They were in search of a car for my brother and me to share in high school and ultimately found the Mazdaspeed to be too expensiveвЂ¦ and in light of my very short driving history up until that point, too fun. My parents actually test-drove a Mazdaspeed Protege when it was fresh and new on dealership lots.

It also came with a limited-slip differential by Tochigi Fuji Sangyo to improve traction, some beefier driveshafts, and even a sporty Sparco shift knob! The Protege was now two tons of fun in the corners and pretty ambitious in a straight line. Now the little вЂGe could lunge to 60 mph in just under 7 seconds, and suddenly it was right up there with the sharpest U.S.-market sport compact cars. ThatвЂ™s barely anything by todayвЂ™s standards, but again, much appreciated in the early aughts. MazdaspeedвЂ™ing the Protege gained 30 horsepower thanks to its little turbo, with the output claim now totalling 170, with 160 accompanying ft-lb of torque.

Mazda contracted Callaway Cars - a longstanding SoCal-based tuner known for making ultra high-HP Corvettes - to develop this carвЂ™s turbo system and it still sells replacement parts. And at this point, the Mazdaspeed name was actually starting to stand for something serious (the turbo Mazdaspeed Miata would be in the mix around this time as well).ДЄnd the development of the Mazdaspeed Protege was taken seriously. The Protege MP3 name didnвЂ™t last long everyone was up to speed in the ways of Napster and LimeWire by the time the Mazdaspeed Protege came out. Mazda needed to refine its formula for the street and make the Protege faster. The era in which it proudly placarded Mazdaspeed all over their marketing, campaigned the Protege in World Challenge and had a long, proud heritage of driving fun. Heck, a Mustang GT was hitting 0 to 60 in about six back then.ДЄgain, not bad, but this was the Zoom Zoom-era of Mazda. ThatвЂ™s not bad for a small-engined non-turbo car in 2001 itвЂ™s comparable to what a Honda Civic Si would have done at the time. That was enough to pull its 2,782 pounds to 60 mph in just over eight seconds. Thanks to a re-tuned ECU pinned into its 2.0-liter, FS-DE four-cylinder engine, it made 140 horsepower and 142 lb-ft of torque. It had the minerals in acceleration, too. You also feel the understeer, but it rotates the MP3вЂ™s rear satisfyingly when you back out of the throttle lightly, a trait that helped the car post a blazing 0.85 g on the skidpad.вЂќ вЂњYou feel the carвЂ™s organs working to digest corners. вЂњFrom the thick steering wheel, ergonomically sculpted buckets, and machined-steel pedals, the ProtegГ© MP3 streams data to your appendages regarding lateral grip, slip angle, and road irregularityвЂќ detailed car reviewer Aaron Robinson. The fun factor was very much there, according to Car and Driver.

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