“For certain individuals, there is only one way to go”, (Seat Ibiza UK Commercial, 1989, 0:02)
A childhood dream that came true. In 2022 I became the proud owner of this pristine car.
Years have passed since the departure of my mother’s Seat Ibiza in the early 2000’s and ever since I’ve had a weak spot for this first-generation Ibiza.
Why did I have such unfamiliar longing for this car? Well, back in the late 90’s, when I was a boy of just 3 or 4 years old, my fascination for cars had begun to grow. Back then, I started to recognize car makes and models and I even remembered people in our neighbourhood through their cars instead of their names.
During that period, my mother drove a white Seat Ibiza Crono, just like the one I own now. I have many fond memories of that time, as I was always hauled along on the backseat of the car being the youngest of three children.
The way the Seat looked so sporty: the double spoilers, the contrasting red with black striping and of course the nippy 1,5-liter System Porsche engine.
As my mum used to say: “It was a fast car around town and it fast-tracked heading to the motorway without restraint.”
But alas it was not without faults, as the daily car which used to drive us everywhere in the 90’s after many kilometres and years, it’s frequent rounds around town became lesser and shorter. The Seat started to experience complications with the injection system, the heating system and it smelled like fuel after each roundabout, of which there were plenty. Sadly, my mother decided to give the Seat away. This 9-year-old boy’s eyes were filled with tears as our snowy car left the driveway after many years of service.
In the years that followed, as a car enthusiast I managed to expand my collection of car memorabilia, including vintage videos from Youtube and pre-owned leaflets of cars from the 80’s and 90’s. And with the magic of the internet, I could also track down Dutch license plates and was able to see
our XV-41-YK was still driving around somewhere.
At a later time, when I was 16 years old, I had a greater fascination with the make of Citroën, and I became the proud owner of a very rusty 2CV. Another story about that car will be included later.
Over the years my mechanical skills and engineering expertise improved and I scoured the internet looking for parts. And maybe not just car parts, let’s be honest, who does not browse the internet for hours looking at second-hand cars? I did so frequently, even when I did not have my driving licence yet. Together with my fondness of music from the 80’s, I truly love the cars of that phenomenal era.
Next in order, there was brief moment when a Renault 5 came into the picture before I bought my current 2CV. Moreover, a boy my age could only dream about owning a Saab 900, Peugeot 205, or Citroën BX or CX. So many makes and models to search and find, but somewhere, deep down, I longed for an Ibiza. Unfortunately, there was only a small group of Ibiza’s left and occasionally, a shabby one would pop up on the internet.
The memories would flow back and the dream remained…and continued to be just a dream. Or did it?
Fast forward, in 2021 I was driving around the neighbourhood where my grandmother lives and there, I saw something. A little, white, square car in the corner of my eye. I’m not a great spotter for old-timers but something made me turn around and take a second look.
There I stood, looking at a first-generation Seat Ibiza. Not just any Ibiza, but the limited edition Crono, white as snow, or as Seat likes to call it: Blanco Alpino. Due to traffic, I could not stop and dawdle. However, when I googled the car later, I found out that this car was made in 1991 and came with the 1,5-liter engine. I could not contain myself from excitement, it genuinely felt like I had found the holy grail of cars.
After that, when I went to visit my grandmother again, I made the same detour and stopped at the driveway where this little Seat was parked. I rang the doorbell and timidly asked if I could take some pictures of the car. Thankfully, the nice lady did not object and told me the Seat had been her mothers in law, her husband had been keeping it for sentimental reasons and their son drove it from time to time.
I tried my best to specifically take pictures of the Crono details and other things I could not find on the internet or in the leaflets. It was exactly as I remembered those many years ago, even if this example looked a bit droopy. Please do not take that the wrong way, I have a profound respect that after 30 years any car can look a little distressed. But even so, I just fell in love all over again.
After a bit of small talk and a weighty “thank you and goodbye,” I did something I normally would not dare. I actually asked the lady if I could leave behind my phone number, just in case, for when (not if) the car would be put on sale in the future.
Months passed and the lovely Seat Ibiza moved to the back of my mind. Until last august (2022), because suddenly I received a call from the owner (the husband I never spoke). He asked if I was still interested, to buy the car, from one car enthusiast to another.
I was hesitant at first, but during that phone call we spoke about the car. Discussing the engine, the interior, small repairs that were done during the time of ownership and if I knew the car had only done 37.000 kilometres. I could not believe my ears and thought I misheard. After hearing that, my doubt was gone, and I scheduled an appointment for the next morning to rediscover this holy grail.
They say that one should not meet their heroes, as they can always disappoint in some way. I would be lying if I say this did not happen.
After years of reading about the Giugiaro design, the Karmann build body and the 1,5-liter Motor System Porsche with electronic fuel injection and catalytic converter, the first glance left me a bit disappointed. The rust patches, dents and an engine that would not run properly, deflated my hope until I got permission to make a long test drive, to stretch the legs of this piece of Spanish ingenuity and make my decision afterwards.
The warmup cycle made the engine run smoother (later I discovered the car had only driven sixty kilometres the past year). My mindset started changing, as I did not consider the car as a purebred anymore, but as a nifty car from the 80’s that deserved some well-deserved TLC.
And so, I bought the car of my childhood dreams. I remember thinking “I now own my own Seat Ibiza Crono”, smiling beamingly after a long period of time.
My Ibiza, from the year 1991, got its second chance at a homely place. Together with a Citroën 2CV, it shares a garage at home, where it will be receiving a lot of attention and proper care.
When it finally arrived home, I started with a bath, to get rid of the grime and mud that had compiled throughout the years, I changed the wiper blades to old versions again and renewed some filters, oil, sparkplugs with leads and some fuel lines. In the winter of 2022-2023 the rust patch was tackled and the bumpers with spoilers were refurbished.
During the spring of 2023 the timing belt and water pump were renewed and after some restauration work, I fitted some original Seat alloys as two hubcaps were missing. With these changes, the Ibiza is not completely original anymore but it’s still within the make specifications.
By restoring this Ibiza, my faith in my childhood hero was also restored and I enjoy every moment whilst owning this car, aside from driving the car, by just admiring the details or re-reading the old leaflets.
I hope many more moments will follow and I’m very proud to introduce you, as a reader, to the story of myself (Mr. Fox) and my Seat Ibiza Crono, nicknamed Letizia.
I hope you have enjoyed reading this article and that you perhaps also have become a fan of these terrific first-generation Ibiza’s.
