Proton, in conjunction with Lotus Racing, has launched a very special version of their Neo – the Proton Satria Neo R3 Lotus Racing – a small car that takes itself seriously. The sporty Satria Neo has various equipment upgrades including an engine tune-up that increases power from 82 kW to 106 kW and 168 N.m of torque. The 0 – 100 km/h sprint is now done in 9.0 seconds and top speed is 200 km/h, compared to 12.2 seconds and 180 km/h for the standard Neo 1.6 manual.
The Satria Neo R3 costs double the price of the standard Satria Neo in Malaysia, but this doubled price tag offers more than just a carbon fibre bonnet and Lotus Racing emblems. There’s some serious performance upgrades that should make it quite a laugh to drive, and these improvements are not just reflected in the vital stats.
More vital than these improved figures however are things like revised ratios for the five-speed gearbox. According to a sources, the Neo R3 Lotus Edition will reach its 7 500 rpm redline in every gear, with no flat spots in the torque curve.
Handling is a big part of the equation, and bearing the “Lotus Racing” name means that this car has to deliver some thrills behind the wheel. First up are the Öhlins DFV (Dual Flow Valve) fully adjustable coil-over suspension with spring and damper rates specifically tuned for this application by R3. The Neo also gets stiffened rubber bushes and revised suspension geometry. All these are claimed to deliver “racecar-like direct steering input and cornering precision”. The saved weight from the carbon hood also means that there’s less weight over the front axle, which is good news. This car is 62 kg lighter than the standard Neo at 1 150 kg.
If you peek behind the 16-inch Advanti alloys wrapped with 205/45 Bridgestone Adrenalin rubber, you’ll spot the four-pot AP Racing calipers gripping the front discs. The rear discs make do with single pot items. Other than the engine tune-up, you also get titanium exhaust headers and sports exhaust system as well as a carbon fibre airbox.
Only 25 units of the Satria Neo R3 Lotus Racing Edition will be made. Sources say that 11 units are already accounted for, and we reckon that Proton will have no problems selling off the remaining units. They will of course come up with a second batch if response and demand is sufficient.
The new car was launched at the concourse area of the Pavillion, Kuala Lumpur. Present at the launch were all three drivers for the Team 1Malaysia Lotus F1 – Jarno Trulli, Heikki Kovalainen, and Malaysian Fairuz Fauzy who were in town for the upcoming Malaysian Grand Prix.
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