SEAT's path to the WRC began with the Ibiza kit car, a front-wheel-drive 2.0-litre machine that won the FIA 2 Litre World Rally Championship title in 1996, 1997, and 1998. Those three successive titles, combined with investment following the Volkswagen Group's acquisition of SEAT, provided the rationale and the budget for a full World Rally Car programme. The programme was announced during the 1997 Rally Sanremo and managed by SEAT Sport under team director Jaime Puig.
The Córdoba body was chosen because FIA WRC regulations required the base road car to be at least 4,000 mm in length, a threshold the shorter Ibiza did not meet. The Córdoba's longer wheelbase introduced structural challenges: overhangs front and rear, and a transversely mounted engine positioned too far forward of the front axle, producing persistent understeer that engineers worked to address across the car's development life.
The Córdoba WRC was powered by a 1,995 cc turbocharged four-cylinder engine producing approximately 300 hp, derived from the commercial Córdoba SX 2.0 16V and prepared by Daniel Snobeck's workshop in France under engineer Serge Meyer. The transmission used a six-speed sequential gearbox with Hewland components, assembled by Prodrive, driving all four wheels. Suspension was based on MacPherson struts front and rear, constrained by WRC regulations. The car weighed 1,230 kg and ran on Pirelli tyres. The chassis was prepared and reinforced by French specialist Matter.
Three evolutions were developed. The Evo 2 appeared in August 1999 and introduced a new turbocharger, reworked suspension, improved engine bay airflow, and remapped injection; three active differentials were also fitted from the Evo 2 onwards, an unusual configuration intended to counteract the car's understeer. The Evo 3 debuted in 2000, incorporating development input from Didier Auriol after his arrival as lead driver: changes included suspension geometry revisions, anti-roll bar specifications, and steering ratio adjustments.
The Córdoba WRC made its World Championship debut at the 1998 Rally Finland with Harri Rovanperä as the lead factory driver. Additional 1998 drivers included Oriol Gómez, Marc Duez, and Gwyndaf Evans. Rovanperä finished sixth at the 1998 Rally GB, the team's best result that season.
In 1999 the core works lineup comprised Rovanperä and Piero Liatti, with Toni Gardemeister and Marcus Grönholm also driving. Gardemeister placed third at the 1999 Rally New Zealand, the Córdoba WRC's first WRC podium. Rovanperä took a further podium at the 1999 Rally GB.
For 2000, SEAT signed 1994 World Drivers' Champion Didier Auriol alongside Gardemeister. Auriol guided development of the Evo 3 and took the team's third and final WRC podium with a third place at the 2000 Safari Rally. The works programme was cancelled in September 2000 when Volkswagen Group management withdrew support, citing the absence of race victories. Across its three active seasons the car entered 37 World Championship events, achieving three podiums and no victories.
Following SEAT Sport's withdrawal, the Córdoba WRC continued in national and regional competition. In Spain the car won the national title in all gravel rallies with Pedro Diego and Marc Blázquez, and took tarmac rally victories with Salvador Cañellas Jr. The car's afterlife in national competition demonstrated that the WRC package, while unable to win at the highest level, was genuinely competitive below full factory-team grade.