This supercharged Proton Satria Neo S2000 is a road-legal homage to a 10-year old concept

Like how Singer is to Porsche or Eagle is to Jaguar, local outfit, Dream Street Restoration (DSR) can be associated with Proton when it comes to the art of restoring the Malaysian Tiger’s legacy models.

We are well acquainted with the father-son team here who graciously gave us the opportunity to experience two of their projects beforehand, the C99 Wira 1.8 EXi and the Proton Putra.

Recently, DSR has opened the doors to its garage in USJ 1 and it’s a place of fantasy for fans of Proton’s cult heroes. On display that day were a Satria GTi, a Satria Neo R3, and a stripped-out Putra.

Also read: The Proton Putra, Satria GTI and Wira 1.8 EXI - once marvels of Malaysian motoring

The biggest highlight though, laid in the Dream Hub at the back of the garage, next to a display of parts and accessories. The yellow Satria Neo might look like any Neo, but this is a one-off rally-inspired concept that many Malaysians might have forgotten.

Back in July 2012, Proton R3 Motorsport unveiled the Satria Neo S2000 Concept car in Johor Bahru during the fourth round of the 2012 Asia Pacific Rally Championship. It featured an S2000 rally-inspired bodykit and the standard engine was enhanced with a supercharger.

Also read: Top Rank: 12 rare and unique Proton Satria and Satria Neo models

The concept was considered for a limited production run of 300 units in commemoration of Proton R3’s clean sweep of the Asia Pacific Rally Championship in 2011. Unfortunately, fate had been cruel to the limited edition’s potential and the project was cancelled.

Also read: Comparison: Proton Iriz R5 vs Satria Neo S2000, which local rally car would you take back?

This particular S2000 is similar to the concept that was unveiled a decade ago in Johor Bahru and it is the only one in the world. The team at DSR did their best to make this unique one-off not just a reality but also one that is road-legal.

The Satria Neo S2000 is painted in the same yellow paintjob that was used on the actual rally car instead of the Canary Yellow hue used on the standard Satria Neo. Also, what’s a rally car cosplay without liveries and on this S2000, the logos and sponsors are “embedded” into the paint which makes for a subtle but clean aesthetic.

The S2000 bodykit is also available for purchase for interested Satria Neo owners and these are exclusive at DSR. That bespoke quality is a trademark of DSR which also offers parts for the C99 variants which are no longer in production such as engine mounts, bushings, and a revamped printed circuit board (PCB) for the meter panel.

Also read: Driving the 1996 Proton Wira 1.8 EXi LE (C99) - Every bit a corner-carving legend, 25 years later

But let’s get back to the Satria Neo S2000. Underneath, the 1.6-litre Campro CPS is paired to a supercharger which is expected to give the Satria Neo a boost of up to 40 PS more than the standard unit. For reference, the stock, naturally-aspirated Campro CPS unit produces 125 PS.

Also read: Your first 'dating' car, Proton Satria Neo from RM 10k, how much to fix?

DSR’s founder, Suriya Sankaran has said that since the engine is still relatively new (only around 40,000 km of mileage), it doesn’t need to go through the blueprinting process like other projects. Blueprinting sees the engine being rebuilt following the manufacturer’s blueprint, returning the machine back to factory tolerances.

Also read: Driving this restored Proton Putra is like time-travelling to Malaysia's glorious motoring past

The yellow theme continues inside on the dashboard, doors, and surrounding the 5-speed manual gearbox. Even the Recaro seats are given the Simpsons treatment and the combination of a Momo deep dish steering wheel makes it look like the rally car for the road.

As this is meant to be a road-legal supercharged Proton Satria Neo, it doesn’t come equipped with the full rally kit like the actual S2000. No roll cage, all-wheel-drive system, or rally suspension but DSR’s Suriya told us that this is still an ongoing project with a few tweaks underneath planned.

Besides restoring the likes of the Wira C99, Putra, Satria GTi, and Satria Neo, DSR is also currently open to restoring other older Proton models like the first-gen Saga. There is a 1990 Saga Megavalve that is being displayed on the lift that when completed will be in stock showroom fresh condition.

Also read: Proton Saga turns 37! Here are some fun facts about the car throughout the years

If you’re interested in restoring an old Proton, you can check out DSR’s social media pages on Facebook and YouTube as well as dropping by their garage here.