2012 Seat Leon Cupra R Quattro

With just 2,025 Cupra and Cupra R models sold to UK buyers, the R is the pinnacle of the Seat Leon, thanks to its performance, styling, and reliability.

The vendor of this 2012 model is the second keeper, the first being the dealer he purchased it from, with just 4,500 miles covered as a SEAT dealer demonstration car. Shortly after the purchase, things changed; this started with a REVO remap, which led to the vendor forming a close relationship with the specialist tuning company. This relationship grew, and by the time 2016 arrived, the Leon had been transformed into a marvel of engineering modifications with a substantial array of hardware upgrades, a fully forged engine, a full All-Wheel-Drive conversion, REVO stage 4 mapping, and subtle styling mods to keep the car looking relatively OEM.

The whole project has come together to produce a 500+bhp all-wheel-drive Leon Cupra R that has set the benchmark for many projects across Europe, and it’s only covered 16,895 miles!

Regrettably, the vendor feels unable to continue providing the attention this car deserves and is now seeking the right individual or entity who will truly appreciate the craftsmanship and dedication invested in this project. The car had been stored in a dry garage for most of its life, in addition taking the car out in poor weather was avoided

The exterior of the car is pretty much as SEAT intended. Being used mainly as a show car, the Candy White paintwork is in excellent condition, with no signs of any noticeable chips on the front end. The headlights are bright and clear with no discolouration, and there is an additional Cupra badge next to the number plate with a discreet Quattro badge sitting just above it, indicating that this is something other than a Cupra R. 

Around the sides, there are no dings or dents to point out. The factory side skirts are in place, and another performance giveaway are the REVO door decals, and the car does sit slightly lower than standard. The windows are excellent, with no noticeable scratches.

From the rear, the car looks pretty factory, apart from the larger Miltek tailpipes. There is another custom R Quattro badge. 

The factory Cupra R alloy wheels are in excellent condition with no damage, and the tyres are a matching set of Bridgestone Potenza, which are said to be the originals.

Inside the Leon is a fantastic place to be. The front factory black leather sports seats are finished with white stitching and embroidered with Cupra, and have a gloss black hard back case on the rear. These are in excellent condition, with just a very minor amount of creasing to the bolsters. The rear seat is also superb and doesn’t appear to have been used more than a handful of times.

The dashboard is factory and in excellent condition; the instruments have no warning lights present when running, and the odometer shows a mileage reading of 16,895. Mounted on the A-pillar is a Turbosmart Eboost controller and an AEM air/fuel gauge has been installed where the air vent would have been. Rather than being fitted for aesthetic reasons, these gauges are all important devices when running such high performance. The factory head-unit is in place, which does have satellite navigation, and just below that is another gauge which shows the pressure for the water/methanol system.

As you can imagine, the carpets are excellent; covering such little mileage there are no signs of excessive use. Inside the boot, there is a custom boot floor with a tank fitted for the Devil's Own water/methanol injection system.

Where to start with this superb engine build? Let's start inside out.

The engine has been fitted with Forged pistons and Integrated Engineering forged con rods. It also has a Ferrea 1mm oversized uprated valve train kit and Catcams Hot Street high-lift camshaft. A HEP Motorsports 2.0T FSI Stage 1 performance intake manifold has been used, and Audi RS4 injectors allow the required amount of fuel; there is also Devil’s Own stage 2 DVC30 water/methanol injection system.

A Eurojet front-mount intercooler, a REVO high-flow intake system, and a REVO integrated throttle body pipe get the air into the engine. The turbo has been upgraded to a Garrett GTX3071R and ATP Turbo stainless steel exhaust downpipe to suit the AWD system, which is then connected to a Milltek custom full stainless steel 3" exhaust system.

The fuel is delivered by a Loba high-pressure fuel pump (Audi RS3 sender fuel pump) mounted in the saddle fuel tank taken from a 2009 Golf R32. This does read slightly less on the fuel gauge when full but shows the correct amount when lower. The whole engine has been set up with a REVO PCV revamp kit, and REVO Stage 4 software remap. Holding all this in place are Revo Technik uprated engine mounts and REVO Technik pendulum transmission mount.

The transmission is another work of art!

Transporting the power from the engine to the gearbox is a Loba stage 2 clutch and single-mass flywheel; this is connected to a VAG 2.0TFSI AWD gearbox outer casing with a Quaife limited-slip differential. Then the magic happens with a 2009 R32 front transfer box and prop shaft, which is coupled to a Haldex Gen2 rear differential and controller taken from a 2007 Audi S3 8P.

The rear subframe from the Audi S3 has also been used. To get this to fit, the boot floor pan was altered to accommodate the subframe, which involved cutting a section of the spare wheel well out and re-enforcing with a new box section. All welding and fabrication works are said to have not altered the structural integrity of the vehicle or the subframe.

The Haldex AWD system has been wired into the Leon Cupra R CAN Bus system, and the engine’s ECU management system. The AWD drive and ABS/EPS system have been enabled through VAG Com ECU software via the standard VAG Group protocols. No additional custom coding or alterations to the ECU software were required.

A set of Bilstein B14 Pro coilovers keeps the car stable on the road. In addition to these, are a set of front and rear H&R anti-roll/sway bars, a Superpro anti-lift kit on the front axle, and SuperPro poly bushes on the rear axle.

With all this power, big stoppers are needed. These have come in the form of a PB Brakes  Seat Leon Cupra MK2 Front Big Brake Kit, which uses 8-pot calipers and 356x32mm discs. The rear is a PB Brakes Audi S3 Rear Big Brake Kit, which uses 4-pot calipers and 330x28mm discs.

As you can imagine with the quality of this car, there are no issues reported with the engine, transmission, suspension, or brakes.

Covering just over 16,000 miles from new, there are some service stamps in the book, and the owner's manuals are included.

What's more important is the paperwork for the engine parts and work, which also shows what has been spent on this unique build. If you are curious how much it has cost to perform such a conversion over the years, which we are sure you will be… the vendor reports £65,000 has been put into this +500bhp SEAT Leon Cupra R

There is a current MoT on the car, which is valid until the 3rd July 2024.

Wow, +500bhp in a SEAT Leon Cupra R, which is now an all-wheel drive and certainly brings a new dimension to the hot hatch!

The car has been seen at various prestigious shows over the years, constantly collecting awards for its efforts and deservedly so.

What a fantastic opportunity to own a wonderful piece of engineering and with over £65,000 invested into it, the Leon Cupra R is a bargain with an estimate of between £16,000 - £22,000.

Viewing is strongly encouraged, and this lot is located at Bonhams|Cars Online HQ. Viewings are strictly by appointment.  To make a booking, please use the Contact Seller button at the top of the listing. Feel free to ask any questions or make observations in the comments section below, and read our ‘Frequently Asked Questions’.