valium
05-06-2003, 06:28 AM
SEAT Seeks Spanish Spotlight
While the Detroit, Frankfurt, Paris and Tokyo auto shows have a crowd of manufacturers all vying for attention on their home stage, the Barcelona show, which opened April 24, has just one -- VW's subsidiary SEAT. And while the show doesn't draw the international attention that the others do, for SEAT it's a major showcase, and the company usually has an interesting concept to show off its abilities. This year is no exception, and following its allotted role in the VW scheme of things -- to be an exciting Mediterranean-flavored brand that challenges Fiat's Alfa Romeo -- SEAT is showing a wild race-car concept that borrows its engine from Audi.
The Cupra GT is a mid-engined track car that is destined for an active life after the show. SEAT will build a limited number for sale to customers, starting later this year, and the car is expected to race in the Spanish national GT championship this season. The Audi-sourced 3.0-liter V-6 engine has twin turbos and develops 500 hp and 442 lb-ft of torque. The result is an estimated top speed of 180-plus mph and a 0-to-60 mph time of marginally over 4 seconds.
--more--<ul><li><a href="http://www.thecarconnection.com/index.asp?article=5997">http://www.thecarconnection.com/index.asp?article=5997</a</li></ul>
While the Detroit, Frankfurt, Paris and Tokyo auto shows have a crowd of manufacturers all vying for attention on their home stage, the Barcelona show, which opened April 24, has just one -- VW's subsidiary SEAT. And while the show doesn't draw the international attention that the others do, for SEAT it's a major showcase, and the company usually has an interesting concept to show off its abilities. This year is no exception, and following its allotted role in the VW scheme of things -- to be an exciting Mediterranean-flavored brand that challenges Fiat's Alfa Romeo -- SEAT is showing a wild race-car concept that borrows its engine from Audi.
The Cupra GT is a mid-engined track car that is destined for an active life after the show. SEAT will build a limited number for sale to customers, starting later this year, and the car is expected to race in the Spanish national GT championship this season. The Audi-sourced 3.0-liter V-6 engine has twin turbos and develops 500 hp and 442 lb-ft of torque. The result is an estimated top speed of 180-plus mph and a 0-to-60 mph time of marginally over 4 seconds.
--more--<ul><li><a href="http://www.thecarconnection.com/index.asp?article=5997">http://www.thecarconnection.com/index.asp?article=5997</a</li></ul>