Sweating gallons of water while shooting non-stop for 20 hours, all to the soundtrack of Hi-NRG techno and cheeky pops ‘n’ bangs cards, is enough to make anyone feel a little weird. But despite these excellent exhaustions, the weirdest thing about my first trip to Malaysia earlier this month was the cars.
Not weird, like using 19-inch wheels on an Impreza WRX, or removing the wings on a Skyline GT-R. I mean weird in a Bizarre world alternate universe kind of way. Welcome to the crazy world of Proton.
I’m not ashamed to admit it, but it took me a few tries to figure out what was going on. After asking “Is that a civic?” or “Is that an Evo?” a few times I started to see the difference between Proton models and their Japanese doppelgängers.
For those unfamiliar, Proton is the national car manufacturer of Malaysia, founded by the Malaysian government in 1983 in partnership with Mitsubishi Motors Corporation. Today, Proton holds almost 20% of the market share of new car sales in Malaysia. These Malaysian made cars are affordable, look pretty good and seem well made too. Reviews online usually confirm this.
The design language is a mix of European robustness and Japanese silhouettes. The interiors seem more European than Japanese, like asking someone at Toyota to design a Mercedes-Benz.
The presence of Proton at Retro Havoc 2024 and on the streets and in the parking lots of Kuala Lumpur was impressive. When it comes to modification, a few Proton models stood out among the grocery getters.
First up is the Proton Satria, which in first generation guise (1996 to 2006) was based on the Mitsubishi Mirage and was available with a variety of four-cylinder engines, the largest of which was Mitsubishi’s 1.8L DOHC 16-valve 4G93 in the GTi guise. The GTi’s sporting intent is evident with its factory cutouts and lip kit, but also under the skin where Lotus were called upon to refine the car’s handling. Interestingly, as well as Malaysia, these cars were sold in the UK and Australia too.
Of course, with a shared Mitsubishi chassis, the 2.0L DOHC 16-valve turbo 4G63T is often chosen, which was most commonly found in Lancer Evolutions.
Another favorite is the Wira, which translates to “hero” in Malay. Does it look familiar? It should, as it’s based on the fourth-generation Mitsubishi Lancer.
This one has an Evo III rear end transplant – a major cosmetic surgery – plus other CE9A exterior parts. The swapped 4G63T is built up to 2.2 liters with a Tomei forged piston and Manley forged connecting rods, plus Brian Crower 272-degree camshafts and valve gear and a custom billet intake. The real power-delivering aspect is the turbo system, with a GTX3076R turbo on a custom manifold, a Precision Turbo wastegate and a Trust GT-R intercooler.
The real oddity and star of the Proton show is the Putra, also known as the Evo coupe with the Lancer Evolution exterior and engine treatment. Of course, a Lancer coupe was also sold outside Japan, with which the Putra shares the same chassis. These came standard with the Lancer 1.8L 4G93 engine.
The amount of work that has gone into these cars is commendable, however, Malaysia’s strict laws prohibit converting vehicles to four-wheel drive, limiting how far they can be pushed.
The Satria, Wira and Putra are the three best tuners to wear the Proton badge, but there’s another model that stole my heart. For that, you’ll have to wait for the final chapter of this Saga…