Javi Martin
SEAT, at this very moment, seems to be on the ropes. There are many rumors that point in an unfriendly direction: that the brand is cornered. All in favor of the other brand of the house, CUPRA, a label that was born as the sportiest aspect of SEAT and that this year it has almost doubled its sales.
In fact, there is a detail that anticipated this future: the CUPRA Born was actually a SEAT, a prototype electric vehicle, a first cousin of the Volkswagen ID.3, which was presented in 2019 under the name of SEAT el-Born. Nevertheless, soon became a CUPRA, leaving SEAT without an electric car.
The history of the Spanish company has always been marked with uncertainty. During its first years, sponsored by the Spanish central government, and almost without rivals, SEAT was able to grow and expand its power throughout Spain. On the other hand, the agreements with Fiat almost did not allow it to export and create an international image that would allow it to expand commercially.
When SEAT and Fiat parted ways, in the Barcelona Free Trade Zone they saw each other, as they say, with one hand in front and the other behind. SEAT did not have the capacity to develop a vehicle on its own and risk, neither technically nor economically speaking.
They had to take advantage of what they already had and try to get ahead, appearing the SEAT Ronda, basically a SEAT Ritmo with many modifications, but a Ritmo nonetheless.
THE SEAT IBIZA ARRIVES
After the Ronda came the car that really was a real leap of faith: the Seat Ibiza, a model that has reached our days thanks to its enormous sales success. The Ibiza is the greatest success story of the Spanish firm Since its launch in 1984, it has been a true renaissance for the brand, which has emerged from the combination of the work of different companies.
The design was the work of Giugiaro –It is said that it was a proposal for the Golf II rejected by Volkswagen– and the platform was that of the Ronda, revised and adapted. The engines were outsourced development to Porsche, who had already debuted with the Ronda.
In addition, he had a diesel block of 1,7 liters and 55 CV. However, it earned numerous media accolades such as Coach, who after testing a unit in 1984 with a 1.2 System Porsche engine, said: “This first real SEAT must be taken very seriously. In terms of SEAT, tomorrow is coming…”.
They also came to say “The car feels potentially fun in terms of performance. It accelerates willingly and has a good distribution of power, delivered smoothly, but not quietly.".
The Ibiza became the best-selling SEAT in the range, accounting for 65% of sales and exporting like no SEAT would have done before. Only one thing was needed for the image of the car and for SEAT itself to gain more weight in the market and increase its credibility and acceptance: a sports version.
With a version with more punch, it would be achieved conquer new customers and the image of the model would be improved. Audi, for example, used this strategy to become the premium label it is today, although SEAT, of course, did not need to aim as high.
The Spanish firm only needed have your own “GTI”, as other manufacturers had done at the time. A trend that Volkswagen created with its first Golf GTI.
THE SXI IS BORN, THE FIRST “SPORTY” SEAT IBIZA
Precisely Volkswagen was the one who spurred that sports version. In 1986, the German company became controlling shareholder, acquiring 51% of the company. When the first agreement was signed in 1982, Volkswagen promised to help SEAT sell its cars outside of Spain.
While SEAT would manufacture in the Free Zone some Audi and Volkswagen models, but in 1986 they sought a greater presence in the company's decisions and greater control of all matters that concern a company the size of an automobile manufacturer.
The fruits of this intervention by Volkswagen began to be seen when the SEAT Ibiza SXi, the long-awaited sports variant of the SEAT utility. Volkswagen prevented the GTI name from being used – as Peugeot did with some of its models – although some time later it did use it.
The block was chosen 1.5 System Porsche from 1.461 cm3, developed by Porsche, which produced 85 hp, but a Bosch LE-2 Jetronic injection system was installed, with which it was able to extract an additional 15 hp, reaching 100 hp at 5.900 revs and 128 Nm at 4.700 revs.
This version of the engine it was only available for Ibiza SXi, although it is evident that by power, the Ibiza SXi was not in a position to face the roosters of the corral, the Peugeot 205 GTi and Renault Supercinco GT Turbo. The Ford Fiesta XR2 if it was relatively close in terms of performance, because equipped with a .6 atmospheric 96 hp at 6.000 revolutions.
STRIKING AESTHETIC
Certainly this first iteration of a sporty Ibiza, actually, it was not very sporty. It could be said that it was more “dynamic”, thanks to suspensions that were somewhat firmer –specifically the shock absorbers–, the rest was exactly the same as in the rest of the models in the range. It wasn't particularly fast, either, with acceleration of 0 to 100 km / h in 10,8 seconds and a maximum speed of 183 km/h, although they were figures consistent with its power level.
Where yes highlighted the Ibiza SXi was in image, which can be considered, perhaps, the best of, car. They resorted to a very eighties solution, adding black plastic elements to the lower part of the body, some new bumpers –the front ones with integrated yellow fog lights– and some essential red lines crossing these elements.
Back was included a small spoiler made of a very characteristic rubbery material, while some “SXi” emblems were placed in different places on the body and the whole set was completed with some beautiful 14-inch multi-spoke wheels, shod with 165/65 HR tires.
IN GERMANY THEY FOUND A SOLUTION: A TURBO!
With the SEAT Ibiza SXi, the aim was to offer a more interesting option in the range, a more dynamic and striking version, but far from the sportiness that cars such as the aforementioned FIAT Uno Turbo ie or Peugeot 205 GTi did offer, they could not even cope with the Ford Fiesta XR2 despite having similar power.
It was the platform itself that set the limits, a platform that, let us remember, derived from the Fiat Ritmo; he was about 10 years old – the Ritmo was launched on the market in 1978. The rear suspension, with leaf springs, was archaic and the suspension setting was somewhat unbalanced between the axles, with a softer front end than the rear, causing the inside rear wheel to take positive camber and even come off when there was strong lateral support. much off the ground.
It must also be understood that, at that time, SEAT was not in a position to get involved in developments that were too complicated and, obviously, expensive.
However, although the Spanish brand was not in a position to jump into the pool without first noticing if it had water, it seems that there was an extremely rare version of the Ibiza SXi, which was sold in Germany and Switzerland, a version equipped with a turbo! Yes, a SEAT Ibiza SXi Turbo.
The information available is very limited and depending on the source, the origin of the SEAT Ibiza SXi Turbo And their benefits are very different. Thus, one of the theories is that the brand created a very limited edition, intended to be sold to a few German businessmen linked to Volkswagen, although later some units were sold to individuals in both Germany and Switzerland.
The version for the German gyrfalcons yielded, according to the source consulted, nothing less than 140 CV, while the other “only” announced 120 CV, of which very few units were sold.
Regarding the other available data, which are more numerous and perhaps more accurate, they speak of a turbo version with 109 hp, which, it seems, was sold in Germany in a print run of 200 copies. It had specific details such as the seats –more enveloping and with specific upholstery– and a sportier three-spoke steering wheel.
There is even another possibility, which is certain that a company of Swiss origin developed a kit to install a turbo to the Ibiza SXi with which 108 CV was achieved –very similar to the case of the German version–.
There is an anecdote about this SEAT Ibiza SXi Turbo and is that the actor Imanol AriasHe declared on a television program that he had an Ibiza Turbo with which he would go 120 km/h between traffic lights.
