Javillac
Four decades have passed since The first SEAT Ibiza left the factory in Barcelona on April 27, 1984.. There were many hopes placed on the new model, since the survival of the brand, which was going through one of its worst times after the breakup with Fiat, would depend on its acceptance in the market.
SEAT had a great team to design a new generation utility vehicle that could only have been born in the eighties, and whose commercial objectives transcended beyond Spanish borders. The brand was then in the sights of the successful Volkswagen group, so Porsche engineers worked on the new model, and the bodywork strokes were the work of Giorgetto Giugiaro inspired by a design discarded for the Golf MK2, while the interior was done by Karmann.
THE SUCCESS SEAT NEEDED
Although the car marked a before and after in the history of SEAT, it was still based on the SEAT Ronda, a product that was born from technology taken from Fiat. Initially it was only sold in three-door bodies and with 1,2 and 1,5 liter engines of 63 and 86 HP. respectively.
had to wait until 1986 for the offer to diversify, since it was not until the end of that year when the five-door version was introduced, which made many buyers opt for the model. That same year, the 903 cubic centimeter engine which it shared with the Panda and Marbella and which was the access mechanism of the Ibiza.
As for any self-respecting economic compact from the eighties, the Ibiza was only missing a sports version, and although a finish of this type was already announced at its presentation in 1984, it did not go on the market until 1988. The car was the Ibiza SXI, and It had a 1,5 liter engine equipped with Bosch injection and developed 100 HP in addition to having special finishes., as well as very attractive wheels.
In 1991 they updated the car aesthetically in the so-called Ibiza New Style, and the car also served as the image for the 1992 Barcelona Olympic Games. The first generation was manufactured until 1993 with more than 1,3 million units, and the saga continues to this day with more than 5 million cars sold in what is the best-selling Spanish vehicle in history.
THE IBIZA MK1 AROUND THE WORLD
Although the car had an infinite number of finishes and multiple versions, in other markets it had very unique units. The Ibiza was sold as far as Japan, but the Ibiza Brio is especially striking, which had a very particular body kit that was only sold in the United Kingdom.. In Germany the Ibiza SXI had a Turbo version that has his own article in LA ESCUDERÍA.
Images: Historic SEATs, SEAT
