NEWS: SEAT Leon 280 DSG Breaks FWD Production Car Ring Record

SEAT's Leon Cupra 280 DSG has just set a new FWD production car record at the Nurburgring Nordschleife – with a belting time of just 7:58.4 minutes, in the hands of Spanish driver Jordi Gené, with an average speed of 96mph and hitting a peak at 150mph: Impressive! No wonder then that sales for the Spanish, VAG brand are up 10.6%!
The car used to set the amazing lap time was a production-specification Leon Cupra 280 DSG, equipped with an optional Performance Pack – loaded with Brembo high-performance brakes, specially designed 19-inch alloy wheels and Michelin Pilot Sport Cup 2 tyres.
Formally announcing the record at the Spanish company’s Geneva Motor Show press conference, SEAT S.A. President Jürgen Stackmann said: “Our ultimate expression of the successful Leon formula is the all new Leon Cupra. It is the fastest and the most powerful car we have ever built and yet is a comfortable family car. The Cupra is our new icon.”
Sticking with a high-performance theme, SEAT is also putting the new Leon Cup Racer – the competition vehicle developed and built by SEAT Sport – on display in Geneva. The Cup Racer forms the basis of the Leon Eurocup, beginning in May 2014 and which invites private race teams to compete on some of Europe’s most iconic racing circuits.
Another attraction on the SEAT stand is the new Mii by MANGO, a new range-topping, design-driven edition of SEAT's city car created in collaboration with the famous design label MANGO.
SEAT says: "The new Leon Cupra embodies SEAT’s brand values in the best possible way: state-of-the-art technology and stunning design, coupled with compelling performance and excellent everyday usability. With up to 280 PS, the new Cupra is the brand’s quickest and most powerful series-production car, and is the most dynamically engaging car SEAT has ever produced – while remaining comfortable day-to-day. With its extensive equipment and excellent quality, the new Cupra represents exceptionally good value-for-money. This new sports icon for the SEAT range will be offered from launch as a five-door and as the Leon three-door SC.
"The new SEAT Leon Cupra has demonstrated its phenomenal performance in the best possible way, with an impressive record on the world’s most demanding racetrack. The record time achieved (7:58.4 minutes) was possible thanks to the technological precision of the Leon Cupra, equipped with the optional Performance Pack* including Brembo high-performance brakes, specially-designed 19-inch alloy wheels and Michelin Pilot Sport Cup 2 tyres.
"The average speed was 96 mph, with a top speed of 150 mph on the Tiergarten section of the circuit. The circuit surface was dry, with an ambient temperature of 10ºC and a track temperature of 8ºC. There is no doubt that such an outstanding record time was achieved not only because of an exceptional car, but also thanks to a driver who was equal to the situation. Sitting behind the wheel of the Leon Cupra 280 was the Spanish driver Jordi Gené, official SEAT driver between 2003 and 2010 during the European Touring Car Championships (ETCC) and World Touring Car Championships (WTCC), among other events. He was also a member of the Leon Cupra development team at the Nürburgring."

Leon Cup Racer
SEAT has also launched a new Cup race car. They say: "The new Leon Cupra delivers the basis for an impressive, professional race car, presented by SEAT at the Geneva Motor Show ready for its first season on the racetracks of Europe. This 330 PS car will have its debut in May at the start of the new single-brand championship, the SEAT Leon Eurocup, to be held over six race weekends in six European cities and with attractive prize money."

Mii by Mango
The new Mii by MANGO is a special edition of SEAT’s city car designed in collaboration with MANGO, the world-renowned fashion label from Spain. With a raft of features that set it apart from the standard version, including an exclusive ‘Nude’ paint colour and Alcantara upholstery, it’s a stunning way to top the Mii range.
Available with three- or five-doors, its standard equipment list includes ESC, ABS, front- and side airbags for driver and front-seat passenger, head and chest airbags, deactivation of front-seat passenger airbag, Isofix anchor-points with Top Tether on the two rear seats, air conditioning, CD/MP3 radio + aux-in, hill start assistant, remote-control central locking, a 12V socket in central console and electrically-operated front windows.

Exciting times and plenty to shout about for the quirky Spanish brand eh? Bravo!
See more images here.

MAG: Nürburgring Special No.2

Open publication - Free publishing - More autos

Get yourself in the mood for the 2013 Nürburgring season of madness with our second, classic Green Hell issue of Road. And see what's on out at the world's most incredible track here.

MAG: Nürburgring Special No.1

Open publication - Free publishing - More top gear

One of our most popular and talked about early issues of Road Magazine was this first Green Hell special. Check it out... and do share it with your Nürburgring mates – novices, or pros. And find out what's on out there here.

VIDEO: Porsche 918 Spyder on the Nurburgring

Road & Track look at the Porsche 918 Spyder, testing on the Nordschleife. The mid-mounted 4.6 litre V8 produces 580bhp – which is more than the RS Spyder LMP2 race car it's based on – and the lithium-ion battery feeds 200 kW of power to the electric motor driving the front wheels. All of this resulted in a 7m14s lap... which is good, but in the light of the 2013 Nissan GT-R time of 7:18.6, is it quick enough?

VIDEO: Porsche 918 Spyder Nürburgring 7:14 Lap. Smug?

Here's the Nürburgring Nordschleife lap time film of the 800bhp hybrid Porsche Spyder – putting it into 5th place on the laptime leader board – just ahead of the new Donkervoort D8 GTO and just behind the Dodge Viper SRT-10 ACR and Gumbert Apollo and the miles behind the Radical SR8 and SR8LM in the overall records stakes. 

The Spyder was piloted by Porsche and Manthey Racing ace, Marc Lieb and long term Porsche tester, two-time WRC champion and legend, Walter Rohrl, who said: "The car simply defies physics..." Enough said? Short and sweet I guess...

Or maybe you prefer what Porsche's strange PR department had to say: "Sometimes, words cannot describe a feeling. But in this case, a simple figure can. Location: Nürburgring, Nordschleife. Car: Porsche 918 Spyder. Lap time: 7 minutes, 14 seconds. Equipment: Optional Weissach Package, street-legal tires. Any questions left?" Bit abrupt, if not smug eh? 

Visit this ace, controversial website for the list of ever-changing Green Hell lap records: http://www.fastestlaps.com/tracks/nordschleife.html

NEWS: Audi R8 e-tron Sets Nürburgring Nordschleife EV Lap Record

Audi's exciting new R8 e-tron has just set a new lap record at the ultra-challenging Nürburgring Nordschleife for electrically powered production vehicles. Racing driver, Markus Winkelhock put in a time of 8:09.099 minutes on the 12.92-mile track, in the new all-electric sports car with 280 kW (equivalent to approximately 380PS)... adding another Green Hell accolade to their overall wins at the 24-hour races at the Nürburgring (oh, an and Le Mans!). "The R8 e-tron has given a magnificent demonstration of its potential on the toughest race track in the world," said Michael Dick, AUDI AG Board Member for Technical Development. Dick, who completed a fast lap himself in the R8 e-tron, added: "The record-setting drive confirmed that we are on the right track. To us, electric mobility has never been about sacrifice, but rather is about emotion, sportiness and driving pleasure."A comparison with the current record lap driven by a production car with a conventional combustion engine shows just how impressive the 8:09.099-minute time really is. The record time of 7:11.57 minutes was achieved by a Gumpert Apollo Sport, which is powered by a 700PS Audi V8 petrol engine. The all-electric Audi R8 e-tron was just over one minute behind that. Impressive...
The drive system of the Audi R8 e-tron that Markus Winkelhock drove to the world record is identical to that of the road-going model that will enter production towards the end of the year. The car’s electric motors generate a combined output of 280 kW and 820 Nm of torque; more than 4,900 Nm (3,614.05 lb-ft) is distributed to the rear wheels virtually from a standing start. The Audi R8 e-tron accelerates from zero to 62mph in just 4.6 seconds. Its top speed is normally limited to 124mph (and Markus Winkelhock drove two fast laps in one go in a second R8 e-tron that was limited to 124mph, recording 8:30.873 and 8:26.096 minutes, both well under the important nine-minute threshold); 155mph was approved for the record-setting lap. It has a range of 133 miles, although most likely not at this sort of race pace. And it weighs in at just 1,780 kilograms, despite the large battery, thanks to an all aluminium body.
"The record drives were a fantastic experience for me," said Markus Winkelhock. The 32-year-old, who lives near Stuttgart, has a high standard for comparison – the Audi R8 LMS ultra, in which he, along with Marc Basseng, Christopher Haase and Frank Stippler, won the 24-hour race at the Nürburgring a few weeks ago. "Of course, the R8 e-tron is a production car, not a racing car with the assistance of aerodynamics," Winkelhock emphasised. "But with its low centre of gravity and rear biased weight distribution, it brings with it a lot of sporty qualities. The torque with which the electric motors propel the car uphill beats everything that I know – even if they make hardly any noise in the process, which at the start was really a completely new experience for me. In places where I really need traction, the torque vectoring – the displacement of the torque between the powered wheels – really helps me."
Michael Dick proudly summed up events after the record-setting drive at the Nürburgring. "Within just a few weeks we’ve taken on some big challenges and in the process we’ve shown that we are at the forefront with all of our drive concepts," he said, adding: "We won the 24-hour race at the Nürburgring in May in the Audi R8 LMS ultra with a ten-cylinder engine. In mid-June we triumphed at the 24 Hours of Le Mans with the Audi R18 e-tron quattro – the first overall victory for a hybrid-electric vehicle in the toughest race in the world. And now we’ve set another record with the all-electric-drive R8 e-tron on the most demanding track there is."

VIDEO: Nitron BMW E92 VLN Nurburgring Lap Record

A few days ago, we got wind of a new VLN lap record at the Nurburgring – by an E92 M3 GTS, standard except for running Nitron NTR R3 Race Suspension. This is just a teaser video. The full feature will follow here very soon... well done Nitron, an amazing suspension brand, oft overlooked, stupidly! It's ace! Find out more about their brand here: www.nitron.co.uk