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The Cooper S: A Peppy Performance Car

As we set out to test some of the most unusual cars from Cupra, our first car was a real treat for the eyes and the driver. With its sleek four-cylinder engine, 16 valves, and peppy performance, this little car was perfect for twisting and turning on the hills near Barcelona. The road was smooth but constantly twisted and turned, with no long straights to be found. It was all about conserving momentum and using every single rev to get down the gears, never touching the brakes in sight. This car had just the right amount of grip for performance, enough to carry good speed through corners but not so much that it felt glued to the road and lifeless.

The Cooper's front end was responsive, with a good turning grip and a sense of balance that made driving it a joy. It was like the car was alive, responding eagerly to every input from the driver. The rear corner of the car propped up beautifully, helping to scoot it into corners with ease. This little car set the tone for what Cupra stood for - fun, performance, and a sense of excitement behind the wheel.

Fast forward to 2002, our next car was one of the most unusual we had ever seen. The Cooper 4 was its name, and a six-cylinder engine was its claim to fame. This V6 developed an impressive 201 brake horsepower, giving it instant throttle response and a rich, cheerful soundtrack. The driving position was perfect, with 60 degree banking that made you feel like you were on top of the world. But what really set this car apart was its floor - all about that V6, making every drive a thrilling experience.

The Cooper 4 was a bit of a unicorn, only sold in left-hand drive markets and in very small numbers. It was only produced for a short time, but it will probably be one of the most sought-after Coopers in the future. This car was a real treat to drive, and we felt lucky to get behind the wheel.

Years later, in 2011, our next car was a real head-turner. The Cupra was its name, and speed was its game. With 265 horsepower and a DSG twin-clutch gearbox, this hot hatch was ready to take on all comers. We remember driving one of these when it was new - speeding down Abbey Road, feeling like we were gods behind the wheel. Even now, it feels massively quick and sharp, with a good top edge and huge cornering grip.

But what really sets the Cupra apart is its performance. When you drive one, you realize that this is a car that's capable of going much, much faster than anything else in its class. It's like a rocket ship on wheels, leaving all else in its dust. And with advanced technology like adaptive dampers and the DSG gearbox, it's no wonder that Cupra has become one of the most respected performance brands around.

Fast forward to 2011, our next car was another real showstopper. The Cooper S Cupra was its name, and speed was its middle name. With 300 horsepower on tap, this hot hatch was ready to take on all comers. We remember driving one of these when it was new - speeding down the M1, feeling like we were in a different league altogether.

But what really sets the Cooper S apart is its handling. It's a car that flies around corners, never losing traction or grip under any circumstances. The DSG gearbox helps to carry huge amounts of speed, making every drive feel like a rush. And with advanced technology like adaptive dampers, this car feels even more responsive and agile.

Finally, we had the Cupra R, the most powerful Cupra ever produced. With 310 horsepower on tap, this hot hatch was ready to take on all comers. We remember driving one of these - feeling like we were in a different league altogether. It's a car that's capable of going much, much faster than anything else in its class, and with advanced technology like adaptive dampers and the DSG gearbox, it's no wonder that Cupra has become one of the most respected performance brands around.

In conclusion, our test cars were some of the most unusual and exciting we had ever seen. From the peppy Cooper S to the powerful Cupra R, each car was a real treat to drive. With their advanced technology and impressive performance, these cars are a testament to Cupra's reputation for building fast and fun hot hatches. Whether you're a seasoned driver or just starting out, these cars are sure to put a smile on your face.

"WEBVTTKind: captionsLanguage: enin 2018 Cupra becomes an independent brand to mark the occasion we're in Spain to drive four of its best cars from across its 22-year history this is car number one this I beat the Cupra but it's not only number one out of our group of four cars today it's number one for Cupra overall because this was the very first Cooper Road car this cars from 1996 it's bad I beat the GTI 16-valve but it's the original Cooper Road car where it all began although actually the Cooper story really begins on the world's rally stages that's where Cooper was born when Sam started competing in the f2 category the support series to the World Rally Championship the I beat the kicker was the car to have in the f2 series say at won the championship on its first year in 1996 and then again the following year and then again the following year three consecutive titles for the I beat the Cupra the brand was only a few years old but already it had motorsport kudos motorsport pedigree if at motorsport racing has always been central to the Cupra philosophy in fact the name Cupra comes from Cup racing Cupra motorsport is in its blood this car the RB thing Cooper was the rally cars road-going sibling this was the one that you or I could actually go to a showroom and buy 150 horsepower from a 2-liter normally aspirated four-cylinder engine 16 valves and we've got really lovely peppy performance we're up a monster out in the hills near Barcelona on an amazing road this road is perfect for this little car it's smooth but it's constantly twisting and turning there are no long straight it's all about conserving momentum using every single Rev the 6,800 rpm stirring the gearbox you freed out to get down the gears and never touch the brakes in this you're certain you're about to fly off the edge of the mountain it's got just the right amount a grip for the performance enough that you can carry good speed through corners but not so much that it feels glued to the road and lifeless when you chuck it into a corner the front ends responsive it's got good turning grip and you can feel how well-balanced the car is you actually feel that outside the rear corner propping the car up and helping to scoot it into the corners beautifully balanced it's so sweet to drive it was this car then that set the tone for what cuprous stood for so from here we jump forward for years to 2002 the most unusual car in our test but before we drive it let's get away from these hills and that's head to a very very place this is Terramax a long since deserted former Grand Prix circuit on the outskirts of CGS 20 miles along the coast from Barcelona tarimov is a two kilometre concrete oval with 260 degree banked corners it was built in 1923 it held a Grand Prix that year but the circuit quickly fell into financial trouble it would never host top-line motor racing again and so for almost a hundred years it has been left to crumble and bake in the Catalan Sun it is difficult to imagine a more atmospheric place to greet our second car the 2002 proof for at the time the Cooper 4 was the most powerful set so far it was then and remains to this day the most unusual coupe were ever built uniquely it uses a six-cylinder engine a very narrow angle v6 that develops 201 brake horsepower it has a perfect driving position - and the seats are brilliantly supportive useful when you're high up that 60 degree banking but the Cooper floor is all about that v6 instant throttle response a rich and cheerful soundtrack and the zingy top-end the Cooper 4 is a bit of a unicorn it was only sold in left hand drive markets and even then only in very small numbers a few years from now it will probably be one of the most sought after Cooper's so this is our third car and we fast forward to 2011 this is the león Cupra car when this was new back in 2011 this was the fastest most powerful Cupra ever 265 horsepower naught to 60 in just over six seconds 150 mile an hour top speed this is a very very fast car actually I remember driving one of these when the car was new a few years ago driving along Abbey Road thinking like god this thing really is a fast car and even now it feels massively quick really sharp responsive engine loads of torque a good top edge lots of energy at the top end and then huge cornering grip really sweet handling so it flies down the road so to make a faster even more capable hot hatch than this 2011 Cooper are saying it had to employ more power more chassis technology DSG twin clutch gearbox and that brings us to the latest and the final of our four cars the Cooper 300 and this is it the Cupra 300 the most powerful and the fastest car in this group but not the most powerful Cupra because they have since built the Cupra R with 310 horsepower limited just 799 all over the world this thing feels like a huge step on in performance terms from anything else in this group 300 horsepower so it's doing north of 62 miles an hour in less than six seconds when the Cooper brand was new back in 1996 supercars weren't going much quicker then sub six seconds to 62 miles an hour 155 mile an hour top speed yeah this thing really flies along and then you've got the adaptive dampers on this car you've got the DSG gearbox which just helps you carry huge amounts of speed I've driven enough of these on circuit to know that you need a very very serious performance car to go quicker than one of these around the track this is among the fastest modern hot hatches in fact all of the cars here were among the fastest cars of their type when they were new but speed is just a part of it it's that back catalogue of fun to drive hot hatches plus victories on the world's racetracks and it's rally stages that has made Cupra the highly regarded performance division it is today as it becomes an independent brand this year Cupra is only just getting startedin 2018 Cupra becomes an independent brand to mark the occasion we're in Spain to drive four of its best cars from across its 22-year history this is car number one this I beat the Cupra but it's not only number one out of our group of four cars today it's number one for Cupra overall because this was the very first Cooper Road car this cars from 1996 it's bad I beat the GTI 16-valve but it's the original Cooper Road car where it all began although actually the Cooper story really begins on the world's rally stages that's where Cooper was born when Sam started competing in the f2 category the support series to the World Rally Championship the I beat the kicker was the car to have in the f2 series say at won the championship on its first year in 1996 and then again the following year and then again the following year three consecutive titles for the I beat the Cupra the brand was only a few years old but already it had motorsport kudos motorsport pedigree if at motorsport racing has always been central to the Cupra philosophy in fact the name Cupra comes from Cup racing Cupra motorsport is in its blood this car the RB thing Cooper was the rally cars road-going sibling this was the one that you or I could actually go to a showroom and buy 150 horsepower from a 2-liter normally aspirated four-cylinder engine 16 valves and we've got really lovely peppy performance we're up a monster out in the hills near Barcelona on an amazing road this road is perfect for this little car it's smooth but it's constantly twisting and turning there are no long straight it's all about conserving momentum using every single Rev the 6,800 rpm stirring the gearbox you freed out to get down the gears and never touch the brakes in this you're certain you're about to fly off the edge of the mountain it's got just the right amount a grip for the performance enough that you can carry good speed through corners but not so much that it feels glued to the road and lifeless when you chuck it into a corner the front ends responsive it's got good turning grip and you can feel how well-balanced the car is you actually feel that outside the rear corner propping the car up and helping to scoot it into the corners beautifully balanced it's so sweet to drive it was this car then that set the tone for what cuprous stood for so from here we jump forward for years to 2002 the most unusual car in our test but before we drive it let's get away from these hills and that's head to a very very place this is Terramax a long since deserted former Grand Prix circuit on the outskirts of CGS 20 miles along the coast from Barcelona tarimov is a two kilometre concrete oval with 260 degree banked corners it was built in 1923 it held a Grand Prix that year but the circuit quickly fell into financial trouble it would never host top-line motor racing again and so for almost a hundred years it has been left to crumble and bake in the Catalan Sun it is difficult to imagine a more atmospheric place to greet our second car the 2002 proof for at the time the Cooper 4 was the most powerful set so far it was then and remains to this day the most unusual coupe were ever built uniquely it uses a six-cylinder engine a very narrow angle v6 that develops 201 brake horsepower it has a perfect driving position - and the seats are brilliantly supportive useful when you're high up that 60 degree banking but the Cooper floor is all about that v6 instant throttle response a rich and cheerful soundtrack and the zingy top-end the Cooper 4 is a bit of a unicorn it was only sold in left hand drive markets and even then only in very small numbers a few years from now it will probably be one of the most sought after Cooper's so this is our third car and we fast forward to 2011 this is the león Cupra car when this was new back in 2011 this was the fastest most powerful Cupra ever 265 horsepower naught to 60 in just over six seconds 150 mile an hour top speed this is a very very fast car actually I remember driving one of these when the car was new a few years ago driving along Abbey Road thinking like god this thing really is a fast car and even now it feels massively quick really sharp responsive engine loads of torque a good top edge lots of energy at the top end and then huge cornering grip really sweet handling so it flies down the road so to make a faster even more capable hot hatch than this 2011 Cooper are saying it had to employ more power more chassis technology DSG twin clutch gearbox and that brings us to the latest and the final of our four cars the Cooper 300 and this is it the Cupra 300 the most powerful and the fastest car in this group but not the most powerful Cupra because they have since built the Cupra R with 310 horsepower limited just 799 all over the world this thing feels like a huge step on in performance terms from anything else in this group 300 horsepower so it's doing north of 62 miles an hour in less than six seconds when the Cooper brand was new back in 1996 supercars weren't going much quicker then sub six seconds to 62 miles an hour 155 mile an hour top speed yeah this thing really flies along and then you've got the adaptive dampers on this car you've got the DSG gearbox which just helps you carry huge amounts of speed I've driven enough of these on circuit to know that you need a very very serious performance car to go quicker than one of these around the track this is among the fastest modern hot hatches in fact all of the cars here were among the fastest cars of their type when they were new but speed is just a part of it it's that back catalogue of fun to drive hot hatches plus victories on the world's racetracks and it's rally stages that has made Cupra the highly regarded performance division it is today as it becomes an independent brand this year Cupra is only just getting started\n"