You liked it, so here it is. This is the Bocanegra, SEAT's pat on the back to itself for making a concept so darned popular. Roll back to
Geneva 2008, and the Bocanegra concept was the star of SEAT's show stand, wowing the punters via the blackness of its face - so much so, in fact, that SEAT thought 'you know what, let's give the punters what they want.' Thankfully, the production version unveiled today (7th May 2009) at the Barcelona Motor Show is very close to the concept.
Basically, the newcomer is an
Ibiza Cupra tarted up a bit, though the visual stimulation is such that it has merited its very own name - the Bocanegra nomenclature pays homage to the original Bocanegra 1200 Sport from 1975, and translated means 'black mouth.'
It'll hit showrooms shortly after the Ibiza Cupra - which comes to the UK in Summer this year - and it should cost around £17,000, representing a £1,500 or so premium. For that you're getting the black face, black headlamp bezels, black wing mirrors, a unique set of 17-inch alloys, a spoiler and, of course, the word 'Bocanegra' emblazoned across the back in big black letters.
Inside there's a set of unique seats accented with red stitching, a flat-bottomed steering wheel, gloss black trim, aluminium pedals and a series of 'B' logos dotted about the place, as you'd expect.
European buyers will be able to Bocanegrise either the FR or Cupra versions of the Ibiza but, for whatever reason, we only get the higher powered one. Not that we're complaining about that too much, mind - the Cupra is powered by a 178bhp twin-charged 1.4-litre TSI engine. No word on performance yet, but that kind of power in a car that kind of small suggests swiftness. As does the fact it comes as standard with SEAT's XDS electronic limited slip differential, and the new VW-Group seven-speed DSG, complete with paddles.
You can have any colour, as long as the front is black and the rest of the car is either white or red; it would be no good getting a black one, would it.
In other SEAT-at-the-Barcelona-Show-type news, the maker also showed a sketch of the forthcoming Ibiza ST, which it claimed will be the best looking car in the segment. Funny, that. It also showed the
Leon Cupra, which looks about the same as the last one but a little bit nicer. Score.
Mark Nichol - 7 May 2009