ABT Seat Leon (2002)

Hardly any other car manufacturer experienced a face lift over the last years like Seat. Young, dynamic, fresh - such are the features typical for the Spanish member of the Volkswagen Group. And now Abt Sportsline presents the fiery Mediterranean featuring the very special Abt touch. This makes Abt the only customizer worldwide for all four marques of the Volkswagen Group. To begin with, the engineers from Kempten turned to the Leon. "We are enthusiastic about the result", summarises managing director, Hans-Jurgen Abt.

"Even in its standard version the Seat Leon is a dynamic, sporty vehicle and a real head-turner. That makes it a great challenge for us here at Abt to demonstrate what we mean by high quality customizing", says Hans-Jurgen Abt about his stylists' and engineers' philosophy when they worked on the Seat premiere. Engine, exhaust, bodywork, suspension, wheels, accessories, and interior - the Abt specialists' typical signature can be seen in all components of the agile 4WD.

Classical customizing begins with an increase in engine performance. For the Abt Leon the engine experts at Abt were not prepared to compromise. Instead of the standard 132 kW (180 hp) they gave the all-wheel-drive Leon a boost to 191 kW (260 hp), generated by an Abt turbo-charger. The exhaust manifold, the silencer, and the charge-air cooler display the logo of the world famous customizer from Bavaria. An optimized engine management system, finely adapted to the modified charge cycles, ensures impressive torque and acceleration.

To ensure that the horsepower is perfectly transmitted was Christian Abt's personal task. The racing professional from the German Touring Car Masters (DTM) himself fine-tuned the Leon with a height adjustable sport suspension. It can be lowered by up to 50 millimetres, with the rebound and response of the shock absorbers able to be adjusted to suit individual driving styles.

In setting up the Leon, racing driver Christian Abt looked into the perfect choice of tyres and rims. His choice: Wheels of the Z5 type, 8 x 18 inches, which recently premiered at the Frankfurt Motorshow (IAA). The Abt brakes kit with steel-braided brake linings, for reduced fading and an improved response of the brake pedal, round up the customizing of suspension and transmission. Abt also pays particularly attention to the interior and the body work details: For the Leon the specialists offer a front spoiler lip, a rear wing, aluminium pedals, an Abt gearshift lever knob, a set of footmats, and Abt leather fittings.