The Proton X50 has been one of the cars that
has rather amazed us all. With a starting price of RM79,200, it has been the most talked about car of 2020. Out of the gate, the X50 has been what many Malaysians want and suffice to say, Proton did deliver the goods with good looks and rather impressive performance figures. With the "Standard" variant receiving 150hp and the RM103,300 "Flagship" getting the full 177hp due to direct injection.
Given the rather 'affordable' pricing, the X50 comes with tech that even some RM200k cars couldn't provide. That being said, if you don't opt for the Flagship, the 27hp is quite a large gap to fill. Which is why Proton's R3 division has teamed up with Works Engineering to develop performance related parts for the Proton X50. To top it off, former Team Petronas Syntium driver and Sepang 1000km Champion, Fariqe Hairuman, who is now the brand ambassador for Works Engineering is spearheading the project with Gary Lee from R3.
A Tuned X50 From Factory?
Photos of
the project shows that the variant of choice for the project is the "Executive" model, which is above the "Standard" and lower than the "Premium". It is unsaid whether the X50 will be receiving a proper R3 treatment or will it be an X50 with "R3"-inspired trim with add-on components from Works Engineering as there is no further information regarding the plans of the project for now.
To those who are unfamiliar with the work of Proton's motorsports division or "R3", they were formed back in 2003 to focus more on Proton's on-track performance. Which Proton succeeded as they are still around today, racing with their Iriz and Sagas in the Malaysian Championship Series and Sepang 1000km. They also however have the road-going Iriz and Saga in R3 trims.
However, it is a little bit different with Works Engineering. Any car enthusiast in Malaysia has definitely heard of this aftermarket company. They have a wide range of air filters, crankshaft pulleys, brakes, gauges and many more for almost all mainstream vehicles in Malaysia. It makes sense for R3 to partner up with them for this project as Works Engineering too has been manufacturing performance parts for Proton models.
It'll be cool if Proton offers the X50 in an R3 package with add-on components from Works Engineering from factory. It will also be better if Proton would retain the warranty of the the X50 which has the add-on components much like how certain car dealerships in United States keeps their warranty for dealer-fitted options. It would certainly be the first for a local dealership to offer such service.
Written by | Danial Malek
Images by | Works Engineering
