Seat Leon Cupras….

[(steven)]

Still on the hunt for a replacement track car and have virtually given up on RWD due to the amount of sheds being sold for non-banger money.

A 172 clio is front runner but nervous about how much I will need to spend to bring one up to scratch. Mk1 Seat Leon Cupra’s seem to fall into the same price range and my gut tells me it’s likely to be better built.

Are these any good for track work? Being based on the golf probably isn’t a good start…

Oh and one last thing, I don't want to have to make too many modifications as the insurance starts going a little crazy....

[Mr.Jimbo]

Bear in mind, that for starters they are a bigger/heavier car, so brakes, tyres and probably fuel will all be more expensive.

I've no experience of either I'm afraid, but you do see a lot more Clios than Cupras (in my experience)

[Cabrony]

Literally bought one 3 days ago, had a honda civic sport 1.6 beforehand.

Never plan to track it but i've made a few observations over the last couple of days.

It feels heavy, steering feels heavy and slow compared to the civic, turn-in isnt as good as the civic.

I find the gear throw to be quite long; changing gear isnt the fastest. Though build quality is very good, much better than the mk4 golf i had in the past. It strikes me as more of a big cruiser; especially when compared to my friends civic type r; it feels alot softer and less brutal. Fuel consumption isnt too bad if you keep off boost.

Id definitely buy something a little more track focused if i were you.

[Rouleur]

I test drove a couple of Cupras (it's actually called the 20VT ) a few years ago and was underwhelmed. They're heavy, the steering lacks any directness or feel and they just feel lifeless in every way.

Can't think of anything other than the Honda as an alternative though!

[Olivera]

A Clio 172 will run rings round a standard Mk1 Leon Cupra on track, and I say that as a Leon owner!

[T180985]

Depending on your budget a civic type r might he worth looking at, you can pick them up fairly cheap now

[(steven)]

Cheers for the info guys, looks as though the Leon is off the list. Type R is a good shout but they are still commanding a bit more than I fancy paying.

Generation 7 celica's might be a good left field alternative. Not ultimately as sharp as the 172 but likely to be much more reliable.

[Ian_sUK]

If you're anywhere near the midlands there will be a load of us (clios) at donington on the 27th if you want to have a look and get some rides.

[AndrewO]

I ran a Gen6 Celica for 2yrs. Other than replacing the usual wear items it never missed a beat. Cross the GT4 version off the list, lots to go wrong with this heavy car. The Gen7 190 would be okay, just make sure the high lift bolts are changed regularly. A stripped out version, grippy tyres, TEIN suspension will be up with most FWD cars.

[Matt_N]

I guess you're looking at stuff around £2-£4k on the basis that you're looking at 172s and Leons?

If it is that sort of figure I'd be looking for something like one of the following:

- Track prepped or ex race car 205 / Mk1 or Mk2 Golf Gti
- BMW E30 325
- BMW E36 328
- BMW E36 M3
- JDM Integra Type R maybe
- VW Corrado 16v or VR6

[(steven)]

Matt_N said:

I guess you're looking at stuff around £2-£4k on the basis that you're looking at 172s and Leons?

If it is that sort of figure I'd be looking for something like one of the following:

- Track prepped or ex race car 205 / Mk1 or Mk2 Golf Gti
- BMW E30 325
- BMW E36 328
- BMW E36 M3
- JDM Integra Type R maybe
- VW Corrado 16v or VR6

Thanks for the list. I started out looking at E36's but there is hardly any saloon's left around here and all the coupes I looked at where over priced scrap. (£2K for a car with head gasket failure etc etc).


Corrado is an interesting idea I hadn't thought of......... A g60 could be fun

[8pot]

Corrados do handle well but the superchargers will be expensive to replace. I really like 205's, particularly with an Mi16 or GTI6 engine. The only snag is the oil surge issue on the mi, but pound for pound they would be loads of fun.

I still think I would get a clio though. Very similar to the 205 but newer, more power out of the box and plenty of tuning bits.

[Mastodon2]

I would never take my Cupra R 225 on a track (I have no interest in track driving myself) but at first glance it's not ideal for track use anyway. The brakes and tyres will take a pounding compared to smaller, lighter cars like 172s and 182s. On the track, the lighter weight of the smaller hot hatches would likely make them more fun to drive and let you attack corners with tighter lines.

The super hatch crowd (LCR 225s, Astra VXRs, Focus RS MK2s, RS Meganes etc) are all impressively quick cars but imo probably better suited to the road, where you often cannot always seem around a corner, so the "slowly in, hard out" style they have is more useful and fun.

[tickious]

http://www.pistonheads.co.uk/sales/2832757.htm

[TomJackUK]

I replaced my mk2 Golf at the start of the year with a Mk1 Leon Cupra. Now, I wasnt buying with the intention of tracking the car, but I wanted something fun. Clio 182 and Feista ST all crossed my mind, but I went for the Cupra as one came up for sale that was in great condition. Now the car is great, don't get me wrong, but I have a little voice in the back of my head telling me that I should have bought the 182. The Cupra just doesnt really tick the 'fun' box unfortunately. Seeing as you are after a track car, I would probably avoid.