UPRA is taking the racetrack by storm with two world premieres as its all-electric CUPRA e-Racer and CUPRA Leon Competición touring race car are revealed to the general public. 

The two race cars bring a new dimension to their respective motorsport arenas, embodying the CUPRA brand and packaging them in vehicles that are ready to take on the racetrack.

CUPRA e-Racer
Electric propulsion is at the core of CUPRA’s racing strategy, and the brand’s engineers have developed the first 100% electric touring race car to integrate the powertrain technology of the future.

The CUPRA e-Racer, the world’s first all-electric racing touring car, is a reality. Providing a combined 680PS (500kW) of peak power and 960Nm of torque from its single-speed four electric motors and a liquid cooled 65kWh battery pack, the race car is ready to redefine motorsport.

Aerodynamics, performance and design have sculpted the shape of the CUPRA e-Racer, starting with its lower and wider stance, carrying over the road car side air curtains and introducing an innovative bumper and bonnet air flow circulation, as it can move more smoothly over the vehicle’s profile and the side of the racing car.

The CUPRA e-Racer’s design is a balance between CUPRA DNA and aerodynamics with a lower and wider stance. As a pure electric vehicle, the combustion engine grille was eliminated, transformed instead into an air curtain bonnet, improving aero performance. The wheel arches have been developed to better extract the air and improve downforce, while the flat floor underneath the racing car, helps improve overall aerodynamics. Each part of the e-Racer’s design is about air flow and allowing it to move more smoothly over the vehicle’s profile.

As it is electric, less cooling is needed at the front, therefore the upper grille has been integrated and blanked.

From 2021, the PURE ETCR championship, a race series designed specifically for electric touring cars, will take place. The format, race duration and driver, team and fan experience will highlight how different pure electric racing competitions are, emphasising the intensity and excitement the technology can produce.

CUPRA Leon Competición

Whether you want to compete in TCR series around the world or Endurance racers the Cupra Leon Competición has been engineered to compete no matter what the track throws at it.

Based on the new CUPRA Leon, reinforcing the link between the road and the track, the Leon Competición incorporates revised bodywork that brings significant aerodynamic efficiency improvements helping it to cut through the air and increase downforce. A full kinematic geometry in both axles that use lightweight components better distributes weight and a CUPRA racing-specific electronics architecture reduce weight, is more robust, customisable and modular.

At the race cars heart is a 2.0 litre turbocharged petrol engine that produces 340PS (250kW) at 6,800rpm and 410Nm of torque along most of the rpm range. Linked to a six-speed sequential racing transmission, it can reach 100km/h in just 4.5 seconds and has a top speed of 260km/h.

With a chassis that can be tuned to the racing conditions, teams will take an edge into each race. The CUPRA Leon Competición incorporates front MacPherson struts with adjustable height, camber, toe, caster, Ackermann and track, while the rear Multilink setup allows for changes to the height, camber, toe and track. Front and rear rollbars can be set and changed.

Even before its World Premiere, the CUPRA Leon Competición was setting new standards, having opened online pre-order bookings at the end of 2019 – the first touring race car to offer this service. All pre-booked race cars will be delivered exclusively at CUPRA’s headquarters from April.

CUPRA is at the centre of the TCR and PURE ETCR race series’, developing vehicles specifically to compete in both categories, and is a core creator of both combustion and electric powertrains.

The CUPRA e-Racer and CUPRA Leon Competición make their World Premieres at the CUPRA Garage inauguration on February 20th.