Yellow Mk1 Leon Cupra R
Discussion
I bought this Leon Cupra R off a friend who had tried to replace his blown engine on his driveway and ran into some issues then got sick and left it sitting for 6 months. The plan was to fix it up, use it for a month and sell it towards my house deposit hopefully making a few quid along the way. Well that didn’t happen, ran into a lot more issues than I expected so now I’m going to keep it because there won’t be much profit left in it by the time I’ve fixed everything to a decent standard.
So, the car itself is a very clean example, only on 105k, a small amount of lacquer peel next to the boot which is unheard of for these yellow Leons. The car is waaaaay too clean to be a breaker so I’m gonna save it and get it back on the road, from what I’ve seen so far this is what it needs;
A tyre
Figure out why it won’t drive
Figure out why it runs lumpy
Needs a new battery
Discs and pads replacing
All brake lines are corroded
Misting on the front struts
My plan is to get it through a mot then start upgrading it OEM+, I turn 30 in may so I’ve decided to keep this as a birthday present to myself as I’ve always wanted one and make it a good example.
So, the car itself is a very clean example, only on 105k, a small amount of lacquer peel next to the boot which is unheard of for these yellow Leons. The car is waaaaay too clean to be a breaker so I’m gonna save it and get it back on the road, from what I’ve seen so far this is what it needs;
A tyre
Figure out why it won’t drive
Figure out why it runs lumpy
Needs a new battery
Discs and pads replacing
All brake lines are corroded
Misting on the front struts
My plan is to get it through a mot then start upgrading it OEM+, I turn 30 in may so I’ve decided to keep this as a birthday present to myself as I’ve always wanted one and make it a good example.
I've spent a lot of time around MK1 LCRs two friends of mine still have theirs (both Yellow), one has been resprayed the other hasn't but has been treated to regular polishing.
I owned a MK1 FR+ which was basically the diesel version with the LCR body kit, I fitted LCR seats, interior parts and wheels to it. I have owned a yellow MK2 LCR.
Getting rarer and rarer these days especially unmolested 100% get that running, tidy it up and do some subtle bits to it. Its a 225 version unless somebody has fitted the later mirrors, the 210 had squarer mirrors.
I owned a MK1 FR+ which was basically the diesel version with the LCR body kit, I fitted LCR seats, interior parts and wheels to it. I have owned a yellow MK2 LCR.
Getting rarer and rarer these days especially unmolested 100% get that running, tidy it up and do some subtle bits to it. Its a 225 version unless somebody has fitted the later mirrors, the 210 had squarer mirrors.
A rare old beasty these days! I had a 2003 AMK engined one (210bhp). It was a great car, which I still kind of miss 11 years later. That yellow is very bright! Surely it’s had a respray - the OVNI yellow is notorious for fading to a light cream colour.
the-norseman said:
Getting rarer and rarer these days especially unmolested 100% get that running, tidy it up and do some subtle bits to it. Its a 225 version unless somebody has fitted the later mirrors, the 210 had squarer mirrors.
There was a brief crossover period where 210s came with the teardrop mirrors. Mine was one of them. 
the-norseman said:
Getting rarer and rarer these days especially unmolested 100% get that running, tidy it up and do some subtle bits to it. Its a 225 version unless somebody has fitted the later mirrors, the 210 had squarer mirrors.
It’s a 2003 car, started as a 210 AMK but has had a BAM engine fitted, keep having to use a reg off the Facebook Leon page to make sure I’m not ordering the wrong parts for it Got a few big things sorted so far, my mate offered to do some work on it while I’ve been busy because he’s a fitter so he has a ramp, tools and more importantly knows what he’s doing a lot better than me.
The Leon now drives, turns out the friction plate was fitted back to front so although the box has had to come off, it’s a pretty easy fix so happy with that.
It also now idles and runs well, was told to check the breather under the inlet as it’s easy to miss if you don’t know what you’re looking for and that’s all it was, so now that’s covered up it’s spot on.
In person the paint is a bit more faded, I think the photos make it look brighter than it is for some reason, so once it’s all mechanically sound it’ll definitely be in to get that bit of lacquer peel sorted and for a polish, I also want the wheels more of a lighter OEM silver colour because I think they look a bit off.
The Leon now drives, turns out the friction plate was fitted back to front so although the box has had to come off, it’s a pretty easy fix so happy with that.
It also now idles and runs well, was told to check the breather under the inlet as it’s easy to miss if you don’t know what you’re looking for and that’s all it was, so now that’s covered up it’s spot on.
In person the paint is a bit more faded, I think the photos make it look brighter than it is for some reason, so once it’s all mechanically sound it’ll definitely be in to get that bit of lacquer peel sorted and for a polish, I also want the wheels more of a lighter OEM silver colour because I think they look a bit off.
flight147z said:
Have always thought these are nice looking cars and they have aged more than the equivalent golf/A3 etc.
100%, I’ve had mk4/mk5 golf’s but I always end up back at Seat, had a MK2 FR and 4 Ibiza mk4s, you get a lot more for your money, I was looking for another mk2 diesel but then got offered a ML320 cdi that had some issues so now I’m running about in that doing 20 mpg instead of 50 
This era of Leon has to be the best looking Seat.
I bought a 2000 Cupra in black Magic from my employer in 2003 that had been a colleague's company car. When he ordered it his only requirement was that he wouldn't have yellow!
Mine had the leather seats with electric adjustment and driver's memory, which was a bonus, and the Leon had 180bhp when the Golf GTi that cost more only had 150bhp.
It was a great car and I was quite keen on the idea of a Cupra R, but I got promoted to a job that came with a company car/car allowance and business mileage. So I replaced it with a turbo-diesel.
I bought a 2000 Cupra in black Magic from my employer in 2003 that had been a colleague's company car. When he ordered it his only requirement was that he wouldn't have yellow!
Mine had the leather seats with electric adjustment and driver's memory, which was a bonus, and the Leon had 180bhp when the Golf GTi that cost more only had 150bhp.
It was a great car and I was quite keen on the idea of a Cupra R, but I got promoted to a job that came with a company car/car allowance and business mileage. So I replaced it with a turbo-diesel.
A lovely car in a cracking colour - really brightens up any road! I always felt in some way that these were the spiritual successor to the Nugget Yellow Corrados. They were quite the top of the VAG hot hatch of this era I think, more power and better handling than the equivalent Golf GTI/A3?
I'm pleased to see you have got it up and running, please keep the updates coming.
I'm pleased to see you have got it up and running, please keep the updates coming.
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