Archive for Proton Satria Neo

We’ve all drooled at the MEM Proton Satria Neo Super 2000 Rally Car built by Mellors Elliot Motorsport according to FIA Super 2000 rally specifications. The Satria Neo S2000 car uses a 280 horsepower 2.0 liter normally aspirated engine based on the 1.8 liter Renault engine in the Waja 1.8X.

Look after the jump to watch a video of a young driver trying the car out and listen to the 280 horses and 271Nm of torque being unleashed through the 6-speed Xtrac sequential transmission. Hopefully more videos of the S2000 Neo will make its way onto the web for our enjoyment soon. Thanks to reader IsaacVky for the pointer.

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MEM Proton Satria Neo Super 2000 - Specifications and Photos

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This is the MEM Proton Satria Neo Super 2000 Rally Car by Mellors Elliot Motorsport. The Super 2000 Rally was proposed by the FIA because of the rising costs of running World Rally Cars and competing in the World Rally Championship.

The following are the specs for a Super 2000 Rally Car:

• 3, 4 or 5-door models with length over 3900mm
• Generic 4X4 transmission without active differential from Sadev or Xtrac
• 2.0 liter normally aspirated engine from either a base engine used in any model from the manufacturer, or a engine licensed from another manufacturer with 2,500 units minimum production per year
• Engine must comply to BTCC/ETC specs with 8,500rpm rev limit
• Minimum weight - 1100kg tarmac, 1150kg gravel
• Maximum bodywork and wheel arch extension width 1800mm

The MEM Satria Neo S2000 complies to these specifications, measuring 3905mm long, 1800mm wide with a 2440mm wheelbase and a weight of 1150kg. Its chassis is based on the road-going Neo and has been strengthened to comply with FIA regulations and the components of a S2000 rally car. It is fitted with a rollcage built from 35 meters of Chrome-Moly Steel Tubing.

Its 4-cylinder 1998cc DOHC normally aspirated engine is based on the 1.8 liter Renault engine in the Waja. It produces 280hp at 7,800rpm and a massive 271Nm of torque at 7,000rpm, and is installed transversely at the front of the car. This engine is mated to an Xtrac 6-speed sequential transmission with Alcon clutch and 3 player LSD.

Brakes are also from Alcon, with 300mm discs with 4 piston calipers at the front and 300mm discs at the rear on gravel. For asphalt, the front brake discs are uprated to 350mm. Wheels are 18 inch alloys for tarmac and 15 inch alloys for gravel. The car’s electronics system runs on the GEMS Multiplex System with Power Management, Data Logging and a Glass Dash Display

Look after the jump for more hi-res photos.

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Parker’s is a car price guide in the UK started back in 1972. According to the latest Parker’s guide, the Proton Satria Neo was placed within the top ten slowest depreciating cars for 2007 in the UK. According to Parker’s, desirability, reliability, style, reputation and mileage as well as the original cost are all key factors in determining how much a brand new car is likely to depreciate in value.

“Proton might not be one of the obvious brands people think of when it comes to cars that lose cash slowly. But the fact that the Satria Neo is a new model and is relatively inexpensive in the first place means drivers haven’t lost much money to depreciation during the first year of ownership, which is a pleasant surprise for anyone who has one on their drive,” says Kieren Puffet, Editor for Parker’s.

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Inspired by the spyshots of the performance-oriented Proton Satria Neo prototype posted earlier today, talented Theophilus Chin has worked some photoshop magic and produced this artist’s impression of a Proton Satria Neo GTi.

Bumper design as well as hood vents are inspired from the design we saw in the spyshots, and an intercooler has been added, peeking out from the center bumper intake. Theophilus has also added wheel arch extensions, though he has omitted the “screw holes” that we saw on the prototype car.

The bling wheels have been swapped with larger 6-spoke wheels though not of the same design as the prototype car, and behind these are red Brembo calipers.

Click the image above to have a look at a larger version of the image for more detail. What do you think?

A reader sent in these photos of what appears to be a more aggressively kitted Proton Satria Neo complete with something that looks like a big cardboard made to look like an intercooler smack in the middle of front bumper, hiding details on how it looks like from our eyes. Or it could be a real one, I’m not too sure. The foglamp inserts seem to be shaped differently though.

We also see a more prominent roof spoiler at the rear, as well as more pronounced wheel arches complete with the Satria GTI’s “screw” design, which leads me to believe this might be a prototype grey Proton Satria Neo GTI getting some tender loving care in the form of a car wash.

The alloy wheels of a new non-bling design, but they look like they remain to be 16 inch-sized. Peeking out from behind those 6-spoke alloys are what seems to be red-coloured brake calipers. If you look carefully at the hood, you will notice what appears to be two hood vents on the left and right of the hood.

A look at the EXIF data of the photos reveal that the shots were taken with a Fuji Finepix Z1 on 17 May 2007, exactly a month ago, thought it might be just taken yesterday, just that the camera’s date and time settings were wrongly set.

This could either be something from Proton, or a custom kit done by a Neo owner himself. More shots after the jump, but they are pretty much of the same angle.

Click here to read the rest of Possible Proton Satria Neo GTI Spotted?

If you’ve ordered a Proton Satria Neo, as with any car, there are a few things you need to check before you accept delivery of the car. There is a thread on the Satria Neo Club forums that is 9 pages long and provides many useful details on things you should watch out for before signing the acceptance form. Here are a few:

• Make sure CAPTOR alarm system is registered
• Check rear seat fitment
• Check front passenger seat “slide forward” mechanism
• Check headlamps
• Check if chassis/engine number is same as the one on the registration card

I’ve only listed some as a “teaser”, and there are many more, so head on to this particular Satria Neo Club forums thread to read up. The Satria Neo is an excellent drive, it handles really well, so it would be a pity if your unit has problems. These checks will help you get a car that is as problem-free as possible, so your car can spend more time where it belongs - on the road rather than the service center. With early detection, many problems can be solved more quickly.

Link: Essentials before picking up your Neo forum thread

Proton’s Satria Neo has been made the official safety car for the Australian Motor Racing Series (AMRS). It made it’s debut as the safety car at the AMRS opening race in March 2007. This is the third year of the new AMRS race, which began in 2005. There are 13 race categories including the Production Touring Car Championship, The Australian Touring Car Challenge, V8 Giants, OzBoss, and X Challenge.

Source

Click here to read the rest of Satria Neo: Official Safety Car for AMRS race

We really must thank Proton’s design team for the Satria Neo as it has inspired many graphic artists to practice their skills. Above is a new photoshopped image from Theophilus Chin, something that looks abit more realistic thanks to an actual photograph source image.

Below is reader cikdet’s modification of Theophilus Chin’s previous work, turning the 5-door Neo into a 5-door stationwagon called the Satria Neo T. I assume the T means Touring, following BMW’s naming convention. You can click both images in this post for a larger version.

Another photoshop by contributor Theophilus Chin. He’s whipped up a 5-door hatchback version of the Satria Neo called the Satria Neo5, inspired by manufacturers like Chevrolet and Kia who add the 5 suffix to their hatchback cars. I think the way the rear door extends onto the wheel arch is abit weird, but looks okay overall. I wonder if the Golf Mk5 could somehow have Satria Neo inspired body panels slapped onto it and end up looking like this. Click the image above to view an enlarged version.

Proton Singapore Pte Ltd has launched the Proton Satria Neo 3-door hatchback in Singapore, with only the H-Line model being offered at SG$51,488 for the automatic transmission model and SG$48,988 for the manual transmission model.

As a comparison, the Mazda3 5-door hatchback 1.6 Auto sells for SG$60,800, the Chevrolet Optra 5-door hatchback automatic goes for SG$58,488, the Kia Cerato 1.6 Auto 5-door hatchback goes for SG$48,499, while the manual Cerato goes for SG$45,499. The Cerato is actually Kia’s replacement for the Sephia. The Kia Rio 5-door hatchback is even cheaper at SG$43,499 for the manual and SG$46,499 for the automatic. It looks like Proton is pricing the Satria Neo in between the Mazda3 hatch and the Kia Cerato hatch.