What’s so great about the Porsche 911 GT3 and the GT3 RS?
Go to the Nurburgring Nordschleife on any public drive days or trackdays. One of the most popular cars to tear up the circuit would be the Porsche 911 GT3. With most of them coming in RS trim. Regardless of any generation, this race car for the streets from Porsche features a roll cage, track focused suspension that’s adjustable and an NA engine that revs to glory. Which is why you can see the same car going lap after lap after lap while the others need to cool their brakes, turbos, transmissions or themselves.
The Malaysian Version by Proton
In 2008, just 2 years after the debut of the Satria Neo, Proton’s R3 division would create a road going race car. Based on the 1.6 litre Satria Neo, the Neo R3 Clubsport was a stripped down version featuring a whole host of racing bits. The cars were lightened by about 100kg, with power boosted to 137 from a non CPS unit.
This is achieved from several mods including a K&N air filter, a piggyback ecu (haltech) and a glorious 4-1 extractor and exhaust system from R3. Search for any YouTube video of this car on Sepang and they sound really lovely. No replacement for an NA sound track.
Other Go Faster Parts
On the outside there are pins for your front hood and bonnet, battery kill switche on the outside of the car, a front lip, and an R3 rear spoiler. Special 15 inch rims completes the external package.
On the inside the cars stripped of all sound proofing and carpeting. It still comes with the rear and front passenger seats though. The steering wheel is now a Momo 3 spoke with a quick release kit, with an R3 shifter. Plus you get a Recaro TS-G full bucket with racing harnesses for the driver seat.
Initially we could not get a clear evidence, but now we can confirm that the cars came standard from the factory with D2 adjustable dampers. That in itself makes a huge difference to the chassis response of the vehicle. Then comes the JPJ approved 6 point roll cage. Each owner receives a letter which certifies the legality of the roll cage in the Clubsports. Which is otherwise illegal for a road car in Malaysia.
Seeing not one but 4 at the same time…..
Our Route Hunters Garage is no stranger to exotic cars, with rare cars frequenting our premiss on a daily basis. But to see not one but 4 out of the 18 R3 Clubsports under one roof was surreal. Plus the owners are extremely passionate about their rides, and are real enthusiasts of the Proton and the R3 brand.
This car is one of the few cars that made Proton sexy as a brand. It inspired a generation of Malaysian enthusiasts genuinely lusting after a Proton, over Japanese and European counterparts . This is the kind of brand image a million billboards or ad campaigns can never buy. Regardless of how sensible a product may be, desire is often the catalyst that makes you go the extra mile for it. Because when you fall in love, you will find any excuse to justify your actions.
@route_hunters_malaysia Only 18 of these were ever made, and came stock with adjustable dampers, fix bucket #Recaro and a freaking road legal roll cage. The @Proton Cars Satria Neo R3 Clubsports is Malaysias version of the Porsche 911 GT3 RS. #fyp #fypシ #foryou #foryoupage #fypシ゚viral #fyppppppppppppppppppppppp #fypage #proton #porsche #clubsports #satria #neo ♬ Open Your Eyes - Ilkan Gunuc & Osman Altun
In Conclusion
Proton’s current line up features products that are selling like hot cakes not because they are the only options available, but they are genuinely good products with very practical tech. More importantly, it’s tailored to our needs.
But the enthusiasts crowd still hope a genuine performance product comes out of Proton, which is more than just a cosmetic job. Especially since there are lots of tasty ingredients, like a direct injection turbo engine with 255Nm, a twin clutch gearbox and a really capable sedan body full of potential, especially since its set to be made into a racing car. Pretty please Proton?
