Seat to debut its most powerful car

FRANKFURT: With its latest hot hatch, the Leon Cupra R, Seat appears to have hit upon the perfect formula -- unlimited performance coupled with very limited availability

Due to make its official debut at the Frankfurt motor show on Sept 12, the Cupra R is the latest in a growing line of cars that have earned their stripes through relentless Nurburgring testing.

When it goes on sale its production will be capped at exactly 799 units. And each one of those cars will be capable of outputting a minimum of 306hp that will be channelled directly to the car’s front wheels via a sixspeed manual gearbox. Making it the most powerful Seat in the company’s history.

To put that figure into context, the Ferrari 328 GTB, a V8engined dreamcar that adorned the bedroom wall of many a little boy in the mid-1980s and early 1990s could only boast 270hp.

To eradicate torque steer and to ensure that the car doesn’t understeer through the corners, Seat has altered the camber on the front axle to change the way the front tires grip the road. It also has an adaptive suspension control system that should help to keep the car from lifting at the rear, and these two changes, when coupled with the heavy carbon fibre exterior aerodynamic upgrades should ensure that all of that power can actually be used properly.

Seat won’t be revealing the car’s vital performance statistics until its official unveiling. — Relaxnews