Background car news

Performance

The SEAT Leon Cupra 300 is a sporty hatchback powered by a 2.0-liter four-cylinder gasoline engine producing (the model name says it all) 300 hp and 380 Nm of torque. The car has a top speed of 250 km/h and accelerates from 0-100 km/h in just 5.7 seconds. The Cupra 300 also has a six-speed manual transmission or a six-speed DSG automatic transmission. The car also has a sports suspension, adaptive dampers, electromechanical power steering and powerful Brembo brakes. The interior of the Cupra 300 features sport seats, a multifunction sports steering wheel and an infotainment system that includes Apple CarPlay and Android Auto.

Known engine block

The 2.0-liter four-cylinder is not an unknown engine block in the world of hot hatches. Among connoisseurs, the engine is known as the “EA888. The EA888 engine block is a Volkswagen AG four-cylinder gasoline engine used in various models of the VAG group. The engine block is designed to deliver high power with fuel efficiency and is used in the SEAT Leon Cupra 300, Golf 7 Clubsport/R, and Audi S3, among others.

The EA888 engine has a turbocharger and direct fuel injection and can come with different power levels, including the 300 hp version used in the Cupra 300.

Tuning

Observant readers had probably already noticed: the car in the photos is not exactly standard. The owner is working on the exterior to make the car completely to his liking, and it shows in the eye-catching upgrades. Engine-wise, the black SEAT Cupra is not exactly standard either. A Cupra ‘300’ it is no longer, as the little bombshell now has 407 hp and 565 Nm of torque. Below is a list of the engine upgrades:

• Stage 2 Tuning
• HJS 3 inch downpipe
• Bull X exhaust
• VWR R600 intake box
• HFseries Turbo Elbow

Much has also been done to make the car completely to the owner’s taste. The car has the following optical upgrades:

• Lowering springs from H&R
• Maxton splitters all around
• OZ Leggera HLT rims
• Red window tint
• Real carbon fiber mirror caps
• Rieger diffuser
• Gyeon Glass Coating

Enough about the statistics, it’s time to let Stefan himself speak. We get to know him through five interview questions.

Why did you choose this SEAT and not, say, a Golf GTI?

“I’ve been driving SEAT all my life and wouldn’t want anything else. It may be Volkswagen’s little brother, but that in turn brings its charms. I personally like the look of the car, the clean lines combined with the sporty character. Yes, that really charmed me when I bought it. And comparatively speaking, you don’t see them driving around as much as a Volkswagen Golf GTI/R. That in turn makes it more unique for me to drive this car.”

Why did you choose these modifications?

“For my feeling, the car lacked some ‘body’. With the addition of an extra lip, spoiler and sideskirts, to me the car has gained a little more body making it stand out even more. I thought the dark red tint on the windshield was a must, I was missing color on the front, so I chose to tint the windshield with a red film.

In terms of performance, I knew it was possible to get more than 400 hp from the engine block. Together with a friend, we tried to get more than 400 hp out of the block. That worked out well. We made it Stage 2 ready after which it received software tuning from TSH.”

Are you going to do any more modifications to your car?

“Not at first, the car is never finished but I’m content with how it looks now. People recognize me and immediately say, ‘hey, you have that one black Cupra, don’t you?’ A while ago I had an idea to wrap my car with the racing livery of the Cupra Tom Coronel drove in the WTCC. I was still in doubt about this and so I didn’t do it.”

What could be a possible successor?

“I think the Cupra Formentor (VZ Copper Edition) is a gem of a car. Perhaps this could be a worthy successor to the Cupra, but for now I will continue to drive around wonderfully.”

Where does your car passion come from?

“The car passion was instilled from a young age. I could often be found at car shows, car races/rally together with my uncle from whom I inherited the passion. Anything fast, beautiful, big and special appealed to me. At 17, I got my driver’s license and wanted nothing more than to drive for miles and enjoy the freedom driving gave me.”

Stefan dedicated an Instagram account to the car; @Black_Cupra_NL