The obvious differences between a Panda and a Marbella are at the front and back of the car where head and tail lights and boot panels are different, the Marbella gaining a pronounced slope to the front panel.

A 60 PS (44 kW) kit to make a more powerful SEAT Panda Abarth version was also on offer, sold in Spain by a company called Apicsa.

Nonetheless, the smaller engine had to work that much harder to keep up, and in practice the fuel economy savings were negligible.

The SEAT Terra shared the underpinnings and front of the Marbella, but the back was replaced by a large, high metal box; there was also a load rack above the cab roof.

In much the same configuration as the Terra, it was called the SEAT Trans and was extremely similar to the Fiat Panda's commercial version [dead link‍].

[13] The SEAT Panda/Marbella has not only taken part and won podium positions in various race events, but also has formed its own 'Copa Panda' one-make rally series, a rally trophy - created in 1980 by SEAT and its motorsport competition director at the time José Juan Pérez de Vargas, standing next to the brand's 'Copa Fura' circuit cup[14] - which was addressed to young drivers aiming to come close to the motorsport experience.

[15] In the 'Campeonato de España de Rallyes de Tierra' championship it was the SEAT Marbella Proto, a car powered by a supercharged 1.3 L 4-cylinder motor derived from the VW Polo G40[16][17] equipped with a compressor delivering a horsepower of 140 hp, under which SEAT won the 1988 championship title[18] while in the next season Antonio Rius on the wheel of the Marbella won the two-wheel drive class.

In the following years the Marbella was also driven by many drivers among which Àlex Crivillé, Juan Garriga and Jordi Tarrés,[19] with the latter competing successfully against much more powerful cars - like the Lancia Delta - on the driver's seat of a 620 kg lightweight Marbella.