PETALING JAYA, July 9 — On this day, 35 years ago, the Proton Saga became Malaysia’s first-ever locally produced car thanks to former prime minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad’s dream of having a “Malaysian Car.”
To commemorate its symbolic anniversary, Mahathir took to his social media accounts to wish the Proton Saga a “happy anniversary” with some photos of him and the car when it was first launched.
Happy 35th Anniversary Saga. pic.twitter.com/13H8BXNZhk
Advertisement— Dr Mahathir Mohamad (@chedetofficial) July 9, 2020
“Proton Saga is now 35 years old. Still going strong. Happy Birthday Proton Saga,” said Dr Mahathir in the post.
The 95-year-old’s post had many reminiscing as many took to sharing photos of their own beloved Sagas.
9/7/2020
— Muhammad Uzir Jamaluddin (@UzirJamaluddin) July 9, 2020
Selamat Ulang Tahun Yang Ke 35 Tahun #ProtonSaga ❤️#proton#protoncars pic.twitter.com/pnQZ9qq6MM
Mak saya & her legendary Saga pic.twitter.com/yKkMxoP44C
— fauzimnm (@fauzimnm_) July 9, 2020
Happy Anniversary Proton Saga ! https://t.co/coaV66ADmy pic.twitter.com/ZYit8PMZR0
— Umareeeee (@umardhaus) July 9, 2020
My betty and i am proud ♥️ https://t.co/C4CXjuN4ed pic.twitter.com/LvDTjoaI3g
— amal🌻 (@amalllibrahim) July 9, 2020
Some users even shared photos of the incomparable aero back Saga/Iswara variants, which is also a favourite among Malaysians.
My amazing Ende Iswara pic.twitter.com/MjzlzkhcEr
— Elephant-gajamaha (@Gajamaha) July 9, 2020
Saga keluaran pertama, cermin sisi pun ada sebelah je belah kanan. Enjin masih steady. Happy 35th anniversary Saga https://t.co/BXsFVsKjxV pic.twitter.com/QsKl6lp8Sq
— Saya (@wiratul) July 9, 2020
One Twitter page even shared a special video of a tricked out aero back drifting around a car park to show off the Saga’s prowess on its anniversary.
— AMK Setiawangsa (@amksetiawangsaa) July 9, 2020
Other users took a more comical approach to celebrate the Saga’s anniversary as they poked fun at Dr Mahathir’s selection of pictures in his post.
Tun, depa tanya awat tak share gambaq ni.. pic.twitter.com/LsGCn9GmZX
— Mamu DAP™ 🇲🇾 (@The_Mamu) July 9, 2020
One reminded everyone that the Saga or Iswara is also known internationally, as it even appeared in one episode of the Mr. Bean live-action series.
Mr.Bean in the house gaiss😂Tak tahulahh kalau org lain tak perasan pic.twitter.com/c6ThF3AclK
— .🕊️ (@mzzzzz0412) July 9, 2020
Many proclaimed their pride in celebrating the milestone for Malaysia’s automobile industry as they thanked Mahathir for his contributions in the creation of the first national car.
“I saw my first when I was in standard five. Even as a wee kid then, I was so proud, and its one of the few special memories I hold dear to this day,” wrote one user.
Dr Mahathir's post has since garnered nearly 4,000 shares with over 7,000 likes alone on Twitter.
PROTON hari ini meraikan Ulang Tahun Proton Saga ke-35 buat pertama kalinya secara maya melalui media sosial dengan...
Posted by Proton Cars on Wednesday, July 8, 2020
To mark the 35th anniversary, Proton announced took to social media to announce the release of a special “Saga Anniversary Edition,” also known as the “Black Edition” internally, coated in beautiful Quartz Black, with yellow highlights to pay tribute to Proton’s motorsports arm, R3.
There are only 1,100 units of the Saga Anniversary Edition available, with the car being priced at RM39,300 on the road without insurance.