Skip to main content

SEAT shocks with sporty, 330hp VW Leon Cup Racer show car

The annual Worthersee festival is meant to celebrate the Volkswagen GTI, but that doesn’t mean VW’s other divisions can’t get in on the fun.

Audi is bringing the TT ultra quattro concept, a lightened, track ready version of its fashionable sports car, and SEAT is bringing this beast: the Leon Cup Racer.

Never heard of SEAT? The brand formerly known as Sociedad Española de Automóviles de Turismo is Volkswagen’s Spanish division. It’s primarily known for making cheap cars based on VW platforms and old Audis, so we were very surprised to see this intimidating machine wearing a SEAT badge.

The Cup Racer is based on the Leon, a five-door hatchback, itself based on the brand new MQB platform that also underpins the redesigned Volkswagen Golf.

Throwing sensibility out the window, SEAT gave the Leon Cup Racer’s 2.0-liter turbocharged four-cylinder engine 330 horsepower and 258 pound-feet of torque.

Volkswagen’s ubiquitous six-speed dual-clutch automatic transmission keeps all of that power under control, along with an all-wheel drive system.

Buyers who are serious about taking this car to the track can exchange the DSG and electronic front differential for a more serious sequential gearbox and mechanical differential.

That’s a good thing, because the Leon Cup Racer’s enhanced looks scream “track day.” The widened body and giant rear spoiler aren’t exactly subtle but they look good on this hatchback. The same is true of the silver paint scheme and orange accents.

The Leon Cup Racer is all racecar on the inside, too. The spartan interior consists of a bucket seat for the driver, a roll cage, and a TFT digital instrument cluster. The dashboard, center console, and door panels are all made of carbon fiber.

Most of the cars Volkswagen brings to Worthersee are just for show, but the Leon Cup Racer will actually be for sale, sort of.

The SEAT isn’t street legal, but racing teams will be able to order it in either standard ($91,000) or endurance ($124,000) trims. Since SEATs aren’t sold in the United States, that offer obviously doesn’t apply for American GTI jockeys.

Do you want to put the SEAT Leon Cup Racer in your garage? Tell us in the comments.

Editors' Recommendations

Stephen Edelstein
Stephen is a freelance automotive journalist covering all things cars. He likes anything with four wheels, from classic cars…
The Apple Car was reportedly dubbed ‘the Bread Loaf’
A man checks his phone in an Apple retail store in Grand Central Terminal.

A 2020 prototype of the so-called "Apple Car" was dubbed "the Bread Loaf" for its looks, according to a Bloomberg report on Wednesday.

In a deep dive into the costly project, which Apple canceled last month, the report described the vehicle as “a white minivan with rounded sides, an all-glass roof, sliding doors, and whitewall tires [that] was designed to comfortably seat four people and inspired by the classic flower-power Volkswagen microbus.”

Read more
The Rivian R2 SUV is up for preorder for only $45,000
Rivian R2

You can now get a Rivian without spending more than $70,000. After months of rumors and leaks, Rivian has finally taken the wraps off of the Rivian R2, its newest SUV, and the first to be built on the new Rivian R2 platform. The R2 is built to be Rivian's "Model 3 moment," or its attempt to build a car that's more accessible to the general public and thus could be sold at a much higher volume than the R1S or R1T ever were.

The R2 certainly cuts some corners to achieve the lower price point, but it actually still has a lot going for it -- especially as an electric SUV in this price range. It goes up against the likes of the Tesla Model Y, Hyundai Ioniq 5, Mustang Mach-E, and Kia EV6, but it's much more of an SUV than a crossover-sized car and should appeal to those who want something larger and with Rivian's design sensibility.

Read more
The R3 is Rivian’s surprise electric crossover
Rivian R3

Rivian didn't just announce the R2 platform at its latest launch event -- in a surprise twist, it also announced the R3 crossover. The R3 is Rivian's smallest car yet, offering a size much closer to the likes of the Hyundai Ioniq 5 and Kia EV6 than the SUVs that came before it.

Of course, not only is the Rivian R3 smaller, but presumably, it's also cheaper. Rivian didn't reveal actual pricing for the car, but it did say that it would be less than the R2's $45,000 price. Also, it may be some time before we start seeing the R3 on the road -- the car will follow the R2, which isn't set to be available until the first half of 2026.

Read more