Production road cars that double as track day machines are not uncommon, as we’ve seen with the Porsche 911 GT3 RS, Renault Megane RS Trophy-R and Volkswagen GTI Clubsport S. These vehicles are not only perfectly legal to use on the road, but also qualify for certain race series, be it of the one-make or Clubsport variety.
While most people are familiar with offerings from foreign brands, did you know that Proton once developed and sold such a model in the past? If you didn’t, allow us to introduce you to the Satria Neo R3 Clubsport.
Developed by Proton’s in-house racing division R3, the model was first introduced in 2008 at a time when Tengku Djan Ley – the Prince of Drift – led the team. Developed to be part of a one-make race series, the Neo Clubsport was built in extremely limited numbers, with just 25 units made.
The car was based on the 1.6 manual variant of the Neo that featured a S4PH 1.6 litre Campro four-cylinder engine, which offered less power (110 hp/148 Nm) compared to the newer (and updated) 1.6 H-line that packed a Campro CPS engine with 125 hp and 150 Nm of torque.
However, the S4PH was easier to modify, and with different cams, as well as a new ECU and exhaust system, the Neo Clubsport came from the factory with 137 hp. That may not sound like a lot, but with various weight-saving measures also put in place, the car weighed just 1,050 kg, or 109 kg less than stock.
Besides the weight reduction and enhanced engine, the car also came with a FIA-certified, six-point roll cage and coilover suspension to ensure it could perform on the track. As the Neo Clubsport received JPJ’s Vehicle Type Approval (VTA) that allowed it to be registered and driven on the road, there was no issue with using the car’s roll cage on the road.
Despite all this, the Neo Clubsport appears relatively unassuming, with only a selection of changes to mark it out as something special. At the front, R3 fitted a front splitter, while the new rear wing is set at an aggressive angle.
Elsewhere, the car gets bonnet pins, tailgate clips, a front tow hook, model-specific badging, a graphic of the Sepang International Circuit, R3 alloy wheels, Bridgestone Potenza RE001 tyres, as well as a kill switch that cuts off electrical supply in the event of an accident.
As for the interior, all the carpets have been removed and the roll cage is joined by a pair of Recaro TS-G racing bucket seats, complete with Sparco seatbelts. The original steering wheel and accompanying air bag are also ditched in favour of a Momo Tuner unit, which comes with a quick-release boss kit. Final touches include an additional kill switch where the head unit should be, and a verification plate to identify it as a R3 model.
All these modifications amount to a cost of RM29,000, and the whole car was priced at RM75,000, which is rather affordable for a factory-built racing machine. While it is tempting, customers that did buy the car were required to participate in a Neo Clubsport one-make race series that lasted only for a year, which did add some additional costs.
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So what is this article about? A homage? A throwback? A walk thru memory? Or some kinda hint that Proton is coming out with something exciting soon?
Ppl no income, no food, all dying… habis Msia,
Ini semua salah China.
but if without China, u earlier already become like Indonesia
Without China, we won’t have Coronavirus killing the world
I don’t know why Proton is wasting their budget for something like this instead of upgrading their cars in the past. Because of this, Proton became a Game Over company and needed multiple bailouts to survive
Did MCO make you so retarded you failed in reading anymore? PLEASE READ THE ARTICLE IF YOU STILL CAN READ!
Sabar bro, forgive this Kuntaik dupe (another idiotic Poodua worshipper) as his beloved Poodua tak laku anymore as many budget car buyers already migrated to Proton that he hated so much.
By the way, the fact is like this:
I don’t know why Poodua is cutting their budget so much until they can’t even fit a temperature gauge yet selling price for low spec Poodua much more expensive than a well specced Proton (by apple and apple comparison). Because of this, Poodua became a Game Over company and need to badmouth others to survive (they already learned the badmouthing skills from their parent UMW Toyotaik when promoting their underspecced Toyotaik cars in the past)
Roti john bukan Kunta laaaaa
Dear Gerard Lye,
Bumper under spoiler like the on on Neo CS is known as a splitter.
This works very well with a flat underbody and a diffuser so that air flow underneath car is smoother and faster – creating negative pressure and hence more downforce.
Better traction and roadholding.
Anyway, I never heard about this car before. Was this car covered by PT.org when it was launched, together with the race series?
Probably not. With a limited run of 25 cars and within a closed owners only race for 1 year, probably flew under PT radar that time. That year got other monumental news like the debut of CPS engine.
What is “bumper under spoiler”? I think he meant “spoiler under bumper”. The writer even managed to messed up the sentence :-P
gettin 1 to join Neo Clubsport race series. teehee!
what make u wrote this article? considering this is 2008?
reminiscing ? or something cool coming up ?
Here’s one of those 25 units!
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https://youtu.be/w2qm3TV1F9o
Thanks for the link. Great video!
anytime a stock Civic 1.5 turbo with 173hp can smoke this Satria Neo. I won’t splurge that kinda money on a slower car. better get the civic turbo and top up monthly repayment also not much.
In terms of power to weight ratio, this Satria Neo R3 CS (130.47hp/ton) will smoke your Civic TCP (130.0hp/ton).
So regret to buy one, I mean civic turbo
Your never-ending insecurities telling me how inferior it is to own a Honda. Get a life bro, get yourself a better car so you can let go all those inferiority complex from the bottom of your heart.
Sincerely: Rusty 1994 Kancil 660 Driver
Have you read the article? It’s a track-ready car that has nothing in common with a Civic 1.5 turbo that is used to carry groceries from the supermarket.
To avoid misunderstandings: It’s a terrible idea to buy this track-car for daily use.
U did actually splurge ‘that kind of money’ on a slower car…hahahahah.
Ben, please bring your Civic 1.5 turbo and we both do timeattack run in Sepang and see which one is fastest. Amacam? :D
Look at his name!!
I know this person is an owner of one of those Neo R3 Clubsport from YouTube link shared above.
Come on Ben Yap, what you waiting for!! This the opportunity to prove your inferiority complex isn’t real!!
Well that’s if your stock Civic 1.5 turbo can win against this 1.6 NA.
Sincerely: Rusty 1994 Kancil 660 driver
There are faster car out there, without costing even RM75k.
For P1 fanbois however, it worth every cents though.
Asalkan you suka and bahagia with your dream car.
Yeah, you can get cars faster on the straight without costing Rm75k but it can’t beat the speed of Protons around corners. This isn’t America. A race goes around and comes back full circle.
Plotong junk!
You can say that only if track is a straight lane