Currently reading: Seat Leon ST Cupra 280 sets new Nürburgring lap record

Seat's estate version of the Leon Cupra 280 becomes the fastest production estate to lap the infamous German circuit

Seat’s Leon ST Cupra 280 has become the fastest production estate to lap the Nürburgring Nordschleife – clocking a time of 7min 58.12sec, the Spanish car firm has revealed.

This lap time puts the Leon ST Cupra 280 ahead of such high performance cars as the 2007 Audi R8 V8 coupe (8min 4sec) and the Nissan Skyline R33 GT-R (7min 59sec). The front-wheel drive Leon ST Cupra 280 can accelerate from 0-62mph in 6.1sec and has a top speed of 155mph.

It's also 0.3sec faster than the lap set by its three-door SC Cupra sibling early last year. At that time, the SC Cupra's 7min 58.4sec lap made it the fastest front-wheel-drive production car to lap the 'Green Hell', until Renault's Megane Renaultsport 275 Trophy-R clocked a 7min 54.3sec lap. 

It’s powered by a 2.0-litre turbocharged motor developing 276bhp at 5600-6500rpm and 258lb ft of torque from 1700-5600rpm. Piloting the Seat to the new record was ex-World Touring Car Championship driver Jordi Gené, brother of ex-F1 driver Marc Gené.

The lap time was achieved in a standard front-wheel drive production model, mated to a six-speed manual gearbox and with Seat’s optional Performance Pack. The pack includes a limited-slip front differential, larger 370mm brake discs with Brembo four-piston callipers, 19in alloy wheels shod with high-performance semi-slick tyres and colour-coded bodywork.

The car will make its world debut at the GTI Wörthersee Treffen festival from 13-16 May. It will feature a ‘Black’ performance pack, finished in dynamic grey with body-coloured side skirts and also sitting on 19in alloy wheels.

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Adrian987 15 May 2015

Cool

May indeed be relatively pointless, but it makes for more exciting reading than any brags about cars doing this or that "whilst returning 78.5mpg" or whatever! The flat pack would of course be well and truly screwed by the end of the lap. Job done!
scotty5 15 May 2015

Pointless

Bet the flat pack furniture in the boot took a beating. All well and good but really, what's the point of performance estates?
harf 14 May 2015

Concerned

It is a fast time indeed, especially in [supposed] production spec, but it's a shame they're not all driven by the same person - a Stig for instance - so they could be compared properly. I just hope that this Nurburgring nonsense doesn't end with someone getting seriously injured or even killed as they push harder and harder. It's just not worth it ....