Proton’s motorsports division Race Rally Research launched the commemorative special edition duo of the Proton Waja MME Edition and Proton GEN.2 MME Edition yesterday evening at The Curve, Mutiara Damansara. 200 Wajas and 200 GEN.2s will be built to celebrate Protons R3 Amprex team emerging victorious as Overall champions and Class O champions completing 279 laps in a specially-built Lotus Exige 300RR. They had the two cars on display as well as some other R3 track cars, so here are some photos for the benefit of those that were not there. Photos and more details on the two cars after the jump. Enlarged photos of all the photos in this post can be viewed by clicking on it.
This is the special edition Proton Waja MME Edition, available only in Deep Burgundy with a manual transmission. There are a couple of aesthetic as well as performance changes to the car over the standard Proton Waja.
The Proton Waja MME Edition recives a new bumper and grille design. The grille has been redesigned to sport a rounder Wau shape instead of the boxy design that the normal Waja sports. How well this curvy design is executed on the predominantly boxy Waja is up to personal preference I suppose.
Another view of the grille and bumper from the front.
Mesh grille for the nose as well as the bumper vents.
New projector headlamps for the Proton Waja. It comes with a Dark Titanium colour scheme and the Waja has Xenon HID lamps, the first on a national production vehicle.
Not much changes to the interior except for an R3 gear knob and R3 floor mats. The new CD player with bluetooth and MP3 support is integrated well into the dash design.
This is the CD player which supports MP3 as well as BlueTooth connection. The text above the LCD display proudly says “Ready for BlueTooth.”
No discernable changes to the meter panel.
This is the R3 gearknob supplied for both cars. Comes with black and red trim with the R3 logo on top of it.
Yes, unfortunately the Waja MME sports the new facelifted thermometer crop circle design as well as the oddly placed WAJA letters above the numper plate.
The R3 Performance Exhaust System ends with a nice mufler tip. The muffler tip with R3 engraved on it is oval shaped on the Proton Waja MME, instead of round-shaped on the GEN.2 MME.
The same alloy wheel design can be found on both the Proton Waja MME and the Proton GEN.2 MME. The 7-spoke, 16×6.5 inch wheels shroud some nice R3 Performance Slotted brake discs on all four wheels. The alloy wheels are wrapped with Continental SportContact-1 tyres in 195/50/R16 size.
That’s it for the Proton Waja MME Edition, now let’s have a look at the Proton GEN.2 MME Edition.
This is the Proton GEN.2 MME Edition, along with two lovely ladies. They’re holding the bundled Apple iPod Nano 1GB.
A sportier bumper with the GEN.2 MME Edition. Some of you might recognise this from the KLIMS 2006 exhibition. Strangely, the GEN.2 MME on display did not feature Dark Titanium headlamps, instead it was equipped with the standard Proton GEN.2 headlamps. But you can have a look at how Dark Titanium GEN.2 headlamps look like on Proton’s race-equipped GEN.2 later in this post.
This is the rear view of the Proton GEN.2 MME Edition.
A closer look at the R3 muffler tip. Unlike the Waja MME’s oval tailpipe, the GEN.2 MME’s tailpipe is circular shaped. It has the letters R3 engraved on the top.
Interior of the Proton GEN.2 MME Edition. Like the Proton Waja MME, it sports special R3 floor mats and the red and black gearknob.
Engine bay for the Proton GEN.2 MME Edition. Here you can see the two-point strut bar included with the car, as well as the red alloy CamPro engine cover.
Here’s some random photos of cars displayed at the launch. This race-built GEN.2 has Dark Titanium headlamps.
This is the 1.6 litre R3-prepared Proton Satria used in the recent R3 MME06 Driver Selection Program.
This is a race-prepared Proton Satria R3. The 1.8 litre DOHC 4G93P engine in this baby makes 180.7bhp at 6,500rpm and an enormous 200Nm of torque at 5,500rpm. More on this car later.
Race Rally Research will only be making 5 cars a day to ensure production is up to quality control standards. 200 cars each with a total of 400 cars will be available, with each of them coming with a unique serial number. Credits to Suanie and her funky twisty camwhore camera. That’s about it for now. The Proton Waja MME 1.6 manual costs RM66,671.03 while the Proton GEN.2 MME 1.6 manual costs RM59,789.81. For other details please check my previous post, Proton Waja MME and Proton GEN.2 MME.
AD: Drive the Proton model of your dreams. Submit your details and Proton PJ will get in touch with you.
Looking to sell your car? Sell it with Carro.
AI-generated Summary ✨
The comments mainly focus on the Proton Waja and Gen.2 MME models, with some discussing R3 upgrades and others expressing pride or criticism about Malaysian cars. Many appreciate the cosmetic enhancements like bodykits and new styling, particularly for the Gen.2, but criticize interior quality, safety features, and lack of significant performance upgrades. There’s skepticism about the originality and global competitiveness of Proton engines, with some arguing they are not truly "world class," and concerns about quality and export potential. Several comments highlight the limited scope of upgrades, questioning whether these cosmetic mods justify higher prices, and lament the absence of features like foglights and 17-inch rims on some models. Overall, the tone is a mix of pride, nostalgia, and frustration over Proton’s development pace and quality standards.