Proton Satria Neo R3 Lotus Racing

 

Well, maybe not this model per se – the Satria Neo R3 Lotus Racing was a special collaboration that resulted in only 25 models ever being built – but Proton is without a shadow of a doubt the name behind the people’s car of Malaysia.

Founded in 1983, the stylized tiger head or crescent moon underlining the 14-point star that makes up Proton’s branding can be seen everywhere in this Southeast Asian country.

Proton may have started off rebadging Mitsubishi products in the 1980s and ’90s, but around the turn of the millennium they began to invest more in their own products. You can’t drive more than a few blocks in LA without spotting a Prius or a Tesla; and likewise, Protons are everywhere in Malaysia.

The Proton Satria Neo was always targeted towards young buyers looking for something a little sportier than your average hatchback. Around the time of its release, Proton was still in control of Lotus and was looking for a good excuse to put the British-born automaker’s performance knowhow to practical use, and thus the humble Neo evolved into the Satria Neo R3, complete with Lotus-tuned handling and bunch of other performance add-ons.

With only 50 examples of the Neo R3 being produced, you’d think that Proton and Lotus would call it job well done, and leave it at that. Proton had other ideas though; they wanted to see how far they could really push the Neo.

With caution thrown to the wind, Proton got to work building yet another limited production run Neo with Lotus, the goal being superior handling and fun, all neatly packaged in a lightweight body. The result was the Proton Satria Neo R3 Lotus Racing.


So what makes the Lotus Racing edition so special? Let’s start with the changes that were performed by Lotus themselves.

For the suspension, Lotus specced a set of Öhlins DFV coilovers with damper and spring rates tuned specifically for the car. Furthermore, the suspension bushes were upgraded and the suspension geometry revised for sharper steering inputs and cornering precision.

The combination of carbon fiber and FRP around the exterior resulted in the Lotus Racing version coming out to play at under 1,200kg, and a full 62kg less than the standard Neo CPS.

The addition of large 4-pot AP Racing calipers and high performance pads ensure that Nik has no trouble coming to a stop when he’s on the track or indulging in a spirited drive on the street.

The original CamPro 1.6-liter inline four that came in the CPS version was good for 125hp, but in order to make it a little more special it was handed over to Proton’s racing division, R3. ‘Race Rally Research’ upgraded the engine with revised camshafts, a titanium header and tuned exhaust system, and with a new engine management system employed the Neo R3 Lotus Racing packed a 145hp punch.


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