Is the SEAT Leon STCC Racer Related to a Saab?

Some commenter is probably going to set me straight with a "no shit, Sherlock!" but I may have discovered why this SEAT Leon race car looks like a coupe.

Sure, the Spanish automaker markets the Leon SC as a coupe, but it's really not. Like the VW Scirocco and Megane RS, this is just a glorified hatchback. There's nothing wrong with that, but a new racing version has emerged this year, and I raised a few questions in my mind.

SEAT had a very successful racing program based on the Leon, but all the cars in its one-make racing series looked like the production model. But this is different, as the Leon made to race the Swedish Touring Car Championship looks like it has a trunk.

From the front, everything looks normal. The Leon's angular headlights are framed by a chin splitter and massive fender flares.

However, things are not so normal at the other end, where the trunk has been stretched out and extended to no limit. Could we call this the reverse Plymouth Road Runner effect?

While extending the bodywork is easy, stretching the wheelbase of a car is rarely done. We did a bit of searching and found out SEAT collaborated with a local racing team called PWR.

They used to have a cool-looking 9.3 Aero race car right before the Leon. It too was black, and even the graphics match. From the opening of the door to the front fenders, there's something familiar everywhere you look.

Of course, we haven't really discovered cold water here. Touring cars are sometimes built on a modular tubular chassis onto which the fake body panels are placed.

A couple of years ago, there was a Dacia Logan STCC racer fitted with a mid-mounted 3.5-liter V6 engine offering 400 hp. Bolted to a 6-speed sequential gearbox it si pushing the 1,000 kg (2,204 lb) car from 0 to 100 km/h (62 mph) in 3 seconds, and helping it reach a top speed of 270 km/h (168 mph). Yeah.. just like an average Dacia!