Shed of the Week: SEAT Arosa Sport

Rare, quick (enough) and with a centre-exit exhaust - what more do you need?

This week, the Shed selection panel was faced with an agonising decision: Jag XJ6 3.2 Sport or SEAT Arosa Sport. The choice between a good big 'un and a good little 'un is always difficult. Happily, as long as you don't end up with a bad big 'un like Shed did on that fateful day in the Wigan Registry Office, you should be onto a winner either way.

Bring back more centre-exit exhausts

On this occasion the judges gave the nod to the good little 'un. Why? Well, XJ6 Sheds will be on the shelves for a while yet, but we might never get another chance to feature this hidden micro-gem from SEAT.

Those PHers who find themselves reading ladies' magazines in the smallest room may have seen the feature in which some stupidly priced haute couture dress is compared with one that looks the same but that can be snaffled from MandM or wherever for a fraction of the price. This Arosa is the MandM version of VW's performance Lupo.

It's not an exact analogy. The true red carpet, designer performance Lupo is of course the GTI 1.6, but finding a decent one of them for under £3,000 is now just as difficult as finding a normal human being at a Trump election rally.

For branding reasons, and to keep the Spaniards in their place, SEAT wasn't allowed to build a direct rival to the Lupo GTI. The Arosa Sport was SEAT's equivalent of the next one down in the Lupo range, the Lupo 1.4 Sport - and nowadays it's a rare beast. Fewer than 40 remain on UK roads. The Lupo Sport is, relatively speaking, as common as Mrs Shed's mum, with around 1,400 still scuttling about the place.

Should be sprightly with 100hp and less than 1,000kg

Ah but, you say, there's a more obvious reason for that: more Lupos were sold. Quite right. When the Arosa was launched in 1997, SEAT had nothing like the brand appeal of VW. Nobody wanted a shortened Ibiza when they knew that a shortened Polo with more badge cred and better resaleability was coming along a year later.

Over the past decade, VW's old strong arm approach of putting a tight leash on the junior partner's output has been replaced by a much more subtle branding policy. With all the launch differentiators long eroded away, we can now clearly see that these two superminis were one and the same. Yes, the SEAT was slightly longer than the VeeDub, not just in the body but in the wheelbase, but otherwise it had the same springy 16-valve 100hp motor and the same rollerskate agility that came from lightish weight (under 1,000kg, but not by as much as you might think). Best of all it had the bee-sting central exhaust that might make less well informed fellow road users think you were running a GTI.

These are fun little cars. The driving position and your access to it is good, visibility is great, the suspension is nicely firm, the performance is sprightly and the space in the back (titchy boot apart) is surprisingly acceptable.

And it even comes pre-scratched!

Weak points? Well, at the risk of perpetuating a stereotype, SEATs weren't the best built cars around back then. Doors can drop on their hinges. Having said that the SOTW's look OK from this distance. You might get some warnings on the dash, but at least some will be down to bogus sensors. Second gear synchro has been known to fail on the Sports, and some engines were replaced under warranty due to a problem with piston coatings. The dreaded plastic cambelt tensioner was used in this 1.4 16-valver. The goodish news is that the belt tends to stay put when the tensioner breaks. As it will.

The vendor comments on the sticky clutch. That could be the cable, but it's just as likely to be the pedal box. Earlier in the Lupo's lifetime many boxes were replaced FOC by VW dealers. Maybe this one slipped through the net and is now belatedly shouting for attention.

Despite the Arosa's diminutive dimensions, at least one of this car's owners has been under the impression that it will defy the laws of matter and anti-matter and squeeze through spaces that are smaller than itself. Luckily, bodywork blemishes never dulled the driving dynamics of any car. Nail an induction kit onto it and enjoy.

Here's the ad.

Hi,

Here for sale is my 2001 1.4 SEAT Arosa Sport.

It's been great economical run around that I will be sad to see go. Being the 100BHP Sport model it is very nippy around town and benefits from Alloy Wheels, Sports seats and a central exhaust system as standard.

Additional Details:
96k Miles
HPI Clear with print out
MOT until December 2016
Pioneer Head unit with CD, USB and AUX connectivity
Electric Windows
Central Locking
Power Steering

The interior is in very good condition as shown, sport seats are very supportive. 4 good tyres and it had recent wheel bearing replacement for the MOT.

The car does have a few scratches/ scuffs as expected for its age (pictured), but nothing that couldn't be sorted with a little TLC. The clutch pedal is slightly heavier than most but operates and works as it should, no judders/ slips. Not much in the way of paperwork.

The car is located in Walsall West Midlands, please feel free to contact me with any questions or to arrange a viewing.

Genuine reason for sale, thanks for looking.

Bargain at £895 OVNO.