The 2003 Mazdaspeed Protege was the first offering from the Mazdaspeed name plate. It was to be Mazda's hot rod shop ala Mercedes AMG, BMW M-series, Ford's SVT, etc. The Mazdaspeed was spawned from the righteous handling 2001-2 Protege MP3 model. The MP3 name was derived from the audio MP3 file (think Napster) which was new at the time and the car was outfitted with a wacky Kenwood headunit that would do somersaults every time the car was turned on. Well known tuner Callaway Cars was brought in to turbo charge the MP3 140 hp 2.0 engine. The boosted engine was good for 170 hp, but developed a horrible reputation for throwing rods if you upped the boost past 10 psi. Find this 2003 Mazdaspeed Protege for sale in Waterbury, CT for $2,900 via craigslist.
