Video review: http://bit.ly/SatriaGTi
The Proton Satria GTi was first launched back in 1998, and it was (and still remains) one of the most legendary and sought-after hot hatches to grace Malaysian roads. It came with a preppy 138 bhp (103 kW) 1.8-litre Mitsubishi-sourced 4G93P engine and five-speed manual transmission, and the boffins at Lotus in Hethel, England tuned the steering, suspension, and brakes to give this spritely car impressive handling that could ahem outmaneuver a Mazda RX-7.
Even Richard Hammond of Top Gear fame concurs that this Lotus-tuned hot hatch is as true and traditional as they get. He said that the Proton Satria GTi “is loud, brash, and raucous in every inch of hot hatch in the traditional sense”, and he further goes on to say about the influence of Lotus engineering that “the Talbot Horizon and the Cortina are pretty humdrum cars, neither of them worth peanuts second-hand until Lotus became involved then hey-ho: instant classic.”
Today, catching a glimpse of a genuine and unmolested Proton Satria GTi is somewhat like catching a unicorn – rare and nearly unobtainable. Truth be told, when we drive this car, it turns more heads and attracts more attention that any of our Mercedes-Benz young timer classics.
Here, we present a meticulously restored 2001 Proton Satria GTi that is available for sale. Restoration of this car took place over the course of nearly a year as the car required extensive works to get it to as close to factory original specification as possible.
The 4G93P engine was removed from the car and completely disassembled down to each nut and bolt and closely inspected to prepare for blueprinting. Engine blueprinting is more than just a rebuild; it involves taking apart every single component, inspecting it, balancing, and adjusting it to ensure it perfectly matches the manufacturer’s specifications. We took the same approach to blueprinting with the five-speed manual transmission as well.
All engine ancillaries such as the water pump, alternator, air conditioning compressor, timing belts, flywheel, bearings, water jackets, fluid reservoirs, radiator, and hoses were replaced with brand new parts. The engine wiring harness and sockets have also been refurbished and insulated with new material. The exhaust muffler was replaced, together with new exhaust brackets.
To get back the original Lotus-tuned handling, we replaced nearly all the suspension components including the springs, shock absorbers, bearings, mountings, bushes, and lower arms using factory-specification parts with no modification or upgrade.
The braking system has been extensively overhauled, with new brake disc rotors and brake pads, rebuilt brake callipers, new ABS sensors, and complete flushing of the braking system with replacement of new brake fluid.
All nuts, bolts, brackets, and covers have been sandblasted, treated, anodized, or powder coated to give them a factory finish look. A new Panasonic battery has also been installed.
The airbag module was faulty, and we rectified it by replacing the airbag module with new original equipment to ensure driver safety.
To restore the bodywork, this car was extensively stripped down to the floor pan and firewall. All surface rust was treated, and the bodywork coated in the original silver PPG paint and clearcoat.
The front headlamps, foglamps, and side blinkers were replaced with new Bosch units. We managed to source for a brand-new set of the very rare smoked Hella tail lamps for the rear.
The rubber trim moldings that go along the doors and fenders are new, as are the rubber seals for the windscreens, door seals, and rear hatch seal.
All the six-spoke rims have been refurbished and powder-coated to match the stunning silver paintwork. New Goodyear Eagle F1 205/45R16 tires have been fitted. The mesh grille on the front and on the rear bumper have also been repainted. All exterior trim badges are new as well.
As the rear demister was non-functional, we replaced the entire rear windscreen with new Proton-badged MSG glass. New Bosch rubber wiper blades adorn the front and rear windscreens, keeping to the original factory look.
We sourced for a used Clarion head unit that was made specifically for Proton, and we repaired and refurbished the unit back to reliable working condition. The car comes with a special edition Proton Satria GTi “Millennium Collection” demonstration cassette tape with tunes from the era from renowned Malaysian artistes such as Sheila Majid and KRU.
The interior has undergone significant restoration as well to give drivers slipping behind the steering wheel with the embossed GTi logo the feeling of being a new car.
The Recaro seats have been padded and reupholstered with identical fabric to the original. Interior carpeting has been reconditioned and replaced, and new GTi floor mats were made to the same OEM standard. The UV damaged rear-view mirror has been replaced with a brand-new unit, and all non-functioning switches have been replaced with new-old-stock. The headliner, A/B/C pillar trims, dashboard panels, and door cards have been detailed and refurbished.
We have refurbished the faded graphics on the instrument cluster, restored the internal circuitry, and upgraded the backlighting to give better night-time visibility to the gauges.
All electrical functions such as the power windows, power side mirrors, exterior and interior lighting, and wipers have been tested and repaired to ensure that everything is in correct working order.
This Proton Satria GTi comes complete with two factory original key fobs; locking and unlocking the car sounds off the nostalgic beeps that were so common place on Proton cars 20 years ago. It also comes with the original spare tire, and factory provided toolkit in the original pouch. As a bonus, we have also included a period brochure for the Proton Satria GTi as a keepsake.
The restoration of this Proton Satria GTi has been one of our most challenging restoration projects, largely because sourcing for new original parts for this car is borderline impossible. We didn’t include an owner’s manual for this car simply because it is not available, new, or used. We doubt that we would be able to repeat such a restoration for the Proton Satria GTi to this standard in the future, and quite likely this would be the first and last time we would restore this legendary model.
Selling price: MYR98,800 nett
The car is now available for viewing. Please contact us to make an appointment to view the car.
