Founded by rally icon Ken Block, Hoonigan is more than just a brand. It’s a celebration of speed, a community of passionate people who love cars too much, and a rebellious statement against boredom. But you may have noticed some of those people are leaving the brand.
Vin Anatra (@vin_tra) is one of the most recognizable faces of the Hoonigan channel, known for his awesome Porsches and BMWs. But on December 14th, he announced he was leaving Hoonigan. The reason? Without going into detail, he said “It’s not going in the direction I wanted,” adding that “doing the corporate thing” is not for him.
Hoonigan’s Hert (@hertlife) also announced he was leaving a few months ago, and he was even more coy with his response. The energetic JDM enthusiast just said he wanted to make more of the type of content he loves. Judging from the RX7 we saw at SEMA, that’s going pretty well.
Doing a bit of digging, it seems like Danger Dan, Suppy, John Chase and Alex Grimm have all quietly left. These people have created mini-communities within the Hoonigan brand, and it’s sad to see them gone.
Surprisingly, the demise of Hoonigan has nothing to do with Ken Block’s tragic death.
Wheel Pros is now Hoonigan
The Hoonigan we have today is not the same Hoonigan we know. The company was founded a decade ago in Long Beach and became synonymous with Gymkhana videos, some of the most iconic stunts ever captured on camera.
We’d also like to introduce a little company called Wheel Pros, founded 27 years ago by Randy White. They are extremely good at making money and buying other brands, like Black Rhino, ATX Series, Asanti, DUB, Falcon Shocks, Foose, Rotiform, TSW and more.
In 2021, Wheel Pros bought Hoonigan. This allowed Hoonigan to make even more expensive builds and have access to all of Wheel Pros’ stock of parts. They also brought the Throtl brand and store. However, the big move only just happened. On October 25th, 2023, Wheel Pros rebranded itself as Hoonigan effective immediately.
So now Hoonigan’s official website describes the company as a leader in automotive parts with “state-of-the-art distribution facilities,” which sounds nothing like the Hoonigan of old. It also says Hoonigan was founded in 1996, which it wasn’t; Wheel Pros was founded in 1996.
The community has been voicing concerns since 2021. And with all the dedicated enthusiasts that made Hoonigan what it was, like Vin and Hert, their concerns were justified. Were they encouraged to leave? We may never know, but we can at least support their new endeavors.
