Seat Formula (1999)

Seat Formula concept debuted at the 1999 Geneva Motor Show. The Spanish brand was already owned by Volkswagen by that time, so it is not surprising that VW employees were involved in the development of the concept car. The team was headed by Erwin Leo Himmel, the creator of the Audi 80 and 100, the fourth generation Volkswagen Golf, and the Subaru Tribeca. Lotus Elise developer Julian Thompson worked in the same group.

The machine is built on an aluminum chassis and weighs only 900 kilograms. The prototype received a 240-horsepower (295 Nm) turbocharged “four”, which is located inside the wheelbase. The engine is combined with a six-speed sequential gearbox and allows the “Formula” to accelerate from zero to “hundred” in less than five seconds. The “maximum speed” of the concept car is 235 kilometers per hour.

It was planned that the Formula would be launched into small-scale production, but, obviously, the Volkswagen management chose a different path for Seat: the path of producing hatchbacks of different sizes and varying degrees of suitability for city use. Sadly.