SEAT's Ibiza Bimotor (twin-engine) is one of the most incredible cars ever seen on the Spanish rally scene. Under the guise of an innocent SEAT Ibiza a real monster was hiding, with two engines, four-wheel drive and a power output of almost 300 HP. Its performance was quite a surprise in the second half of the '80s… (read more)
Years: 1986-1988
Number built: 2
Petrol, 4 cylinders in-line (x 2)
Position: Front and rear, transversal
Bore x stroke: 83 mm x 67,5 mm
Capacity: 2.922 cc (1.461 cc x 2)
Valve gear: 8-valve, overhead camshaft, hydraulic tappets (x 2)
Power supply: 2 double choke Weber 32 carburettors (x 2)
Max. power: 296 HP at 6.500 rpm (148 HP x 2)
Max. torque: 194 Nm at 5.500 rpm (147 Nm x 2)
Top speed: 175 km/h
Drive: Four-wheel drive, with two limited-slip differentials
Gearbox: 5-speed manual, plus reverse (x 2)
Clutch: Ceramic dry single-plate (x 2)
Front suspension:
Independent, McPherson struts with lower wishbone, coil springs, gas shock absorbers and anti-roll bar
Rear suspension:
Independent, McPherson struts with lower wishbone, coil springs, gas shock absorbers and anti-roll bar
Steering: Non-power rack and pinion
Front/rear: 251 mm ventilated discs/227 mm discs
Michelin TRX 15/65 x 390
Wheels: Braid 7 x 15"
Length/width/height: 3.640/1.650/1.340 mm
Wheelbase: 2.450 mm
Weight: 1.000 kg
SEAT's Ibiza Bimotor (twin-engine) is one of the most incredible cars ever seen on the Spanish rally scene. Under the guise of an innocent SEAT Ibiza a real monster was hiding, with two engines, four-wheel drive and a power output of almost 300 HP. Its performance was quite a surprise in the second half of the '80s.
The birth of the Ibiza Bimotor coincided with the founding in late 1985 of SEAT Sport, the brand's new motorsport department, with the aim of enhancing the sporting image of SEAT. Under the lead of engineer Vicenç Aguilera, head of SEAT's Technical Center in Martorell and the driving force behind SEAT Sport, the Bimotor project quickly took shape with the collaboration of engine tuner Valentín Iban and Josep Maria Servià, a regular driver of SEAT rally cars.
The target was the Spanish Gravel Rally Championship, which was very appealing to manufacturers because it allowed the participation of prototypes. To improve traction on loose surfaces, a four-wheel drive car would be ideal. So the recipe of the Technical Center and SEAT Sport was to create a machine with two engines, front and rear, where each one transmitted the power to its respective axle.
Thus the Ibiza Bimotor's technical layout was extremely bold. The two engines were independent, each with its own gearbox and clutch, driven by a single set of pedals and a single gear lever. All gauges were doubled too, so that the driver could control the operating parameters of each power unit.
On the outside, the Bimotor was a "nearly" standard Ibiza. Only the wide wheel arches, the huge rear wing and the bulging side air intakes for the rear engine betrayed its potential. In addition, the discreet "Ibiza 1.5 x 1.5" badge at the back also gave an idea of what was hiding under the bonnet and hatch.
Indeed, the main protagonists of the idea were the engines. These were the well-known SEAT System Porsche of the standard Ibiza 1.5 GLX, tuned by SEAT Sport and Valentín Iban. At first, the standard 85 HP became 123 HP per engine, for a total of almost 250 HP. Later the power increased to 148 HP per engine, for a total output of about 300 HP. The problem is that the extra engine meant an overweight of 100 kg, so the Ibiza Bimotor weighed a ton - but well driven was extremely fast on gravel stages.
The first prototype made its debut in March 1986, in Cardona, with Josep Maria Servià and his co-driver Lluís Corominas. In the next event, in Lugo, a second car was also run, driven by Alex Brustenga. The set-up of the cars proved tricky, but the year ended on a high with two overall victories for Servià, who finished as the championship's runner-up.
The Girona-born driver repeated the result in 1987, when Antoni Rius went on to drive the second Bimotor, with Antonio Rodríguez as co-driver (Rodríguez would become a senior manager of SEAT Sport and then CUPRA Racing). The big day of the Ibiza Bimotor was the RACE Avila rally, where Servià and Rius finished one-two for SEAT.
The last active year of the Ibiza Bimotor was 1988, with a single car in the hands of Servià, while Rius drove the new SEAT Marbella Proto to fight for the two-wheel drive category. Servià won another rally and got two other podiums, and finished the championship in third place overall. In three years of rallying, the Bimotor had won four rallies and was placed runner-up twice.
In addition, the Martorell Technical Centre used the rally prototypes as a test bench for the production cars: for example, in 1988 the brakes of the Bimotor were fitted in the new sporting Ibiza SXI road version.
Today, SEAT HISTÓRICOS keeps in perfect running order the first of the two Bimotor rally cars built, the one driven by Servià, while the second car is owned by Antoni Rius. Being such a special and successful rally car, it regularly takes part in international exhibition events, where its features speak out loud about SEAT's ingenuity and technical ability.
For instance, in 2011 the SEAT HISTÓRICOS' Ibiza Bimotor took part in the famous Goodwood Festival of Speed, in England, and it's also a regular runner in the Eifel Rallye Festival, in Germany, the greatest world festival of historic rallying.