Amidst all the buzz surrounding last week’s Proton EV auction, there was one very interesting model. It was a turbocharged 1.3-litre Proton Iriz with a 6-speed manual transmission.

The Proton Iriz is a formidable rival to the Perodua Myvi with great handling but hampered by the uninspired Punch CVT gearbox.

While the Iriz is available with a manual transmission, the 95 PS 1.3-litre isn’t really hot hatch material and the 109 PS 1.6-litre manual variant has been discontinued for quite some time. Both cars are mated to a five-speed manual.

So, the engineering boffins at Proton decided to produce a unique turbocharged 1.3-litre four-cylinder that made 142 PS and 190 Nm. Honestly, those are very impressive output figures, trumping the bigger 1.6-litre engine which makes 109 PS/150 Nm. Visually, it looked like an ordinary Iriz; I’d call this the ultimate sleeper look.

This was then mated to a Getrag 6-speed manual transmission. The turbocharged Iriz wasn’t just all show; it claimed a 0-100 km/h time of under 8.7 seconds. For comparison, the Iriz 1.6 with the CVT gearbox does the century sprint in 11.6 seconds.

The turbocharged Iriz was shown to the media in 2015 alongside an Exora which shared the same powertrain. We don’t know the fate of the Exora as it wasn’t listed in the auction nor did we heard any news about it. However, we do know what happened to the Iriz.

The Iriz we saw at the auction lot looked very much forlorn and forgotten. As it was listed as scrap, its fate was sealed when we found a Facebook post that showed the Iriz about to be taken out for parts.

No doubt the engine and transmission would be exciting transplants for a lucky Iriz but we probably shouldn’t feel sad for this. As Hans explained in his piece, it would be costly for Proton to preserve and maintain every single one of their prototypes.

Plus, it’s natural for most carmakers – even major ones to eventually scrap or sell their prototypes. After all, you don’t keep all your high school projects even into adulthood.