Today, the Proton is the dominant car life form on Malaysian roads. But the country has not always known such autocratic rule.
I think it’s safe to say that car enthusiasts generally gravitate toward the East or West side of the automotive world. Of course, some people swing both ways. I’d happily throw my keys in a bowl with someone with nice car taste Mark Riccionibecause you never know what you’ll be driving home to. German, Japanese or Italian, you are guaranteed to have a good time.
Most countries have – or at least once had – a preference for domestically produced cars. But some places, like Australia, had a relatively balanced availability of foreign and domestic models.
Malaysia has had both Western and Eastern cars in two very different automotive eras. The first began around 1900 under British colonial rule. Naturally, most of the cars sold were British, with high tariffs on American vehicles.
At the time, Singapore was also part of what was known as Malaya. Ford’s first Malaysian garage opened in 1926 and the first complete assembly line in Southeast Asia was cut in 1941. In the 1960s, one of the best-selling cars in the region was the Mk1 Cortina, assembled in Malaysia using complete knockdown (CKD) kits from Ford of Britain.
General Motors made a few attempts to establish itself in Malaysia, but eventually the British made life difficult for them and GM planted its manufacturing roots in Indonesia. Still, I expected to see a few more Morris Minors and Volkswagen Beetles Retro destruction 2024. Or even more Mk1 Ford Cortinas, given the long history of local assembly.
GM eventually captured a share of the market and sold the Australian-made Holden Kingswood in Southeast Asia in a slightly less angry version than the one you see above. This car is owned by an Australian guy who lives in Malaysia. It had all the goodness of the Australian-spec GTS, like a GM 308ci V8 and body cladding, plus a Weiand supercharger, Turbo 350 transmission and a Pajero diff with custom axles.
When Singapore seceded from Malaysia in 1965, both countries began seeking foreign auto investors to open new factories for local assembly and production. By the end of the decade, Singapore had mainly German and British factories. Malay plants were predominantly Japanese.
In 1967, the Malaysian government approved factories for Volvo, Fiat, Renault and Opel, but a new era was dawning. I didn’t see any Amazons or Manats at Retro Havoc either; maybe they were all picked up by foreign collectors?
This Porsche Cayman with a 3.8L 997 GT3 RS engine and forged parts made up for the lack of classic Beetles.
Eastern rule
The first Japanese cars arrived in Malaysia in the 1950s, and by the 1970s they were seriously eating away at Western competitors. But it was not an easy takeover.
In Malaysia, early Japanese cars were criticized for being cheap and flimsy. Naturally, by the time the Land Cruiser, Civic and Lancer hit Malaysian driveways, Japanese cars were highly sought after for their reliability, durability and low cost compared to their defeated Western equivalents.
Over the next ten years, Mitsubishi rose from 8th to 3rd in Malaysia’s new car rankings, pushing Ford from 3rd to 6th. Mazda beat Mercedes-Benz from 4th to 9th place and the rest is history.
As a result of Japan’s successful automotive dominance in Malaysia and wider Southeast Asia, the show easily outnumbered cars with an Eastern background than those from the West.
Civics from Thailand, a V12 GT-R mash-up, a rare Lancer Evolution V RS and an R34 GT-R facelifted Stagea were among the many unique cars on display at this year’s Retro Havoc.
But none of these held my attention as long as this trio of Nissan SR20DET-swapped Mitsubishi Lancer EX 1800GSRs.
The funny thing is that I heard that there is a whole club in Malaysia that deals with these Evo predecessors.
Who wants to see more features from Malaysia and Southeast Asia? There is plenty to discover.
Look at the paint on this one Nissan Cefiro and Fairlady combination, and the Eagle-themed Mitsubishi Galant VR-4.
Mitsubishi had a strong presence at Retro Havoc 2024, which brings us to the next chapter in the history of the Malaysian automotive industry: the rise of Proton. But that’s a story for next time.
Toby Thyer
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Floor of the cutting room
