Why the Hoonigan $1.2B BANKRUPTCY Situation is CRAZY

[@ThatDudeinBlue]

Favorite Hoonigan moment ever?

[@benklein2708]

The slammed 70s silver Mercedes, classy, cool, different.

[@justintrinchini3371]

Seeing Ryan Anderson in Sun Uva Digger tear up the burnyard

[@xBlueAutumnx]

Old yard DT was the best stuff back in the day. Just the randomness of it, people showing up and tearing up that small ass space.

[@黒キツネ-九零二一零]

not my favorite, but its my first gymkhana video. it was when ken block was hooning his WRX STI hatch around some abandoned warehouse. this was around '08-'09 (i was 7-8 years old at the time). and that's how i founded out about hoonigan

[@TeddyBremmer]

Ken Block Mustang

[@vin_tra]

Cool to hear we inspired you to get started. I used to joke that we paved the road for a lot of automotive YT… then we broke down on the side of the road and all the creators passed us. And that was years ago. Now it’s just a shell of a brand.

[@jordandwyer8196]

I've been watching you guys for years and I can't imagine how it would feel for you and the boys to see all of this go down.

[@vin_tra]

Name change- yes WP wanted to go public under Hoonigan because it was a most notable name. But instead they ran it into the ground. Which was hilarious because they didn’t care when guys like Hert, Brian, myself and then all the team left. But when the audience turned on them, they didn’t know how to handle it and they haven’t won them back since.

[@norberthofer5830]

I think its much simpler then that. They wanted to get their money and didn't care how they destroyed the brands. Suck all the money out and sell off all the assets and let the chips fall where they may. Let the banks eat it.

[@TheCreateOutdoors]

@@norberthofer5830 I think having working there, Vin knows what he is talking about. Not to discredit your opinion though.

[@TheCreateOutdoors]

I think it all comes back to the idea that corporations and businesses don't understand how KZbin works. Sure. maybe this series doesn't get as much views as another but that's not the point. It's not all about the dollar signs. I work for an auto parts company that never understood that from the start. The former studio manager was much more understanding about KZbin but if they tried something new and the first video didn't get as many views as the others the higher-ups axed it quick, they didn't even give it a chance to grow on viewers. He left before I started and was eventually replaced with someone who had a TV background, but that isn't always the same. Now the channel has millions of subscribers but gets only a couple thousand views on most videos for the first month. The OG subscribers dropped like flies.

[@cashlin86]

I work for wp and called this last year. Nobody wants to admit it but realtruck probly looking to buy.

[@NovaRedHead]

We(the audience) loved the OG Hoonigan guys and the vibe yall had.

[@Mopar_logic]

Private equity company ruined another brand.

[@deep_drift]

Yep, that’s what Private Equity firms do, buy up struggling businesses, do Nothing, and end up failing the company in the process.

[@Cakebattered]

Exactly. This is far from mismanagement. Its by design.

[@PigeonLaughter01]

Yup cash in on brand name while minimizing investment.

[@fallofthezombies1379]

​@conchobar its happening with everything so that there can only be one. Its not about loosing money now they will gain all the money back in the end

[@joealex65]

@@deep_drift But..... in this case, the "private equity firm" was the struggling business! They bought Hoonigan only for the IP name, nothing else, they were already in a deep hole and wanted to use the Hoonigan name to get out of said hole, it backfired.

[@thathemiguy]

It's sad to see the reputation of hoonigan get trashed the way it has ever since Ken died.

[@fallofthezombies1379]

It sux that hoonigan got sold in the first place.

[@devlintaylor9520]

I never knew hoonigan was a company, what did they sell? I thought it was a yt channel related to ken block

[@lpatierno84]

Ken never should've sold it

[@BigFatCaulk]

@@devlintaylor9520it became a company. Ken sold it

[@lennzuydervelt]

@@devlintaylor9520 Professional youtube channels are basically all registered company´s. They dont necessarily sell tangible products, but merch is exactly that, and sponsors in videos is another way to keep the company healthy among some other options. Views alone is usually not enough for even a basic income, espacially for company´s like hoonigan with (pre wheel pros)dozens of employees, cars and a huge space to maintain. Thatdudeinblue is Davids company for example, and the name its probably trademarked to protect himself against potential imposters. There are many other examples of company´s that sell nothing tangible, just their time/advice, like therapists, consultants etc.

[@breakupgoogle]

ill never forget manline

[@vetrivel1994]

Kikawa

[@kc550]

Micah had an epic manline in his E46. Will never forget that one.

[@uwu3130]

cant forget circlejerks :D

[@justintrinchini3371]

Donut Media will probably be next unfortunately, virtually all of the OGs have left which was the main reason why many of us were watching in the first place. It’s just not the same without James and Zack and the others

[@jcat96]

Wow how did you watch a 13 minute video and write all that in the 8 minutes the vids been up while not understanding a single thing that was said

[@hearmecluckin_7432]

​@@jcat96 life must be hard being this much of a loser

[@powertothesheeple5422]

@@jcat96 Probably watched the other 50+ videos out there that said the same thing over a month ago - Including the Donut and Hoonigan staff that left and all posted their "why we left" videos. Hoonigan and Donut started to suck over a year ago, most of us don't need the Dude in Blue to tell us what we already knew.

[@panthro5703]

Dude... wheel pros rebranded as hoonigan last year, amd it's technically wheel pros that's going bankrupt.

[@ImARealHumanPerson]

People in the comments here acting like industry experts always cracks me up 😅

[@Cakebattered]

Hoonigan got bought out, then the new owners take out tons of loans against Hoonigan to pay themselves back for the purchase and then some. They then leave Hoonigan holding the bag, while the owners already got their money back. We saw this with Toys R Us.

[@HorsepowerIndustries]

this is my exact thoughts as well.

[@lassikinnunen]

Not against hoonigan. Against their own business and the market crashed with other car related markets.

[@norberthofer5830]

This entire transformation started a year ago and was all planned out. Companies don't go bankrupt over night.

[@poolhalljunkie9]

Exactly. Either that or they're gonna pump and dump or asset strip.

[@anthonyrowland9072]

@@poolhalljunkie9 That's what happened to sears and k-mart by the same guy. They didn't "not adapt" to walmart or amazon, they were purposely sabotaged. That's what happened to red lobster too.

[@turboboy0]

i have been saying for a VERY VERY long time that it is sad what Hoonigan has become. they used to do soooo much awesome stuff and now the channel turned into "THIS VS THAT".

[@ChrisDriven]

I’m curious what’s an example of some of the things you used to like watching from Hoonigan

[@lassikinnunen]

Doing big gymkhana vids and stuff doesn't work out if the sponsor money is dry as it is now, block was good at scoring those deals but the marketing budgets were larger then too. Wheelpro themselves also would have had a major downturn in sales from the overall downturn.

[@kc550]

​​@ChrisDriven they'd have guests on to show off their whips and then shred the yard. All while Darnell/Dan were building the next fun thing to rip of their own. It was just a simple formula that worked for years.

[@anthonyrowland9072]

Carwow still going strong though!

[@Jonathan_Doe_]

Drag racing just doesn’t match the absurdity of people drifting the original (tiny) yard.

[@TheStorkSR]

Wheel Pros rebranding themselves as Hoonigan remains the second strangest business decision I've seen that has happened in recent years. You purchase Hoonigan and then immediately dilute the value of the brand you just purchased by slapping the name onto your corpo with no understanding as to why people latched onto it in the first place.

[@AlphaMachina]

Exactly. These companies are run by a bunch of braindead idiots.

[@cs1375]

Curious to know the first.

[@TheStorkSR]

@@cs1375 rebranding Twitter to X lol

[@NVMDSTEvil]

Maybe it was an attempt to keep the name alive

[@RwP223]

Sadly, it's non-car people taking control like wamin and transies.

[@904Saleen]

Sad to see this is how Hoonigan has ended up. I hope that someone or something can revive it back to the brand it once was.

[@AlphaMachina]

That can't happen. You can't recreate the magic that manline was without all of the people who were there, at that moment, in that place in their lives, the exact way that they were in their personalities. You can't recreate something like Daily Transmission. It happened. It's over. Let's remember it fondly, and hope that one day we can witness someone else capture their own magic. First it was MotorTrend. Donut. Hoonigan. This isn't just cars either, it's a lot of the big KZbin content creators that are coming apart at the seams. Gaming channels, tech channels, you name it, so many of them are dropping like flies. This is a deeper issue within KZbin itself. Google has the rot of a corporation succumbing to entropy.

[@REXae86]

That’s impossible. The people that gave it life moved on

[@Cannon_Fodder_Russians]

Thing come. Things go. That's life. The Block family cashed out and rightfully so. They had to move on with their lives and a heap of cash will hep their process of grieving.

[@KonnieW12]

Daily Transmission was part of my morning routine, damn

[@yota8325]

Was evening for me. Feels like so long ago

[@Thee_Sinner]

@@yota8325Been goin downhill since they changed from midnight video release to 8am release. Was the first sign that that there was some money cruncher trying to optimize the fun out of it…

[@KonnieW12]

@@Thee_Sinner yeah when it wasn’t in my inbox first thing in the morning (UK Time) I knew sumn was up

[@massgrave_]

over a BILLION dollars in debt? a BILLION???? holy smokes.

[@assassinxsteveo]

Pretty nuts…

[@travismorgan3252]

Blame 4WheelParts

[@TunaNoKetchup]

It's actually 1.8bill

[@StoneRiderM3]

Money washing

[@TunaNoKetchup]

@@StoneRiderM3 Most likely...

[@Mikey415abrea]

Wearing a hoonigan branded anything now, is like wearing a Tapout shirt lol.

[@daryl9799]

Everything popular ends up getting played out everything runs it's course.

[@3ooZyX]

Unless you have the old school shirts chase would draw those are still bad ass and old school

[@opinion56]

@@daryl9799 Well not all. Designer brands have been a thing for a century. its hard keeping relevant in anything though. Alot of work

[@JaredR1996]

I honestly never thought after Ken’s death it would go downhill like it did. On one hand I’m glad to see the OGs do their own own thing and branch out. On the other hand I miss the old gang. The chemistry with everyone was top notch and and a blast to watch. I miss those days but am excited to see where the others are at now

[@黒キツネ-九零二一零]

damn. ever since ken block died, hoonigan has been dilapidating. I'll give lia props for TRYING to keep hoonigan from hitting the ground, but even that didn't help. ...sucks that BBS and recaro also suffered the same fate. the companies that i grew up with are dying before my very eyes.

[@Treaxvour]

Nobody could have shouldered the weight of Ken's loss to hoonigan. It sucks when your parents pass and leave you something great that you aren't equipped to manage and maintain, and have to let it go, but it happens. She's just a kid, after all.

[@wobblysauce]

And it wasnt BBS and Recaro from Japan that had issues but the Euro side.

[@OG_ALviK]

BBS and Recaro going bankrupt was a certainty the moment when Germany's economy took a dip. They, together with many other german brands were just managing by thanks to germany's aggressive tax cuts and bonuses while on a overall growing economy. The moment the growth slowed, taxes came back and bonuses dried ip. And companies like BBS and Recaro went bust. Not the same thing happening to Hoonigan.

[@sparrowhawke8244]

I don’t think lia has been or would be able to do anything for hoonigan. She’s in the f1 academy with williams, racing in nitrocross, pursuing her own goals very separate from hoonigan. She hasn’t been on the channel for quite a while, I don’t think she has any say in the direction of the company

[@eddiegodat8263]

Ken sold hoonigan before he passed. Lia was just being paid as a talent to give her experience and get her name out. She has no say in the company and what has happened to it.

[@Jasontyo]

Hoonigan deserved better. Those early days of the games they played on the dock were just incredible. Now Hert's channel is the only thing that feels even a shred like the old hoonigan.

[@CrustyShackleford]

i miss the days when hoonigan was getting noise complaints from the local elementary school because of all the parking lot hooning... the raw nature of it that made it feel relatable and attainable. More production value does not equate to good content.

[@placeholder2924]

When I heard about this bankruptcy, my first response was "oh, since when did Hoonigan make wheels?" and then I found out it wasn't even really Hoonigan and they didn't make wheels. They sold them.

[@someperson7]

As someone that was in the Tech industry at the time of the AOL/Time Warner merger I remember being shocked that Time Warner bought AOL. AOL was already peaked and getting ready to crash hard. High Speed Internet was proliferating, AOL was dial up, everyone was embracing alternate browsers and AOLs browser was widely mocked. Their instant messenger product was cloned by Microsoft, Yahoo, and ICQ, and webmail was starting to beat out using a client for email. There was no reason at all for anyone to use AOL by that time unless they were already in the AOL ecosystem and the people that were in were getting made fun of as being non-technical. It was always going to fail hard and Time Warner just attached themselves to that sinking ship.

[@ThatDudeinBlue]

Great perspective! Thanks for sharing that. What a crazy time that was.

[@someperson7]

@@ThatDudeinBlue Thanks David, I appreciate what you do

[@niallk9336]

AIM was the only thing they had left -- but I think you're also underestimating it. It was the social media before social media. It was pre-Myspace social media. _Everyone_ used it, and that made it a homerun product. Once the majority of people buy into a social product and it becomes the default goto... it takes effort to screw it up. Time Warner let it die on the vine. AIM could have been Insta or TikTok... instead it fell into disuse when MySpace and Facebook came in.

[@Papajin68]

I don't recall any of my tech savvy friends using AOL at all back in the day. It may have been a big brand, but most "computer nerds" avoided AOL like the plague. I think it was mostly used by the less-than-tech-savvy masses for access, and I think it's "heyday" was actually prior to the internet being opened up for public access and really taking off. But even before that, most of my computer friends were using local BBS'es and FIDOnet for their online activities rather than AOL. Some may have been using CompuServe in the early days, but even that seemed relatively rare amongst the "nerds" of the time -- most of us had a modem and gravitated to a favorite local BBS or 2 or 3 for access or just ran our own. Weirdly, I can't remember past phone numbers or other tidbits of information that were important to me at one time, but somehow I can remember my BBS's Fidonet address (1:115/858) even though that information is utterly and completely worthless today.

[@j_rainsgoat3929]

Much like Sears buying K-Mart. As if Sears wasn't dealing with enough already n

[@kl3nd4thu]

Thanks for the video. I was initially confused how Hoonigan had racked up so much debt. I had no idea that Wheel Pros was that huge and that they bought Hoonigan and rebranded to Hoonigan.

[@CleanWhiteEvoX]

People say that hoonigan died with Ken… honestly it was going down before then. Ken’s passing was the final nail in the coffin. After all the things he did… all the craziness… the way he passed was so unsettling. He owned extreme sports and to pass the way he did was heartbreaking. Ken was an inspiration to a lot of us. And is the actual embodiment of hoonigan. I just hope Lia can live up to his legacy.

[@DavorZdralo]

I mean, he died doing an extreme sport. When you choose that lifestyle, it's honestly bound to happen, sooner or later.

[@Tony.795]

He didn't even do very crazy or dangerous things during his career like Travis Pastrana for example. His stuff was mellow by comparison.

[@turbo_tacozx118]

Ken block rolling in his grave rn.

[@Tony.795]

He wouldn't have sold it if he was so passionate about it. It was just another money cow to him.

[@Christian3522]

I was also baffled that Wheel Pros changed their name to Hoonigan. I have no idea how that would help with marketing as Hoonigan was never a Car part brand. They were just a lifestyle for the car world. If anything the rename made their rep worse. Pretty sure that is when I stopped watching them or even wearing anything they had.

[@williampalmer8052]

Sounds like the same corporate marketing geniuses that want to label every Ford car a Mustang.

[@mateomorales1653]

dammit we need a new name for these vehicles, but what? "the new mustang truck, the mustang suv, uh uh how about the mustang racing buttplug!?"

[@simeonyves5940]

They had to make the Mach E a Mustang to lower the Brands Emissions Levels in order to keep the Proper V8 Mustang Legal for Sale in Europe.

[@Necropheliac]

On the subject of not listening to employees: there’s a pretty enlightening post out there called “A peek at the inside of Wheel Pros/Hoonigan” that sheds light on the subject from someone who worked for them first hand.

[@istvanlorinczi2817]

8:20 Or, IN the car world, Saab. Independent company for many decades, bought out by GM, and then shut down in not even 15 years. Saab was a competitor to Opel, which had been (until a few years ago) GM's European brand for nearly a century. Don't know how much Saab interfered with Opel sales, but they still had to go, probably the same reason Pontiac and Holden had to as well

[@PSA78]

They refused to drop the quality or futures to Opel level and use standardised GM parts, they apparently continued to develop things despite being told and it didn't add up financially. Volvo had problems when Ford owned them as well, they wanted to use some Ford components and it wasn't up to quality so they had to abandon that idea (not sure if that's why it was sold). Turns out it costs money to develop and manufacture decent quality. 😄

[@RackAndOpinion_Official]

I personally stopped watching them like 4 years ago just got boring watching people with money building stuff and churning out content and can't even relate to but it's the smaller channels who struggle you actually feel connected too

[@TwoDollarGararge]

That's most car content the Amount of people that can do something cool with a small budget are over shadowed by the 20 that think a cold air intake and ebay exhaust is a build.

[@HansBelphegor]

​@@TwoDollarGararge fr my charger build videos only get 1k views and its a 23 392 bge swap build

[@TwoDollarGararge]

@HansBelphegor builds don't do well they retain a small core audience the first video, getting it running and finishing it at the end do well. A minority wants to see the tedious work of wiring or waiting a week because you got the wrong water pump or the month wait for rebuilt injectors. Most people just want the highlights and the dopamine hit for free.

[@NIAtoolkit]

Now the Hoonigan brand can be re-sold to a buyer who will be a better steward of the brand

[@androiduberalles]

More likely - some generic holding group will buy it and just do nothing with it

[@callofdookie1253]

to summarize the situation - Wheel Pros acquired Hoonigan, Wheel Pros rebrands to Hoonigan, Wheel Pros screwed the Hoonigan brand

[@capn_shawn]

Free market = build a product, save, expand carefully and bring everyone up with the company. Stupid market = build a product, leverage it all to make more $$ by selling to bigger $$ One path leads to respect, the other leads to corporate servitude.

[@TwoDollarGararge]

But sometimes you have to take a risk and you lose.Not every business works most fail.

[@shoryuag]

Why are you calling the first one the 'free market?' The free market allows for what you call the 'stupid market.' If you like market economics (I generally do), just use that term. Calling things that flourish in a freer (less regulated) market not 'free market' inadvertently runs cover for these kinds of behaviors. Stuff like what WheelPros did is a part of the endstate of a less-regulated, wealthy investor-owned, market economy where everything is commodified and forced to turn an expected amount of profit.

[@capn_shawn]

@@shoryuag please don’t get hung on my words for markets. I’ve seen soooooo many times : some group builds and builds just to sellout to some equity group for a big payout. They wake to find everyone gone, the knowledge base dried up and the workload doubled. Everyone built it, two guys got rich, the business closes. It’s stupid.

[@1983pivo]

I worked for Wheel Pros from 2012 to 2023 and watched all these acquisitions take place. It always felt like we were taking on more than we could handle. Should have never gotten involved with Hoonigan and just stuck to what we knew, which was wheels

[@eddiegodat8263]

Thank you for making this video. I was tagged or sent so many links to story’s about hoonigan filing bankruptcy last week, I started copy pasting replies telling then basically what you just said.

[@B_M_A]

Keep in mind it's not Hoonigan itself filing for bankruptcy, Wheel Pro's as a whole bought the company, renamed / rebranded and now they themselves are filing which unfortunately ropes in the Hoonigan name and legacy. Ken would be disgusted but I'm glad his family is set for life.

[@dankrafted]

I would say the biggest issue is when a big corp buys a smaller company, they dont fully understand what makes that company worth it. when presenters/builders started leaving Hoonigan it was because management wasnt letting them operate in the way they wanted and needed... the rebrand was a last ditch attempt to take whatever value was left in the brand, but simultaneously killed the value that was left, because most people like relatable companies, not mega corporations at least with things like hoonigan

[@angryroostercreations5194]

Buying up a bunch of other companies to expand the "brand" has not been working well for a lot of companies lately. Taking a profitable niche business and trying to turn it into a lifestyle brand rarely works. Usually it's down to Investors looking to find "untapped market potential" Who don't understand the brand they are invested in, trying to expand the customer base by sinking massive amounts of money into it. The Same thing Happened to Gibson guitars, Remington firearms (thanks to Freedom Group), and a lot of Game and movie studios are currently in a very similar precarious position right now. If you ever start something, it becomes successful, and you are passionate about it, NEVER go public with it. Investment capital, and a board of directors unfamiliar with your niche market will run it into the ground, and in the process will probably vote you out of your position at the company you started.

[@DaVe-iSnOtHoMe.MaN.LemmingsWeB]

The explanation your commenting is allllmost what really happens . The owners apparently have to much Liquid CASH AND if you think like Money . An what money would do . Ie if your company has multiple competitors in each market segment.. an if u have the capital an foresight if you can't drown or STARVE, your competitors, you BUY them out . Billionaire's want more more more . Monopoly... But couldn't be seen as a market segment monopoly because *separate brands ie* competition* regardless if their owned under 1 branding marketing etc GLOBAL CORP ....

[@angryroostercreations5194]

@@DaVe-iSnOtHoMe.MaN.LemmingsWeB Both happen. Buying out competition is real. Look at Disney, and Then what freedom group did to the gun industry. But some brands (like Gibson) tried to market themselves to non guitar players, and fell on their face. A lot of it is investors not understanding their customers and not marketing to them which causes the companies to take a steep dive. Thankfully though there are finally some trust busting suits being pushed for to break up some of the big tech companies, And the Entertainment industry (like disney, comcast, Sony, ect.) are about break up under their own weight/financial failures. A lot of massive corps are falling apart right now.

[@jeast417]

They bought up too many brands, taking on too much debt and heading into a very bad economy.

[@davesnothere8859]

bad economy? it's always a bad economy for some one. Record low unemployment and profits for big companies. This isn't because of the economy it is loading a company with debt, pull out the cash and shit can it. Private equity can fuck all the way off.

[@chrism3743]

​@@davesnothere8859You have zero idea what you are talking about.

[@Louzahsol]

You mean shareholders ran it into the ground as fast as they could? I’m shocked

[@UnitedNaishuns]

There’s an acronym I’ve heard entrepreneurs use that really pertains to this situation - “TMI” which means Too Many Initiatives. If you are very good at one thing and have excess capital from that one thing, it is easy to invest and lose your way into something outside of your wheelhouse. Now you are stuck with sinking assets outside your main cash flow which diverts attention from it, sinking the entire mess. Have seen it many times.

[@classicforreal]

Something I've learned in the 3D printing business is that on a planet with a population of nearly 8 billion now literally every single niche is crowded with people all trying to be the best at that one niche, and there can only be one "best". Claiming a niche and trying to be the best as a business strategy isn't gonna cut it anymore; in fact it just guarantees failure now. People need to wake up to the fact that we're all small fish in a giant ocean now.

[@davesnothere8859]

The day of the giant conglomerant is over, GE is no more.

[@SD401X]

Hoonigone

[@matty_isthemotto]

😂

[@GOGNLC]

As of today i quit my job at the dealership for this same reason love yall bois

[@sierratango6574]

Hopefully you have a good options at getting re-employed. Best wishes bro, unemployment can be tough.

[@RileyJohnson37]

I just realized how many brands Wheel Pros owns. It is crazy to think if they do end up fully going under and can't right their way, how many different parts companies, From suspensions, lighting, and wheels. American Force and American Racing could be gone. Fuel, XD, KMC, Teraflex, Motegi, Rotiform, Pro Comp, TSW, etc. Most of those are wheels, but Teraflex for jeep suspensions, lighting parts in other brands. Sheez... The devolution of car culture or people wanting to make their car their own probably has a large part in this. It makes some sense now why they'd own Hoonigan. To try to drum up car culture business, but they now have the ability of taking those brands down with them like a big burning cargo ship...

[@ralmslb]

That amount of money is pure negligence honestly... No one gets to the point of having over a billion in debt all the sudden...

[@williamford9564]

6:02: Road and Track says the total debt is $1.7 billion. The company's plan is to extinguish $1.2 billion of those debts in court and reorganize with $500 million of debt still on the books. I am not familiar with Wheel Pros, but I have a suspicion that a lot of this debt is Wheel Pros. Loans taken out to finance their acquisitions, including of Hoonigan and now they have run down or run out of cash to run the businesses day to day, pay their trade creditors and interest on the acquisition loans.

[@RantzCore]

I totally agree with going back to the roots of what was successful for the separate entities. You can not put an instant oil change and a McDonald's together and expect it to work. Going the Vin Wiki route of re-establishing Hoonigan culture through stories and clips is a solid move to bring the attention back to the Hoonigan name with the personalities currently involved there. Thanks for speaking on this, David! Peace. ✌️

[@TheJagjr4450]

Wheel Pros was probably funded by Private Equity, PE is notorious for doing leveraged buyouts then loading the new huge company with tons of debt, which as soon as one thing does not go correctly it forces the company into bankruptcy.

[@lisasims8334]

Wheel Pros was bought by private equity years ago and then slowly sliced the company down to nothing. It was a great company owned by 2 gentleman living in TX and then it all just went to shit.

[@Threedogsinatrenchcoat]

Why hoonigan actually went belly up: venture capital bought it tried to cheap out turn content to clickbait/ ragebait, ken passed, corporate disconnected from community and there is nothing vc loves more than collapsing companies for profit.

[@snakehead5444]

They went to crap when everyone left after Ken passed. RIP a legend and with him his creation

[@zerof0rce]

Man, I miss AOL Instant Messenger

[@ThatDudeinBlue]

“Smarterchild has messaged you”

[@dnukem1722]

I still had my aim for email till I was like 21 then I started getting really weird looks on job applications and stuff so I changed it but I’m still using aol mail 🤣

[@zerof0rce]

@@dnukem1722 lol good job keeping it so long. The drunken away messages on AIM people had in college were hilarious. Such simpler times.

[@vn.ninefive]

@@ThatDudeinBlue The OG ChatGPT

[@DucatiPaso750]

I used to buy my son a bunch of Hoonigan gear (shirts, jackets, stickers, etc) for his birthday and for Christmas for 3 years. We used to go to The Burnyard at Irwindale Speedway every time they had an event. Unfortunately, Ken Block's passing and the new ownership have been a nail in their coffin.

[@coyster530]

I definitely feel like this will be donut media soon if they're not careful

[@TwoDollarGararge]

Honestly, the latest stuff Nolan has been doing hasn't been that bad.

[@bryanmayes9234]

Hoonigan, Donut and richard holdner got me through the pandemic 🎉

[@VIP854]

I've definitely been out of the loop. I think your video was very well put together and got me up to speed with what's going on. Oh speaking of up to speed...

[@Hunt904]

You searched wheel pros when we needed wheels, you searched hoonigan when you wanted content.

[@plasmanade]

Kenny Block graduated from the same Highschool as i, many years before i. But he was always a cool, realistic example of a person who followed there dreams and made it

[@RiftWalker111]

I found Hoonigan on Dirt 2 with Ken and Foust amongst other drivers as a teen. It was so cool seeing gymkhana and got into cars, rally and motorsport even more.

[@rednexium4100]

The one thing I seen that summarized it up was coo they hired for hoonigan. I’m the picture they used he is wearing a tie and suit, hoonigan was about doing things with style and having fun, not sitting at an office chair with a suit and tie and being formal. The leadership really shows where the brand will go. Hoonigan didn’t need a suit and tie, it needed people that were about what hoonigan was. It’s sad to see so many companies build themselves up to this mass fame then sell themselves off to corporations that look at the dollars not the customers. When you sell yourself to a suit expect them to want you to wear them too. Car culture especially modern is not suits and ties, it’s t shirts and oil stained pants. It’s like baking a cake, you need a cook and a kitchen, not a surgeon and an operating room.

[@Carnerd101]

I appreciate your level-headed opinions.

[@artinist]

Great analysis

[@mrbeans2425]

ken passed and his 'friends" dropped the ball. it is very sad. the corporate greed took over and everything changed

[@Mobilegaming0624]

Honestly I thought I could watch this video but it’s heartbreaking even thinking of hoonigan going bankrupt. Could bring tears to my eyes.

[@pricepolice834]

❤It’s always about the people. Accountants often forget that.

[@MexicanusPrime-gc6zg]

It’s like what happened to the fast and furious franchise when Paul passed away; it just went downhill. As soon as a founder, expert, or just someone who was a leader in any franchise, goes away that franchise dies because the people taking over only care about making money quick and not the brand.

[@taznz1]

Fast and Furious 3 was the last true car movie, everything after that was a bad action flick with cars in it, the story lines and the stunts just got more and more ridiculous after that. Most of the later movies just defy physics at every turn, suspension of disbelief only get you so far and then it's just cringe worthy.

[@BrendanRios]

You are absolutely right about the company needing to connect with the following again, that will be the only way to swim to the surface

[@victorcatorz5731]

At around the start of the video you mentioned that being noticed by them ment you were cool. I think Hoonigan did cool things but this video made me realize where my problem with todays car culture began. Not just Hoonigan, around 2010 there were all these car related brands that were selling a life style and it brought in a lot of tourists.

[@Toyota4Life]

Car culture is dying … or near dead. People aren’t “building” cars anymore. People aren’t able to AFFORD building a car anymore and most people that are into cars are just going to get a newer more modern vehicle that’s already fast instead of dumping 25k into an old car that’s difficult to get parts for. The aftermarket car scene and car culture is a thing of the past… bbs and Recaro file for bankruptcy. Automotive KZbinrs are resorting to these ridiculous flamboyant expensive car builds that no one can relate to… just for clicks and likes. The content has run dry. Everything is 1000hp now… in the KZbin space everyone is chasing after the same vehicles. It’s all same content regurgitated over and over again as a lifelong car enthusiast I’m just calling it for what it is. The police / Goverment are cracking down HARD on anything they can. It’s coming to an end.

[@deep_drift]

Same reason as to why Street Takeovers are so popular, its no longer about car culture itself, rather its mentality of getting clout and this comment shows

[@Toyota4Life]

@@deep_drift when Car culture started getting popular on social media that’s when it became about clout… car culture used to be an underground thing.. It wasn’t something that was made public.

[@RADkate]

The culture unirunically died with haggard garage lol its never been the same since

[@anthonyrowland9072]

I love 1320video but they really helped start the "clout era" for cars. Everything got way too much too fast. "why is the EPA cracking down???" because you have a hoodstack exhaust off the turbo on your brand new mustang...

[@ddge2wildcard]

Cleet and legitstreetcars are still about reasonable rigs in my opinion. But you are right, most channels are doing crazy supercar rebuilds.

[@RyanFannon-fy1yf]

Your opinion is sound dude. There is a lot of us that feel the same way. Good video.

[@RyanDeClue]

Super happy to see them go under. They, and all who supported them, are solely responsible for the worst aspects of the automotive world. The takeovers, street “racing” (straight lines are NOT racing), and what is called “drifting” here in the USA. Not one of these companies disappearing, will be anything but beneficial.

[@vermontvermont9292]

God AOL , brings me back to the late 90s up all night chatting online.

[@sixpest]

Mee Tooo on that last note, Good video bro

[@jonathanmurray9393]

Gymkhana training was one of the reasons I got into "drifting" that Hawkeye was one of my dream cars and part of the reason I wanted an sti. I watched that video countless times. It sucks what's happend to the company but that's just too be expected when bigger corporations chew them up and spit them out.

[@Lil_Dill4]

I sorta stopped watching hoonigan when they were bought by wheels pros, the content changed don't get me wrong this vs that is nice and the off-road version was cool but for me it got stale real fast. I really enjoyed the OG Guys working on their each project car to compete in gymkhana grid but that was axed. With all the OGs gone I just follow their personal channel as I liked them. I would say I was more a Ken Block fan first hoonigan 2nd. It's sucks that it came to this because I remember my dad emailing me a link to gymkhana 3 and that is how I was introduced to Ken Block and hoonigan.

[@PROXY115]

I was kinda waiting for this video

[@TwoDollarGararge]

This is what brands do very few stick around they come and go, maybe lasting a decade, and the founder usually dies or gets wealthy its a for-profit business, not a charity.

[@marcasswellbmd6922]

Great Video.. No one got bashed for not paying their taxes and bills..

[@matthewmacdougall1647]

great explanation. feeling the same as a hardcore fan.

[@charliestone892]

I hate we lost Ken Block,but is that where it started to go down hill? I always rooted for those boys man and I’m more of a truck guy but love the Subie Sti and hope to own a blob or Hawkeye some day.and seeing Ken when he was with Subaru is what started my getting into rallye cars and racing in general.keep up the good content man! Hope Ga. Is treating ya well!! lol,salute from Milledgeville mane!!

[@taznz1]

The this VS that series was the being of the end, it was quick easy and cheap to make and people would watch it. It became that vs all the other content like builds etc. I think the Donk build was the thing I really enjoyed that they did, there was a story and passion to that build you really didn't see after that.

[@coyster530]

Ken Block is up there crying right now and embarrassed with what his company has become

[@Tony.795]

Maybe he shouldn't have sold it then.

[@ericcindycrowder7482]

Wheel bros put up a huge building near the Mall of Georgia. Don’t know if it’s just distribution or manufacturing, but it’s really big.

[@Cannon_Fodder_Russians]

Ken passed away RIP and the family CASHED OUT. Logical and the right thing to do.

[@Tony.795]

Ken sold Hoonigan long before he passed away.

[@Rebelranger-wr4yy]

Me patiently waiting for lia or og crew to buy honnigan back and start again. I also love how after ken blocks death, the og crew was so intent on keeping the channel as similar as possible, then they release a press release for the buyout

[@lukedanielgalon1596]

I have to agree your points especially theories since editing takes way more effort to do. That’s why I decided to upload only videos minimal editing since I do not have the time for editing

[@patrykrusin2501]

You re 100% right in everything you say here.

[@shaunybonny688]

My brother in law passed away about 6 months ago. He ran a wheel pros warehouse in Phx, AZ for years, this dude made huge money doing that, like 20-30k a month. I don’t see how they got into that much financial trouble that fast.

[@SlwlyKillenTime]

Sad what Hoonigan has turned into. You’d think they would have wanted to honor Ken and his legacy and keep the company going. More like they just wanted Hoonigan gone now.

[@DaVe-iSnOtHoMe.MaN.LemmingsWeB]

Hoon died when the accident happened . He never set out what would happen to the business in the event of its SOLE OWNER dying. Ie Accounts frozen, estate lawyers . Then because there wasn't a plan for a situation like this. The bills couldn't get paid . Employee's of over 10 years were promised bi weekly cheqs but how can a dead man sign anything.

[@pumpthebrakess]

It really sucks to see Hoonigan struggling! We're so grateful for our experiences with them. Every single person there was cool as shit and We're glad we got to meet most of them before they left. Hopefully they pull their shit together and get back to car culture not selling wheels.

[@TrVlogs82]

This is so sad man. To see what Ken Block built go down like this. Wheels pro office is here in Maryland to it's 40 mins from me. I want to go check it out one day.

[@Driago4]

Definitely, back to the Daily Transmission days where different guests would come on to show off their ride and do burnouts. That was my Favorite time as a HOONIGAN 🌟🔥🔥

[@Saabspeedmaniac2k6]

To me it is the same problem I have had working in the auto motive field. Management gets replaced with with people that are business graduates that can't change their own tire. I don't think a technician is great at running a business and I think the business side has any idea what people want. It has to be a collaboration to make it it work. I could go on for hours, point is don't pressure for money and don't over flood with technical. A proper balance is what is successful

[@Wormweed]

Shocking, big brand buys popular brand and destroys it.. Not seen that before have we..

[@AlphaMachina]

It's amazing how fast so many ventures are just falling apart.

[@LF-Productions]

Honestly I think we're in a new era of car content. Everyone has their own channels and making what they want. But yknow what? It aint that bad I watch all of them I follow everyone that left and they're all doing different stuff and its great

[@gaydes1012]

if hoonigan is done for I hope we can get another car lifestyle brand to take it's place in the scene, the aesthetic of hoonigan and the ideology influenced the car community so much, from the street art inspired brand image to the "do whatever damn the purists" vibe they had, the clothing being genuinely stylish and blending streetwear with the car community. it pushed the car scene forward a lot, both with the kind of stuff people were building and how people enjoyed their cars, we'll see what the future holds but if hoonigan is dead in the water it'll leave a big hole in the car community's heart for sure

[@NBSV1]

A lot of that may depend on Brian Scotto. Hopefully he branches out on his own or goes somewhere that will support him. He was a really big part of what made Hoonigan the way it was.

[@DownEastSaw]

This makes me so happy. Corporate companies need to stop buying little brands as money grabs. This will hopefully set a precedent and help dissuade corporate interests.

[@Tony.795]

The owners of said companies need to stop selling them. They're as much at fault as the companies buying them.

[@1BadRAMLimited]

Great perspective and insight know have a better picture of how this came to be.

[@Chad03Cobra]

The 04 Cobra 1320 Shirt!! I have it and love it

[@switzerland3696]

Probably similar to what happened with the electronics retailer Dick Smith, but they exited via a stock market listing, rather than just doing a runner, They made off with a cool half a billion in AUD, this time that got away with a lot more.

[@corsacrew3966]

Agree. Hardcore hoonigan followers should step up, get involved, and help the brand get back to what we all love 🏎️💨

[@theoriginalwallace]

I'll never not love Hoonigan. It gave me so much viewing pleasure over the years. But as time passes, things change. Corporate takeovers always lead to the demise of brands. At least we still have a massive selection of content to look back on and that can only be a good thing.