The Proton Satria Neo is the only Malaysian car to date that has ever been sold officially in Japan but it’s not exactly a model meant for the public. Rather, the Malaysian hatchback is sold by aftermarket parts producer, Cusco via its Carrosser distribution network for motorsports purposes.
Sold between 2011 and 2018, most of these Satria Neos competed in rallying tournaments across Japan and were favourable according to some reviewers. Still, these cars remained road-legal despite the parts fitted in for rallying.
That’s because the Cusco-equipped Satria Neos were meant to compete in the Group N rallies which only require minimal modifications like fitting a roll cage and other necessary rallying equipment. However, the engines are not allowed to be tampered with and these cars looked very much like the ones sold in showrooms.
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The Satria Neo remained a niche car in Japan but it has a beloved fanbase and Junichi Miyasaka is one of them. He’s currently a proud owner of one that used to compete in the 2012-13 All Japan Rally Championship.
Miyasaka-san is a motorsports enthusiast, according to an interview he made with Gazoo.com, Toyota’s own automotive enthusiast blog. His first car was a Subaru Legacy that he got for around JPY 100,000 (~RM 3.4k) but it was his second car and his favourite at the time, the Subaru Impreza Wagon GF8 that introduced him to the world of motorsports.
He took part in Gymkhana events in his Impreza before switching to gravel in dirt trial tournaments. Due to the expensive costs, he competed in various rallying competitions in a Mitsubishi Mirage RS and later switched to a Suzuki Swift HT81S.
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A mishap happened in 2013 which resulted in his Swift being scrapped and while looking for an affordable replacement, he came across the Satria Neo that used to belong to the Cusco Jr Rally Team.
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If you’re interested in 2D anime waifus, the character featured on this teal and white Satria Neo is one of Cusco’s mascots called Ria Sato. It’s a clever play on the Satria’s name in Japanese and according to Cusco’s website, she’s a shrine maiden who’s into rallying and is a member of the automobile club at her university.
Back in the real world, Miyasaka-san kept the Satria Neo’s rallying spirit alive by competing in the RA3 class of the Hokkaido Rally Championship. Little modifications have been added to the car as it is already prepped for rallying.
Still, it isn’t a competitive car as Miyasaka-san says that it struggles with its heavy weight and underpowered naturally-aspirated 1.6-litre CamPro engine (113 PS/146 Nm). He doesn’t mind that at all and besides competing around Hokkaido, he uses it as a daily driver.
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The Satria Neo might have some shortcomings but for a 49-year-old rallying enthusiast based in Hokkaido, it’s his angel and a unique one at that.
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