SEAT

SEAT Leon: design Giorgetto Giugiaro and the first to exceed 150 hp 

The SEAT Leon won the 2021 Car of the Year trophy in Portugal, succeeding the Toyota Corolla. But the Spanish model is not new to this category, having already won the award in 2001 and 2014. Launched in 1999, the Leon was a compact car that was only available with a five-door body. It was based on the same platform as its “cousins” Volkswagen Golf, Audi A3 and Skoda Octavia and had almost everything in common with its “brother” SEAT Toledo.

It didn't take long to see the Leon establish itself in the European market and the distinction of winning the 2001 Car of the Year award in Portugal was a reflection of this. Interestingly, it was the second consecutive victory for the Spanish brand, which had won the trophy the previous year with Toledo.

Designed by Giorgetto Giugiaro, the first generation Leon marked SEAT's debut in the compact segment and was a pioneer in many other areas: the brand's first car to be produced simultaneously in two factories (Brussels and Martorell), the first with four-wheel drive and a six-speed gearbox and the first to exceed 150 hp.

With a distinctive image that helped set trends, the Leon also stood out in the construction field, as it had a completely galvanized body to protect it from corrosion, something that was not common in SEAT cars at that time. To this were added sophisticated extras — at least at the time… — such as the automatic opening of the petrol cap.

However, there were many points in common between these two models, starting with the platform, as mentioned above, and going through the interiors, where the dashboard derived from the first generation of the Audi A3 stood out. There was therefore no shortage of reasons to be interested in the first generation Leon, which was produced until May 2004 and sold more than 500,000 copies.

The model that SEAT needed...Ever since the Toledo was launched at the Barcelona Motor Show in 1991, there had been speculation about possible derivatives, such as a coupe version or a five-door hatchback.

With the launch of the Leon, SEAT not only filled one of these gaps but also reinforced its range with a model with a much sportier character than the Toledo, which had family responsibilities that the Leon did not need to fulfill.

The most powerful Leon had 225 hp...The Leon's petrol offering consisted of a 1.4 engine with 75 hp, a 1.6 with 100 hp and a 1.8 that in the naturally aspirated versions had 125 hp and that with a turbocharger produced 225 hp, in the Cupra R version launched in 2003. To these we still have to add the 2.8 VR6 (Cupra 4) that appeared in 2002 and that equipped the Leon with a naturally aspirated V6 block — with 24 valves — that produced 204 hp of power and 270 Nm of maximum torque.

This version, which came with a six-speed manual gearbox and all-wheel drive system, accelerated to 235 km/h and needed just 7.3 seconds to reach 100 km/h.

The only Diesel engine was a 1.9 in-line four-cylinder that was available with a 68 hp naturally aspirated version and with turbocharged versions of 90, 100, 110, 130 and 150 hp, all of them with direct injection and always associated with five or six-speed manual gearboxes.

Sports versions: FR and Cupra...The FR version stood out for having a chrome exhaust, different bumpers and gray mirror covers. In 2004, to mark the farewell of the first generation, the Spanish brand launched the Leon FR Special Edition, which had 17” Cupra wheels and the FR logo in red.

But the sportiest versions of the Leon line were inherited from the 1999 Toledo Concept Cupra and carried the name Cupra that would give rise, in 2018, to an independent brand within the SEAT group.

We are talking, as expected, about the Cupra versions, which had sportier bumpers, a huge oval chrome exhaust and more equipment.

The pinnacle of all this was the Cupra R versions(image above), which offered 225 hp of power and stood out for displaying an even more aggressive look, where the 18” wheels and Brembo brake calipers with perforated discs stood out. Furthermore, they had the name “Leon” right in the center of the rear gate, instead of appearing on the left, as in the more “conventional” versions.

And in the competition?...The first generation of the SEAT Leon Cupra R was the basis of a single-brand trophy contested in seven countries (Spain, United Kingdom, Germany, France, Italy, Hungary and Turkey) that began in 2003 and became known as the SEAT Leon Supercopa.

The car was developed by SEAT Sport itself and featured a 1.8 turbo block that produced 25 hp more than the street versions, for a total of 250 hp.

Entry into the World Touring Car Championship (WTCC) and the British Touring Car Championship (BTCC) would only happen in 2005, with the second-generation SEAT Leon, which would have an even more impressive commercial career, with more than 600,000 units sold.

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