Javi Martin
The SEAT Ibiza, the undisputed protagonist from the first day of its launch, is a vital car for SEAT, a leading model in its category with respectable sales and is a benchmark in the segment. But this was not always the case and despite the fact that we want to recall one of its rarest and most unique versions, the SEAT Ibiza Twin-engine, we cannot ignore the beginnings of the model.
The creation of the Ibiza was an urgent need for SEAT, which also did not have many means to put into circulation a completely new model and, as if that were not enough, designed and developed by them from scratch. That made, among other things, use of the SEAT Ronda platform, which was an evolution of the one used in the SEAT Ritmo, whose design was the work of FIAT. However, the Ibiza has the honor of having been the first model that SEAT designed and developed alone.
It is true that this platform had already had a few years on its back and it was not exactly the last of the latest technically speaking, but SEAT was under the minimum and could not invest in a new one, although this also had some advantages such as a huge cabin for its segment . The rest of the car was the result of multiple industrial collaboration, with a body designed by Italdesign (the master Giugiaro), who recycled a project for the second generation of the Golf that Volkswagen rejected (at least it is what is said), Karmann helping in the industrialization and Porsche putting its knowledge for the technology of the legendary «System Porsche» engines.
The origins
SEAT Ibiza SXi
We already know the result of the sum of all the factors: the first generation of the SEAT Ibiza, whose first unit left the Barcelona Free Zone on April 27, 1.984 and that in 1.993 the Martorell plant opened. The SEAT Ibiza filled the gap in the Fura and no less than 1.308.461 units were sold from the first generation.
It was the beginning of the international projection of the brand with exports of 69% And it had countless variants of which, inevitably, the most sporty and powerful of all must be highlighted: the SEAT Ibiza SXi, which was fitted with the 1.500-cubic-centimeter "System Porsche" engine of 100 CV and which has a lot to do with the SEAT Ibiza Twin-engine (of this Ibiza, of the SXi, I can tell you several anecdotes since my first car was a black one, but I don't want to get too involved).
It was when the SEAT Ibiza SXi appeared, exactly where we wanted to go. That year the rarest Ibiza of all was created, which, let's not get confused, it was an external project to SEAT, although the brand participated in the creation and ended up building a unit in the image and likeness of the first. But we will tell you this later, that we are not in a hurry.
A complex project by José María Serviá
The architects of the SEAT Ibiza Twin-engine were José María Serviá and his trusted mechanic Valentín, who carried out the project in the Motor Park workshops in Barcelona. They used two 1.5 "System Porsche" engines with their respective gearboxes and clutch so that each drive unit took care of a pair of wheels, that is, a front motor to move the front wheels and another behind to move the rear wheels.
This, as expected, It was an important technical complexity, since both propulsion groups had to be coordinated since there was only an accelerator pedal, a clutch pedal and a gear selector and the idea was to avoid transmissions and intermediate differentials. The most complex, and always according to our sources, turned out to be the gearbox linkage, something that does not surprise me since it is something that is already delicate in a conventional car and here two transmissions had to be coordinated.
The use of two engines was another problem, the chassis was obviously not designed for this purpose.r, so it was solved with another no less complex idea: two front chassis sections. Thus, as is, including the McPherson suspension scheme, which was also much more efficient than the rigid axle with cross spring that the car had as standard (I assure you that the rigid axle with the original spring is a nuisance on poorly paved roads. when you go a little "happy"). To top it off, the rear engine did not have a cooling that we say, acceptable, which meant placing the air inlets that are right in the rear side windows.
Therefore, Under the seemingly conventional body of the SEAT Ibiza Twin-engine, two joined front parts are hidden, with two 1.5 "System Porsche" engines with their respective gearboxes and clutch that also had a short groupset and self-locking for each axle, as well as two McPherson suspension schemes designed for the front axle. What a panorama… But the duplicate elements do not end here, as the control panel had two contacts, two revolution counters, two temperature gauges and two other oil pressure gauges.
Good performance and some remarkable results
Altogether, 250 hp were delivered to the ground, 125 hp drawn from each engine after some modifications. However, they are not exact figures, because according to the source, there were 132 hp per engine, offering a total of 264 hp. The performance was very good, but its set-up and driving were a bit delicate.. Serviá mentioned that the cabin was very hot because the second engine, the rear, was not isolated and also commented that the acceleration inertia made the front engine work between 1.500 and 2.000 revolutions higher than the rear. And there was no power steering, which made riding a remarkable physical exercise.
SEAT, through the, at that time, just created SEAT Sport, ended up manufacturing another unit exactly the same to which José María and Valentín created, with the exception that the mechanics reached 140 hp, and this data is accurate and correct, since SEAT itself confirmed it by sending the SEAT Ibiza Twin Engine technical sheet.
SEAT Ibiza Kit Car, World Champion in 1996, 1997 and 1998 in the «two-liter» category
With the curious "1.5 X 1.5" logo on the tailgate, the adventure lasted only three seasons, 1.986, 1.987 and 1.988, with Serviá in the car that he built himself and Toni Rius in the one made by SEAT Sport, achieving several victories in the Spanish Gravel Rally Championship, where he finished runner-up in seasons 86 and 87, being third in 1.988.
While it is true that the version with the most number of titles in rallies and truly recognized worldwide is the spectacular SEAT Ibiza Kit Car, which was made with the titles of 1.996, 1.997 and 1.998, The SEAT Ibiza Twin-engine is a 100% national racing car that appeared when the brand was not at its best and in addition, it is the most racing and surprising version of the first generation of the model. The intention was to register the car in Group S. but the cancellation of Group B, and therefore Group S, defeated SEAT's objectives and the Ibiza Twin could only compete in homeland.
