Proton Putra WRC - The Malaysian rally prince with lots of potential

Before you cry out to Proton for yet another sad state of historic concepts and rally legends, let me just say that the Proton Putra WRC is under capable hands. So, please put down your keyboard gently and stop preparing a rant to Geely in the comments section. Let me tell you a tale of the wild Malaysian rally car that could’ve fought with the likes of Colin McRae and Tommi Makinen in their Imprezas and Lancer Evos.

We’ve written an article featuring Proton’s PERT cars a while back and just to keep things short and quick here, the Petronas Eon Rally Team (PERT) did not have much of a say in the development of the Putra rally car.

Those PERT cars competed in the regional and grassroots levels of rallying, nothing like the hardcore and difficult WRC cars. While they weren’t as legendary as the Group B monsters of the 1980s, the WRC cars of the nineties should get some well-deserved recognition.

Prior to the WRC, there was Group A which was heavily regulated following the ban of Group B cars which were too dangerous and deadly. But, in 1997, the WRC was introduced, and with that came more relaxed rules. This allowed an engine capacity of up to 2.0-litre, the introduction of anti-lag turbo, sequential gearbox, as well as adding aerodynamic enhancements to the car like larger spoilers and wider wheel arches.

Entering the WRC became more affordable and that meant any manufacturer can compete in the WRC. Proton saw this as an opportunity to move the brand beyond just Malaysian and regional recognition. So, they decided to enter the 1998 WRC season and sought the help of Prodrive.

First up, it’s not a bad idea that Proton hired Prodrive to help with their WRC chapter. After all, they also helped the Subaru rally team to win the world title 3 times in 1995, 1996, and 1997. It’s incredible that Proton somehow managed to convince the British outfit to help them out. They transformed the Putra from a blobby-looking coupe to a curvy rally monster.

Prodrive took the standard 1.8-litre 4G93P engine and beefed it up to a 2.0-litre which was then fitted with an anti-lag turbocharger with a 34 mm air restrictor. The result? An estimated power output of 304 PS and 400 Nm! It had four-wheel drive and the engine was mated to a Hewland six-speed sequential gearbox.

Even on the outside, it got the proper rally treatment. Bulging wheel arches, large spoiler, hood vents to cool the engine, AP Racing brakes, and forged O.Z. Racing Tarmac wheels. Don’t ever call this a ricer.

Sadly, Proton’s WRC tale ended before it even begun and was eventually scrapped. The reason for that remained a mystery. Some speculated that the Asian Financial Crisis of 1997 was the cause of it, others thought it was Subaru who put a stop to it since Prodrive was also their partner. Some even thought it was Mitsubishi that ended the project because after all, the powerplant was still a Mitsubishi.

Nevertheless, the Putra WRC gained notoriety as a mythical legend. Until pictures of it laying outside, exposed to the elements resurfaced online back in 2014. Just like the recent Proton auction post, the internet went into complete frenzy but thankfully, there’s a happy ending for the Putra WRC as it is being taken care of by Proton Motorsports.