Seat's New Leon Cupra 280 'Sub 8' Is A Nurburgring Destroyer For The Road

When the Leon Cupra 280 stole the front-wheel drive Nurburgring record from the Renault Megane 265 (only for the French manufacturer to unceremoniously pinch it back not long after), Seat didn’t quite use a standard car. It had a few choice modifications to achieve that 7min 58.4sec lap. To keep things honest, Seat has made a performance pack - which includes the record car’s mods - available to Cupra 280 buyers.

For a premium of £2025 over the Cupra 280’s £27,210 price, the kit includes bigger brakes - 30mm larger and with Brembo four-pot callipers - body-coloured side skirts, and 19-inch alloy wheels available in either orange or black. For an extra £460 you can have those wheels wrapped in the same Michelin Pilot Sport Cup 2 semi-slick rubber as used on the ‘Ring machine.