Very nice. The alloys set this off nicely. The parents of a long term friend of mine had an E reg 1.2 L, also a white 3 door but with wheel trims. They replaced it with a heavily facelifted J reg 1.2 CLX 5 door in metallic blue. Friend drove it a after passing his driving test and I was a passenger in it a few times.
Thanks for this trip down memory lane. My dad bought a brand new Designer version with the same 903cc engine in April 1987. I wish I could say it was a good car, but it was hopelessly underpowered for a family of 4 plus luggage. I can remember it really struggling up Welsh hills. It was also a nightmare to start in the mornings if it had been damp or frosty. The array of special editions available was immense, and very much of their time. I can remember looking at a white system Porsche version in the showroom which had white wheel trims and spoiler and looked very sporty. Dad traded it in for a new Renault 19 two years later which was infinitely better. There are still a surprising number of these Ibizas in Spain. They just don’t rust in the heat!
Far too many special editions for a car that actually launched the Seat brand over here (along with the Malaga), really, but they did sell relatively well, all things considered. The 900 models do not like hills, I can absolutely confirm that. Thank you for watching and commenting!
wonderful car Joseph. i have a 97 mk1 Cordoba estate , -Vario-with an engine we are not allowed to talk about here. Had it 4 years and still love it, now on 420k km. Mk 1s and 2s are wonderful looking with the glass headlamps
A brilliant review as always sir, my primary 7 teacher had a later 1991 Ibiza with System Porsche when i was at Primary. You can defo see little bits of VW in this one tested, even the ignition lock looks VW.
Yes, a System Porsche example would have been a bit quicker, but this one was in such nice condition that I simply could not turn it down. Thank you again, sir!
Thank you for bringing us yet another rarity, Joseph! In retrospect I really like the unfussy design of the Mk1 Ibiza. This car seems infinitely better than the Yugo Sana or Hyundai Pony. Not sure if it really was in reality.
The X2 Pony is OK, I have driven one of those, but these do have a bit more character. I don't think the Sanas are as good as these, I have filmed a walkaround of one.
One of the lesser managers at my first place of work had one, 2nd hand….but not very old…in the very early 90s. His was the 1.2…and it had a few more things fitted as standard…maybe 2nd facelift? But yea from the little I saw of it, it was ok….remember at that time, Seat was relatively unknown in uk. It does look a bit like a VW polo of that era. I would bet the young people in their 20s would be baffled that this car is the forerunner to the one they know today. Have to point to the badge to prove it is. ….it also seemed to me like most small cars of that generation had a long gear lever….i never quite understood why.
Yes, it could well have been the "New Look" Ibiza that came out in 1991. That was the second facelift for these. Seats were not well known at the time this one was made, were they?
Vauxhall Novas….. Everyone remembers the 1.2, 1.3, 1.4….but what about the late edition 1.0 petrol? Didn’t make it for very long. There was also another rare Nova, in later years which used a different type of engine….unusually small only 1.5 but with a turbo. Only ever saw one in real life. Both that and the 1.0 must be incredibly rare now.
Another great and unusual little treat for us all Sir 🫡. Against the astras and escorts these were quite an attractive car. The gti ( second generation) from memory was visually a good looking car, was in my shortlist before i settled on a mk2 golf gti. 🦖
Yes, the Mark II did have a GTi version. That generation was very similar to the Mark III Volkswagen Polo, which came out slightly later. Thank you for watching, sir!
