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Ford 3D-printed the manifold for Ken Block's 900-hp F-150 'Hoonitruck'

Ford claims it's the largest 3D-printed metal part ever put on a working vehicle.

Andrew Krok Reviews Editor / Cars
Cars are Andrew's jam, as is strawberry. After spending years as a regular ol' car fanatic, he started working his way through the echelons of the automotive industry, starting out as social-media director of a small European-focused garage outside of Chicago. From there, he moved to the editorial side, penning several written features in Total 911 Magazine before becoming a full-time auto writer, first for a local Chicago outlet and then for CNET Cars.
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This is an aluminum monster, not to be confused with the other Aluminum Monster.

 Ford

Ken Block has been doing wild stuff behind the wheel of vehicles for years now, and one of his latest cars required him to lean on the manufacturer's work in 3D printing.

In the process of building his 900-plus-horsepower "Hoonitruck," which stars in Block's new Gymkhana 10 video, it was determined that they'd need a big, complex intake manifold to supply the truck's twin-turbocharged 3.5-liter V6 with air. Off-the-shelf solutions clearly wouldn't be able to handle the air required to make all that power.

Thus, Ford Performance came to the rescue. Working with Ford's own engineers in Europe, as well as RWTH Aachen University in Germany, the team designed and 3D-printed an aluminum intake manifold that could handle the required volume of air. Ford claims it's the largest 3D-printed metal part ever installed on a functioning vehicle.

Watch this: This is the largest 3D-printed metal car part

While 3D printing has been working its way into the industry mostly via plastic, 3D-printing metal objects is gaining popularity, too. has already invested in the tech, and Bugatti used it to build a gnarly titanium brake caliper. HRE, an aftermarket wheel company, used 3D printing to assemble some of the wildest wheels I've ever seen, too.

The build process for Block's intake manifold took five days to complete, and if you're interested in seeing how everything came together, be sure to check out Ford Performance's video below.