SEATIbiza Cupra 1996 - 1999

　　Back in the days, Seat used to produce cars under the Fiat license.

　　Several decades later, Seat became part of the Volkswagen Group and they experienced more growth, Seat’s vehicles becoming very popular on the market.

　　Cupra became Seat’s performance brand producing its first standalone model in 2019.

　　Many years ago, Cupra was to Seat what AMG is to Mercedes.

　　It all started in 1996 when the Spanish brand released the Seat Ibiza Cupra, a hothatch powered by a VW 2.0-liter 16V engine that produced 150 hp. The unit was mated with a 6-speed manual gearbox that sent power to the front wheels.

　　It was not the first Cupra, but it was the first model that could be homologated for racing, as the previous versions were fitted with underpowered engines with a maximum output of 115 hp.

　　Aesthetically, the Cupra version could be easily be differentiated from the regular version, as it featured the CUPRA badges on the sides, had specific designed wheels and came with striking exterior paint colors.

　　Soon after the 1996 Cupra’s release, the Cupra 2 was added to the range. The model featured a modified interior design and a cabin fitted with partial-leather sport seats.

　　The 1996 Seat Ibiza Cupra could do 0-100 kmh/h in 8.2 seconds and had a top speed of 217 km/h.