The Malaysian car company, Proton is coming out with their first rally car, the 2018 Proton Iriz R5. To help produce the R5, Proton has commissioned Mellors Elliot Motorsport or MEM, the British motorsports and engineering company. They are hoping to finish the R5 in time for next year’s World Rally Championship 2 (WRC2) series, which uses all the same stages as the World Rally Championship, but it is designed for Super 2000, N4 and R5 rules.
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Exterior
Construction on the new Iriz R5 is currently underway. This is not the first time MEM and Proton have collaborated. MEM was previously in charge of developing the Proton Satria Neo S2000 rally car that competed in quite a few events, most notably the Intercontinental Rally Challenge, Super 2000 World Rally Championship, as well as the Asia-Pacific Rally Championship. In terms of design, the Iriz R5 rally car will heavily rely on the automaker’s Iriz hatchback model. It should also be noted that all the features have been designed with the R5 rules in mind.
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Engine and Powertrain
Because it is produced to compete in the WRC2 category as well as the Asia-Pacific Rally Championship (APRC), the new R5 rally car will be outfitted with a 4B11T turbocharged four-cylinder petrol engine. The same one that can be found under the Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution X’s hood. But, in order to comply with the R5 class regulations, the engine displacement for the 2018 Proton Iriz R5 has been decreased to 1.6 liters, compared to the 2.0 litres the Lancer Evolution X has. The new R5 will also come with a brand-new set of Brembo brakes, Cosworth engine management, Reiger dampers, as well as an Xtrac sequential transmission. Furthermore, it will be offered in both the left- and right-hand drive, with homologation set to take place on January 1, 2018.
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2018 Proton Iriz R5 Release Date and Price
First time we get to see the finished version of the 2018 Proton Iriz R5 rally car will be the 2017 Goodwood Festival of Speed which kicks off next month in the United Kingdom. There we will hopefully find out some more details about its release a price. Proton is planning for the first production model to be ready for the 2018 rally season.
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