Proton has officially unveiled the S70 R3 that will be competing at this year’s Sepang 1000KM (S1K) endurance race set to take place on November 22-24. This comes after the carmaker first teased the race car in May, which was when followed by a development video shared on its social media channels earlier this month.
Pictured here before its racing livery has been applied, the S70 R3 will look to add to Proton’s record number of manufacturer wins at the event, which currently stands at six. As a team, Proton R3 has secured five wins, including in 2012, 2014, 2017, 2018 and 2019.
The S70 R3 joins a long line of Proton models developed for motorsports, including those before the formation of the R3 division in 2003. These include the original Saga, Wira, Satria, Waja, Satria Neo, Preve, Suprima S, Iriz as well as the current version of the Saga.
Though the company did not provide specifications, it is understood that the S70 R3 won’t be using the 1.5 litre turbocharged three-cylinder petrol engine found in the road car. Instead, it will be powered by the proven S4PH 1.6 litre naturally-aspirated four-cylinder CamPro unit that was also used in racing versions of the Satria Neo, Preve, Suprima S, Iriz and Saga. The S4PH reportedly sends 200 hp to the front wheels through a dog box manual transmission.
According to Proton, the S70 R3 was co-developed with Geely, and the photos reveal some notable differences from the concept we saw in May. For starters, the ..