CAR (UK)

Connect 4

SEAT FLAGSHIPS

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68 years of profession­al badge engineerin­g has squeezed out four top-drawer Spanish cars

The new one

Tarraco (2018)

Named via public vote (after the ancient name of Tarragona), this seven-seater is Seat’s answer to the Skoda Kodiaq and VW Tiguan Allspace. All-wheel drive and DSG are optional, and a

warm plug-in-hybrid FR version is coming.

The mostly-Audi one

Exeo (2008 2013)

Finding itself lacking a saloon, Seat nicked the tooling for the 2004’2009 A4 from Ingolstadt and had it shipped to Martorell for a cheap win. Seat claimed it changed around 30 per cent

of the parts; nobody believed it.

The mostly-Fiat one

132 (1973 1982)

Basically a Fiat 132 but with a di†erent badge and a Seat-made engine. More than 100,000 were built in Barcelona, with a Mercedes-powered diesel engine available towards the end, shortly before the VW Group assumed complete control.

The irst one

1400 (1953 1963)

The original Seat used old Fiat parts designs, but manufactur­ed in Spain rather than shipped from Italy. Cutesy styling of the 1400 A (pictured) evolved into a dinky American

Dream-esque boulevard cruiser designed by Pininfarin­a.

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