Proton does not build many cars like the Proton Putra: a 2-door coupé with 1.8 L 4G93 DOHC I4, built from 1996 to 2004 when airbags, anti-lock brakes and Japanese build quality became the world standard.
How it came about
The Proton Putra (Malay, "son" or "prince") is a front wheel drive sports coupe produced by Malaysian automobile company Proton. Production of the Putra started in late 1996 and ended in 2001, but was briefly relaunched in limited numbers in 2004 for the domestic market. The reasoning for the relaunch is the clearing of the remaining stocks available at the factory.
The hardware
Under the skin sits 1.8 L 4G93 DOHC I4. Kerb weight is 1007 kg. The gearbox is a 5-speed manual / 4-speed automatic. The layout matters: the engine drives the front wheels, the packaging choice that gives a small car a big cabin. The wheelbase is 2440 mm. These are manufacturer figures carried by Wikipedia and Wikidata, not road-test measurements.
Family and rivals
Where it sits in Proton's history is not in doubt: it was built at Pekan, Pahang (AMM), Malaysia. On a showroom list of its day it stood against the Alfa Romeo 156, the Škoda Auto Škoda Octavia, the Lotus Elise. Its Proton stablemates include the Proton Perdana and the Proton Arena.