A year on from the launch of the Proton S70 and shortly after the sedan’s maiden foray into endurance racing at last month’s Sepang 1000KM, the national carmaker has brought a dressed-up version of the model to the 2024 Kuala Lumpur International Mobility Show (KLIMS), dubbed the S70 Concept.
Exhibited at the Proton booth in a metallic yellow exterior wrap finish, the S70 Concept wears a different scheme compared to that worn on the S70 R3 race car that finished fifth in its class at the endurance race (which is also being displayed at KLIMS 2024).
Here, the S70 Concept gets a front grille that retains the chrome pins, albeit here with a blacked-out frame in place of the road car’s chrome-finished unit. The front bumper gets a larger splitter in black that extends further from the bodywork, and has a pair of supports which mount to the lower intake panel.
On top, the S70 Concept gets a gloss black roof, and a pair of black racing stripes which run from the front of the bonnet to the rear of the bootlid. Here, the S70 Concept also gets a bootlid-mounted spoiler finished in black. Lower down, there are side skirts, and the rear bumper also gets a diffuser-esque extension.
Wheels are 18-inch alloys finished in gloss black, shod in Bridgestone Potenza RE004 Adrenalin tyres measuring 235/40R18. These house yellow-painted calipers, which appear to be the factory-standard units. Further chassis alterations include lowered springs.
As standard, the S70 is powered by a 1.5 litre DOHC MPI turbocharged three-cylinder engine that outputs 150 PS at 5,500 rpm and 226 Nm from 1,750 rpm to 4,000 rpm, driving the front wheels through a seven-speed wet-dual-clutch automatic transmission. Suspension is by MacPherson struts in front, and a torsion beam setup at the rear.
If this performance-inspired makeover is appealing, unfortunately there are no plans to make a series production version of the S70 Concept available for public sale. It could, however offer a glimpse into a possible offering of an R3 accessories range, or even a special edition kitted to similar effect later in the S70’s lifecycle, given that Proton R3 has already entered racing with the S70.
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