Sweating gallons of water while shooting nonstop for 20 hours straight, all to the soundtrack of Hi-NRG techno and brutal pops ‘n’ bangs maps is sufficient to make anyone feel a bit weird. But despite those most excellent exhaustions, the weirdest thing about my first trip to Malaysia earlier this month was the cars.
Not weird, as in running 19-inch wheels on an Impreza WRX, or doing a wing-delete on a Skyline GT-R. I mean weird in a Bizarro World alternate universe form of way. Welcome to the wacky world of Proton.
I’m not ashamed to confess it, nevertheless it took me a number of tries to determine what was happening. After asking “Is that a Civic?” or “Is that an Evo?” a number of times, I began to have the ability to inform the difference between Proton models and their Japanese doppelgangers.
For those unfamiliar, Proton is Malaysia’s national automobile manufacturer, arrange by the Malaysian government in 1983 in partnership with Mitsubishi Motors Corporation. Today, Proton holds almost 20% of the market share of latest automobile sales in Malaysia. These Malaysian-made cars are reasonably priced, look pretty good, and appear well-made, too. Reviews online are inclined to confirm this.
The design language is a combination of European robustness and Japanese silhouettes. The interiors seem more European than Japanese, like when you asked someone at Toyota to design a Mercedes-Benz.
Proton’s presence at Retro Havoc 2024 and out on the streets and within the parking numerous Kuala Lumpur was impressive. In relation to modifying, a number of Proton models stood out from the grocery-getters.
First up, the Proton Satria, which in first-generation form (1996 to 2006) was based on the Mitsubishi Mirage and available with various four-cylinder engines, the most important being Mitsubishi’s 1.8L DOHC 16-valve 4G93 within the GTi version. The GTi’s sports intent is apparent with its factory flares and lip kit, but additionally under the skin where Lotus was called upon to fine-tune the handling. Interestingly, these cars weren’t only sold in Malaysia, but the UK and Australia too.
Naturally, with a shared Mitsubishi chassis, people often swap within the 2.0L DOHC 16-valve turbo 4G63T, which was mostly present in Lancer Evolutions.
One other favourite is the Wira, which translates to ‘hero’ in Malay. Does it look familiar? It should, because it’s based on the fourth-generation Mitsubishi Lancer.
This one has an Evo III rear-end transplant – major cosmetic surgery – plus other CE9A exterior parts. The swapped 4G63T has been built as much as 2.2L with Tomei forged piston and Manley forged connecting rods, plus Brian Crower 272-degree cams and valve gear, and a custom billet intake. The actual power-making aspect is the turbo system, which encompasses a GTX3076R turbo on a custom manifold, a Precision Turbo wastegate, and a Trust GT-R intercooler.
The actual oddity and star of the Proton show is the Putra, AKA the Evo coupe when given the Lancer Evolution exterior and engine treatment. There was after all a Lancer coupe sold outside of Japan, which the Putra shares its chassis with. These got here stock with the Lancer 1.8L 4G93 engine.
The quantity of labor put into these cars is commendable. Nonetheless, Malaysia’s strict laws prohibit vehicles from being converted to all-wheel drive, which limits how far they may be pushed.
The Satria, Wira and Putra are the highest three tuner cars wearing the Proton badge, but yet one more model stole my heart. For that, you’ll must wait for the ultimate chapter of this Saga…
This Article First Appeared At www.speedhunters.com
