Have you ever heard of the Proton Saga? No? I don’t blame you. Allow me to explain:
Proton Holdings was founded in 1979 as a government project in Malaysia, with the goal of boosting the national automotive industry. Initially selling locally produced rebadged Mitsubishi, the company grew, and over the years customized the Mitsubishi-based cars with their own technology and styling.
Proton was incredibly successful: the most successful model, the Proton Saga, based on the second generation Mitsubishi Mirage, flooded the roads of Malaysia. When I first visited Malaysia in 2012, about 1 out of 5 cars was a Proton Saga.
For some reason, I have developed a strange obsession with the Proton Saga. The exterior styling appeals to me, and I love the variety it offers: offered as both hatchback and saloon, and having received multiple facelifts over the 23 years production period (1985-2008), the Saga comes in many looks.
I found this partially gutted Proton Saga hatchback in August 2017 in front of a workshop in Malacca, Malaysia. I was on the way to a regional drift event, and I couldn’t walk past this Proton without taking a picture.
These Sagas deserve an own article to showcase it’s amazing history as Malaysia’s most beloved Automobile, Malaysia’s amazing car culture and how the Mitsubishi Mirage chassis remained in production far into the current Millennium. I’ll follow up!
