Iconic Ibiza Cupra Bocanegra is a used car hero, too

SEAT’s style icon, the exotic Ibiza Cupra Bocanegra, is proving to be as hot a property in the used car market as it is among eager new car buyers.

The Spanish brand’s most potent Ibiza to date is selling to enthusiast owners the length and breadth of
the UK, with aficionados scrabbling to get their hands on its addictive mix of head-turning style and breakneck pace.

Since its UK market introduction in the autumn of 2009 design- and performance-hungry buyers have flocked to grab their very own version of the sought-after SEAT, replete with its 180 PS power and state-of-the-art DSG automatic/sequential manual gearbox.

Now the latest values from respected industry used car guide CAP show that used buyers are just as keen to seize a pre-owned Bocanegra. The new car retails for £18,655 RRP and current CAP data suggests a 12-month-old Ibiza Cupra Bocanegra with around 10,000 miles to its name is still retailing for more than 77 per cent of its showroom price.

This exceptional retained value puts the Ibiza well ahead of some even more glamorous, and pricy, models.  The current edition of CAP Black Book suggests that a 12-month-old BMW Z4 2.3i sDrive, for instance, retains a shade over 71 per cent of its retail price while a Mercedes-Benz C250 CGI automatic with a year on the road under its belt is good for around 67 per cent of its original asking price.

Needless to say, this exceptional residual value performance by the SEAT is driven by a keen demand for the Bocanegra from used car buyers. The SEAT dealer network, which now numbers almost 130 outlets, rarely has more than a dozen or so of the sought-after Ibizas available nationwide.

SEAT UK Used Car Manager, David Ardern, explained, ‘Demand for the Ibiza Cupra Bocanegra is exceptionally strong from dealers desperate to get their hands on the car." "It’s no surprise, perhaps, that this very special Ibiza’s combination of hot hatch performance and stand-out styling has buyers queuing up."

The production version of the Bocanegra stays remarkably true to the headline-grabbing Bocanegra concept car unveiled at the Geneva Motor Show in 2009.

Boasting several dramatic black styling elements at its nose – hence the Bocanegra name which translates as ‘black mouth’ in Spanish – the turbocharged, supercharged 1.4 TSI has quickly become one of the most hotly pursued superminis around.

Design features unique to the car include blackened double headlights, a central grille with honeycomb mesh and black surround including innovative air vents at the base.

The bumper combines black with the body colour, while a broad grille beneath that takes care of cooling the engine.

Other elements that further add to the Bocanegra’s image are black door mirror housings, the option of a dark tinted glass sunroof and attractive 17-inch Sira alloys.

At the back the Bocanegra features honeycomb mesh on the side grids, an impressive spoiler, chunky wheel arches and tinted rear windows. And if anyone were in any doubt that this really is a special SEAT, there’s a prominent ‘Bocanegra’ badge centred on the rear hatch of this most exclusive Ibiza.

The design delights continue inside with a bespoke interior that underlines the car’s  sporting style.

The sports seats are upholstered with special fabric made up of rhomboids stitched together in red, while the upper part of the seats sport the logo that identifies this version – a capital ‘B’ also stitched in red.

The Ibiza Cupra Bocanegra’s styling is also a tribute to the Spaniards’ original Bocanegra, the 1200 Sport, which debuted in its home country back in 1975.

The ‘70s car, a milestone in the Brand’s history as the first model to be wholly developed at the SEAT Technical Centre in Martorell, quickly went on to become a firm favourite in its home market and notched up sales of more than 11,000 in just three years.

Posted in: SEAT