THE CURPA FORMENTOR LOOKS GREAT, AND EVEN BETTER AFTER MANHART ONCE-OVER.
Cupra, the Spanish automotive brand owned by the Volkswagen Automotive Group was formed as an ongoing development of the original SEAT Sport cars to give the sportier side of the automaker an identity of its own, and it's doing amazing things. One of these things is the Formentor, a great-looking performance car that is also available as a beefed-up limited edition called the VZ5 a car so good that it's able to sway died-hard VW and Audi fanatics into the fold. The VZ5 is the range-topper of the Formentor lineup that’s limited to only 7 000 units, and it’s a thing of real beauty. The Spanish carmaker has been on a roll lately, and this car is no exception. What makes the Cupra VZ5 so special? Underneath that sleek hatchback lies the heart of a beast - the magnificent 5-cylinder turbo engine from sister company Audi as used in the RS performance models. Cupra Formentor is the first car series outside of the Ingolstadt portfolio to have the honour of using this legendary engine.m It makes the VZ5 the perfect car for tuning enthusiasts who want to take it to the next level - and that's where MANHART Performance comes in. They took the already powerful Formentor and turned it into a true masterpiece, the CP 500.
With their expert craftsmanship, the Wuppertal specialists were able to increase the horsepower of the 2.5-litre 5-cylinder engine from an already 390 hp to a more fun 490 hp, and the torque has been raised to 630 Nm. This comes from the fitment of the MANHART MHtronik auxiliary control unit and a Wagner - MANHART intercooler and a MANHART stainless steel exhaust system with valve control that ends in some tasty bronze-coloured tailpipes. The MANHART team has revised the CP 500 on the chassis side, optimizing it with MANHART lowering springs by H&R, 35 mm up front and 30 mm in the rear, giving it a more aggressive stance. The VZ5 now wears MANHART Concave One rims in a size of 20 inches, the five double spoke-design features a satin black finish with gold rim decoration, but they can be had in various other colours. The MANHART decal set applied to the black bodywork adds more golden accents. The interior remains in OEM condition, but MANHART offers individual refinements for those who want to make things truly their own. The Cupra Formentor CP 500 is great, a perfect combination of power, style, and precision. It’s just a pity SA no longer gets the SEAT brand or any of the associated spin-offs because the products were so good they started to cannibalise sales of parent company VW’s GTi sales. Maybe someone will privately import one.
Take a look at the YouTube video that shows off just what the team at Manhart is capable of along with all the different kinds of cars they turn their aftermarket attention to and the pretty damn cool results: “WE TURN GOOD CARS INTO VERY SPECIAL CARS.“ | Manhart Performance
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