

There is a delicate balance between staying true to one's roots and succumbing to the pressures of mass appeal. If Hoonigan does not right the ship they will serve as a somber reflection on the consequences of trading authenticity for commercial gain.

[@Hogiewan1]

I’m late, but it meant something, got me back into cars when I needed some to get through personal struggles, and it’s been killed. I don’t mean it so seriously, but I’ve peeled all the Hoonigan stickers off most of my stuff. RIP KB

[@iloveyourmomalot1one]

It feels like they stole the love and loyalty that Hoonigan had built up over the years. Would be like Pepsi buying coke, then changing their name to Coke and changing the formula and deleting all mention of its history. It's disingenuous, dishonest and frankly disappointing.

[@K_Swap_The_World_69]

I've heard this news before, but I never really KNEW what was going on, thanks for clearing this up my guy! 💯👊🏽💯

[@MarkATfr]

Its sad to hear it but i think hoonigan has died, or atleast the one we fell inlove with. with so many people leaving the company till definitely not be the same as it was.

[@AlexMartini.]

It would be cool to see them bring new and exciting personalities to it and do a "V2" of it all. The old Hoonigan can be gone but that doesn't mean a new version can't be dope in its unique way.

[@Bob_Smith19]

@@AlexMartini.Reboots never work. Outside of Gary King Jr the new “talent” is straight garbage.

[@nolanthompson2701]

Enlightening video! It shares the sentiments of many of us. I went from watching Hoonigan daily, to not even watching every few months. As time grew, their authenticity and gritty feeling eroded. I wasn’t even aware that they were purchased which obviously had a lot to do with it. The absence of such characters as Danger Dan, Bad Daddy Braddy, Suppy, Hert, and others simply took the wind out of the sail for them.

[@matthewtamas8265]

kikawa

[@OnasaD]

Once Mr. Block went the whole team went… It’s always that one person holding the web together

[@jdmsnail2505]

Scotto was the reason most of them were there to begin with ? The company is expanding and changing if you think it's Ken's death shame on you

[@kweightthree]

Yes. It was a good run. Not all good things last forever.

[@Toyota4Life]

I think it’s just KZbin in general things are too dependent on people watching

[@lukebaker4693]

Wish I could share your optimism, but I think it's most likely downhill from here. I work for private equity clients, I know how they operate. They see an investment target with potential, they buy it, and then 9 times out of 10, proceed to gut the company and its key employees in order to remake it in their vision and 'add value'. Maybe that vision is in line with the vision of Hoonigan, but in my experience, when PE makes an acquisition, it's because they have a vision entirely at odds with the company's (and this usually leads to the exec team being fired and replaced in quick succession) It's probably no coincidence that a lot of Hoonigan's team have been leaving recently...

[@justaformer11b95]

I’m glad I scrolled the comments because you said this way more elegantly than I could have. I think you nailed it.

[@Bob_Smith19]

Nailed it. Hoonigan was bought for the name and it will be used to bleed customers dry until the name has no value anymore.

[@jackkrupka3024]

There are some very good points made in there. I will say i personally feel that hoonigans content has still stayed very much genuine and I do hope it stays that way and grows.

[@ripamoramee14]

Aside from y’all (all the way back to Fitment Ind. to now Martini Works) Mighty Car Mods and Gears and Gasoline have been some of my favorite car youtuber channels. Automotive Anatomy also kills it with build interviews. Then if I’m lookin for good ol fashion silly i got RcR

[@lightofscorpio]

smart move for them to change their name and sneak in. now Hoonigan is just a business to sell stuff. i dont know what connections they have to Kens family, and where Lia fits in all that. but if they mess things up with Lia, the worldwide community wont be happy. i want to see Lia do great things, as she is doing already.

[@MikePruszkowski]

I still go back and watch old Hoonigan. The og manline lot was iconic.

[@AbgehaX]

Scotto left, Vin left, Hert left, Ron left, Zac left, Suppy left... this list is not complete

[@jrdnhsnbrg]

Peak hoonigan was the build & battle series. That shit was awesome!

[@mattypp2298]

Dude u hit this spot on with the top 3 shoes that I I watch, earned yourself a follow plus I already follow ur other social medias so makes sense.

[@geeordonez6217]

Personally i think, all the original Hoonigans who left can make something again, with all that they've learned and the friends they created along the way. Ultimately, hoonigan isnt just the brand, its the people behind it.

[@RunningJoe]

All i gotta say is "powered by DDE", people have been sleeping on them! Can their clickbait be cringe yes BUT since Mike stepped in and now what looks like a Vin_Tra now helping in some way its about to get BIG with the OG hoonigan feel

[@edward4565]

i feel they have so much to grow!!! i hear some of my friends say its somewhat not relatable cus they use supercars but to me their content is hella fun, i mean their cars are. We can all be honest and say that trashing around supercars is hella entertaining. i agree on the cringe clickbait tho i wish they lessen it and just be more real, definitely got better tho over the years, stopped watching them few years back cus of it. if they get back to more driving videos and have their friends over more their viewership numbers are gonna up up up up up

[@jovannycaldera8207]

We just have to grow up one day but getting to meet hurt in person was amazing and thank you hoonigan for making my teenage years great 👍

[@PerkasetPXPodcast]

This make sense why Hertlife left. It became Corporate.

[@Toyota4Life]

Anytime corporate gets involved in anything it’s downhill. I work in corporate America, and I’m here to pay my bills and it’s a terrible place to be.

[@morganweast4228]

I know that I'm probably late to the party but I just subscribed to your channel. And yes I'm kinda well pissed about not being able to see the people who basically built "Hooningn" leaving.

[@saivyia]

Hoonigan that we know and loved is still fighting through corporate growing pains to exist. I am sure I am not the only one that hasn’t as engaged with the brand after Ken’s passing. It’s kind of a sad reminder that the great one has left us. I wish them all the best going forward and hopefully the core of hoonigan doesn’t get lost in the shuffle.

[@Toyota4Life]

Ken’s passing had nothing to do with the show as he wasn’t really on the show people like hert was definitely a bigger impact because you saw them every episode

[@chrisvalleqatsi]

I came to the brand fairly late, but definitely bought in to the squad vibe, and the whole Buncha Guys atmosphere for cool builds, motorsport (rally) - and of course Gymkhana. That couldn't have lasted forever, I suppose, certainly not when KB died. I used to swing by TSS and see the cars, chat with the guys there, and it was great. Now? I don't know who I'm dealing with. on YT, without Scotto, Hert, Suppy, Nads, Dan, Grimm -they don't have most of the people that brought me to (and for me, defined) the brand, and as much as I love the guys now - Vin Ron and Gary are legends, it feels like a whole new landscape, and I don't feel like it's about the cars and the guys - it's about the parts. Offroad T vs T is one big example. Hopefully Hoonigan will continue to entertain and I'll be there when it does, but I'm not buying any more shirts - it's just not as cool anymore. I'm definitely down with Block House, though.

[@blueskyfield]

All makes sense now. Great video! Thanks!

[@treepard]

The timing of the brand takeover is sus… like KB was the voice in the room keeping Hoonigan true to its roots and wheel pros took advantage of losing the guy who made Hoonigan what it was to cynically sell shit under their name

[@scott1hn]

Hey Alex, Skateboarding has gone through this with Nike and other big brand names with deep pocket. Things change . They alway do. Nobody owns automotive enthusiasm and it's different for everyone. Big biz is always coming to buy its way into stuff we like. Enjoy the show!

[@jameshaulenbeek5931]

I had to see what you were talking about in this video. I didn't realize what it had rebranded into. The website is gross. The prices they're charging are insane, and none of it is going to the charity set up in Ken Blocks name. Hert is awesome, Larry Chen is awesome, and I look forward to seeing what the other Hoonigan OGs get into, but the current brand is shit. I can definitely see why Nads left when he did.

[@glennarnold3970]

what would be the ideal scenario is scotto hert vin danger dan and the rest of the OG's should start something new together that would be awesome even if they are spread out over the country they all have a chemistry that is hard to replicate and i hope lia finds her own path but whatever happens i will be watching them all and supporting them all on their own channels cheers from down under

[@that_is_so_meta]

I think it’s pretty apparent that wheel pros long term vision was always to become a Holley competitor. They are buying up not just wheel brands but other aftermarket categories as well. The hoonigan brand name has wide influence and a premium value across the industry. They already bought it, why not use it. Good on them but what needs to happen is the preservation of the lifestyle product segment, content, and committing to reconfiguring the legacy Wheel Pros mission/vision to better fit the Hoonigan ethos.

[@thedonutmiata5135]

It hurts to see hoonigan going downhill because they are what really got me into modifying cars. Hell, I bought a fiesta st partially because Ken had one (RIP). And now they’re just not what they used to be. I miss the build biologies and having Hert in there.

[@graysonmcwilliams43]

I completely agree with you, I’ve been a fan of Ken block since I was 3 years old, and the hoonigan brand just didn’t feel as connected with the people and fans like it was when hoonigan first started, it feels so different,

[@MTNorville]

It's been weird since the HHIC died. But I felt like something was off long before that.

[@AlexMartini.]

Like a style or mood or what?

[@MTNorville]

@@AlexMartini. Both. People kept leaving, but we don’t really know if it’s amicable, especially after they thinned the staff and didn’t address it one on one after fans started asking.

[@snoopysmx5257]

Peak hoonigan was when they had build break down and would annually host the burn yard at Irwindale and winners of the burnout comp got featured on their channel I attended like 3 burn yard events and drove my car at one man those are some good memories meeting all the dudes at Hoonigan was cool sad most of my favorite dudes from hoonigan are no longer there Gary being the last standing

[@GSMMW]

Thank you for covering this topic.

[@benjaminbeebe9182]

I agree with you, sucks that it’s different now. Daily transmission days were the best! I actually know Scotto since 2000, old VW club days. I’m so fucking happy for him and his family. The sale was something him and Ken planned on from the start. I think we should be happy we got hoonigan, but change can be good. Maybe someone or some other group can start something good too. There’s room now, there’s need and desire in the community. Now is the time to grab the torch and run. Use hoonigan as a jump off and explore the possibilities.

[@dimitriwoodruff4615]

love that you still talk about ramen

[@duaneaguilera7963]

DDE took over the old Hoonigan building wait and see , DDE is going to fill an even bigger roll in the car culture seen !! , Thz Duane

[@alanmeadows4056]

Hoonigan has certainly felt 'off' last 6 months or so. Feels more like a out of touch business now than it does friends playing with their cars.

[@Yomotomen]

I do hope that they start branching out, this vs that isn’t low budget, but compared to what was going on before, it is less, i would like to see some more content in the form of going to events, like sema that just happened and the build breakdowns that kinda stuff that makes you go woah, thats cool man, and this vs that just doesn’t do it as much because, it’s always a drag race it’s in a straight line and it has to be fast, which is cool, but most hoonigans are slow for the power they have in the name of going sideways, i just would like them to branch out in terms of showing what is cool.

[@NateDog_WDE]

Yeah I really wish they would go back to the off the cuff interviews during this vs that instead of the more commercialized interviews that they do now. Watching the guys just goof around while poking on other peoples cars was always one of the most entertaining parts of this vs that for me.

[@carpNcoffee]

As soon as i saw Scottos instagram post announcing he was stepping back from Hoonigan to persue other avenues, i knew the Hoonigan i knew had truly took its last breath! Hes still staying around to ge Creative Producer for gymkana and other large projects.

[@Blaquer17]

Back in 2016 I worked my butt off to make 4 days of work get done in 3 on a work trip to California to get enough free time to road trip my way to the old garage in Long Beach (it was the ONLY way I was making a trip to California at that time in my life). I had to go to the car-guy mecca and get my overpriced hoodie, which remains my favorite and most worn hoodie to date. The fact that the brand itself no longer means HOONIGAN, but instead means some other dudes I frankly don't care about is just the worst. This morning, I dug out my formerly second favorite hoodie. and will be retiring my beloved Hoonigan hoodie.

[@CanceriousIG]

Hoonigan has been my favourite car show since I saw ken block drift that 2006 Subaru. they took my love and memories and turned it into a parts brand instead of a "fuck around" brand. this might actually kill Hoonigan for me

[@yuGtahT]

I've literally been rocking a hoonigan license plate frame on my 370Z for years because I wanted to support them... Now it seems that the frame has a whole new meaning :/

[@43Disciple]

2:21 love seeing my artwork out there, the fact that I brought that black/gold 43 piece to Ron and Scotto in person and it was put on that wall will always tell me the reason I support Hoonigan; the people. Faces changed over the years, but the core guys know. What they’re doing now isn’t what they want to be doing, I’m nearly sure of it, but Ken carried the popularity so much that they Were completely free to operate without corporate influence. That time has passed, now it’s about survival. I do think things come back around, they’re all building cars again, random series about trips are happening again. Ken used to be the catalyst for their outings, now they have to find their own adventures and it’s gonna be interesting to see what they do. Scotto, Ron and Vinny talk to us normies because they don’t ever want to Not be normal car guys. Enhanced abilities, funding and popularity aside, they insist on maintaining normalcy, they never wanted to coattail off of Ken, I don’t know if they will. I think they’re doing what feels appropriate, if you really look at it, it hasn’t even been a year since Ken passed away. The real ones never want to forget Ken, I’m sure some people would be stoked if they juiced as much KB content as possible every single day. But we all know that wouldn’t be proper. Ken wouldn’t want it either. In person, these are normal guys, some with louder personality than others. In reality I followed Ken since 2006 and I’ve followed Hoonigan since day 1. I miss the rat pack content on 621 Golden, but we might get something like that back, and for that I hang in there.

[@violetturner9248]

Ken himself knew what might come from a deal like this. Ken also knew that what he did was dangerous and what ultimately happened could; He wanted make sure that his family was taken care of. I applaud Ken for securing the Block Family’s future in life and in motorsports for many years to come.

[@user-od9iz9cv1w]

Really great point. I see it the same way. If he had not done this, then his enterprise would have passed with him and his family left in trouble. In hind sight he really did provide for them.

[@jeast417]

The old corporation is wearing the young cool brand as a skin suit

[@2fast2nick]

Peak Hoonigan was in Long Beach, Daily Transmission, Shit Car, Hert getting drunk and telling stories.

[@100BeastMike]

I miss Daily Transmission, the Field trips and tangents. Still would love to go out there and meet them but yeah things are different now 😢

[@Drumrdude03]

It does feel like it’s lost its soul a bit. They have always made great/crazy content, but I personally was invested in the chemistry between all the hoonigan staff. Scotto, Hert, Jon, Zach Vin, Ron and all the mechanics. Once everyone started venturing off on their own it felt different to me. Ken’s passing of course, was going to play a huge part of how they move forward. That moment I knew it would either never be the same or it would take a long time to get back to where it was. As a fan who has loved everything and spent so much just on merch 😂, I really hope they find their soul again. I hope the corporate overlords will see they need to be a separate entity that is not bound by any numbers and is only relevant and viable with pure creativity and just the right amount of insanity that they are known for.

[@coreytrevor3910]

Hoonigan did its job. The entire point to Hoonigan existing was to give Ken Block is own brand after DC. He could pursue his love of cars and motorsports and have all the media and marketing done in house. They employed all car people. SO guys like Hert, Zach, Vin, Dan, Soupy, Gary and a bunch of others could work on all of Ken's media and get it out there. It was great. They started taking advantage of YT and letting the boys showcase their projects and it took off. A lot of those dudes were great on camera and it showed. Really cool seeing them build cars and it felt closer to us. In the beginning they worked at night and after work so a lot of us made a connection to that. When sponsors starting throwing money and parts at them and they wanted to put out more and more it diluted the whole idea of Hoonigan. If you were those guys and you saw the money coming in it made sense to go out on your own.

[@dominicbustamante730]

Hoonigan use to be a lifestyle, and it is a group of friends who share the same passion for the automotive lifestyle. It is also a group of friend who build cool cars together, and who loves what they do.

[@K_Swap_The_World_69]

Let's GO Alex! -Hells- Yeah!

[@BryanHoefer]

Havent a bunch of the OG Hoonigan guys left? Thats a bad sign.

[@R19Robbin]

OG Hoonigan will always be legendary 🔥🔥

[@mickgrimes9078]

there was a very obvious drop off of content and quality after ken passed. im not surprised but its sad. i remember thinking when ken had passed that was going to destroy hoonigan.. the lia block hill climb was very very good tho.

[@jaydub5515]

With Ken gone, and everyone leaving, it's not really Hoonigan anymore

[@CorradoAlley]

I drove past the Hoonigan shop in Compton in October and the place was deserted but with a security guard sitting in the parking lot. The Security guard didn't give details but I got the impression that it more than just a closed day where people were elsewhere. Now the google site for the address says temporarily closed.

[@bay1.charlie]

Side topic - those RS hoodies are so damn comfortable 😅

[@ikampbush1722]

Much like Alex going out on his own can only assume the good guys hoonigan well start there own channel (like Hurc) make sure to follow them and give them time to grow.

[@stuart7337]

peak hoonigan was unprofessionals in my opinion seeing Rob and Hert going around track to track drifting was amazing

[@matthewkincaid1240]

So it's not just me feeling it huh. As a long time fan since the daily transmission days.... Well, I've been feeling that we're at the end of what I loved.

[@HoonTV]

Great video Alex

[@Racoltro]

Between Hurt & Brian's news of leaving something just feels off those two have been in it for the long haul and for them to "leave" hoonigan something is deffo going on behind the scenes

[@ninjamoto21]

U can’t also forget the good ol saabkyle04!!!

[@matthewasman9880]

6:28 exactly we love what it STOOD for

[@TJSpike]

Oh man I used to watch the ever living piss out of roadkill, it was an unhealthy obsession. But I'm sad that shows like that, hoonigan, mighty car mods, donut, even fitment industries now. Are gone now. Super super bummed. I'm going to make my own.

[@JeffPrince77]

don't forget that they bought 4wheelparts when you think about cutting out the distribution. The only thing left for them would be to buy something like discount tire.

[@James-po2sv]

This is your best take, Alex.

[@justinsellsreo]

if Hoonigan wasn't going to change Scotto and the rest wouldn't have left. On top of that, the fact that they haven't mentioned this really at all on the main Hoonigan YT channel tells me the ones that are left are only in it for a paycheck. can't blame them for that, but its not what it once was.

[@jaredslattery4584]

Brian "Scotto" didn't leave. Hurt left, but Brian is still there. Him and Ken started hoonigan. They are the new World Industries. *Edit- I stand corrected, Brian Scotto did leave. Seems it was a quiet announcement-

[@jaredslattery4584]

Now we need the new "Girl".

[@justinsellsreo]

@@jaredslattery4584brian only said he'd be back occasionally but he had officially taken another job with a completely different company. like any corporate takeover, he's got to stick around for awhile, but i doubt we ever see him again after 12 months or so.

[@Blaqs1]

@@jaredslattery4584 Scotto is long gone dude. Hoogain posted a video of him saying good bye and it was taken down. He no longer works there he said he would be back here and there, but he’s no longer in charge..

[@ShirahamaNeo-Tokyo]

On a recent 10 min video, it had a eBay motors, off road wheel and a miller welder advertisement spot. Ontop of KZbin midroll ads. Its getting way too much. Peak Hoonigan was the early days of Daily Transmission at the the Donut Factory in Long Beach. It was just fun.

[@santi3991]

Dan leaving, Scotto leaving, Hert kinda leaving too, Ken sadly gone and now Vin leaving too, hits hard man, you can see the change from a successful KZbin channel with a brand to a more corporate focused channel with a brand, they even sell their junk (parts from projects, etc.), while I dont like that I still enjoy their content. I have no problem with the new faces and I like pretty much everyone new, but the change of focus kinda worries my, I miss build breakdowns, daily transmissions and their "original" kind of content which had less edits and was more raw.

[@elijahgelinas610]

I gotta say old DT and shows like that were peak. Ken Blocks “man line” and all of the other stuff was perfect. It definitely dropped off and feels different now the it did years ago.

[@treshmiranda699]

Any one else remember Darnel the Og shop daddy, Kikawa and his funny chemistry with Hert, Brandon Kado's sus comments, Kyle the shredditor and his bad asstro van, Danger Dan and Chairslayer Rob finishing Shart Cart, Nasty Nads obsession with hondas, Bad Daddy Braddy showing up out of nowhere just to buy a t-shirt, Angel motorsports building rx7's, Daily Transmissions extending into fridays, Circle Jerks, Build breakdowns, D.T. Tangents...Ect, Ect... Those were the glory days of Hoonigan. Then the pandemic happened, and It all went down hill. They built that knuckle busters bmw and didn't do anything cool with it, Build breakdowns got really boring because the noise complaints were getting out of hand, then they whipped out a diesel powered Camaro that got a lot of hate. Did Danger Dan ever try the land speed record in that thing ? That was followed by an amalgamation of different project cars that were completed but never really showcased. The warthog build was cool but never went anywhere, Did Suppy ever finish his ls swapped rx7? Slay Poupon was cool for five minutes. Idk I feel like after 2020 the media machine began to wear itself out. 10/10 still a fan

[@jacob14163]

The ending of the KZbin videos that are gone sucks. To me as a viewer the brand might as well be dead. Build break down and daily transmission were so much fun, and is what car culture needed on KZbin.

[@jasonmarkwell8593]

Little confused. Did the wheel company you operated close up?? Your line about "ramen" had me curious. Have'nt seen your videos in a while.

[@l5robling]

Hoonigan will never be the same. They used to make decisions for the brand, now they make decisions for the BUSINESS. This is common of many automotive companies. Ken Block was the Sergio Marchionne of Hoonigan. Both companies are now ran by executive boards.

[@FCT8306onTwoWheels]

yup, big business taking over

[@Deificus]

I think the best way to put it is this: Hoonigan is a skinwalker. On the outside, at a very quick glance without even a second look, it looks kind of like the thing you remember... but you give it more than a glance? Stop and look it in the eyes: There's nothing there, the lights are out, the soul is gone. The people that made Hoonigan what it was, KB aside (rest his soul), still exist, may still work there, and are awesome... but they aren't Hoonigan. The history rests with them now and is just that: History.

[@CoyWhite]

I’m concerned this is about to be DC shoes when they were bought and became department store shoes with the entire DC street culture collapsing instantly. Same with Airwalk.