Pajero Evo - Road-Legal Dakar Raider!

Owned by one of TGT’s directors, this Mitsubishi Pajero Evo has become a firm favourite amongst the TGT fleet… We’ve written about this car before back in 2019 having taken it out on the moors on a summer's day.

As fun as this was, December 2022 has given us some proper winter weather… Down into the minuses, frosty mornings have been a common occurrence and even a decent dose of snow landed on our Devon landscape.

Given we’re located on the edge of Dartmoor National Park and the weather gods painted it with fresh white powder, we simply couldn’t help firing up the Pajero Evo once again!

So up to the moorland we went and immediately we felt like we were in the ultimate, go anywhere vehicle… and so we should have, given the Pajero Evo’s prowess.

If you didn’t know already, the Pajero participated in the Paris Dakar and won the gruelling event an astonishing twelve times between 1985 and 2007.

Within that, the Pajero Evo which was entered into the T2 class achieved victory in 1997 & 1998, even beating the supposedly faster competitors in the T3 class. Mitsubishi definitely fulfilled their target of winning the toughest endurance event on the planet!

Due to the Dakar entry, 2,500 road legal homologation specials had to be produced and for that we are truly thankful! Some of the most special automotive metal has been born out of motorsport and the Pajero Evo is no exception.

If you had to sum up this weapon, it would be ‘built for purpose’. Trust us when we say you’re going to get noticed in this!

Under the bonnet you’ll find a 3.5-litre 24-valve DOHC V6 with Mitsubishi Innovative Valve Timing and Electronic Lift Control (MIVEC). A dual plenum variable intake also helped increase power, plus new independent rear suspension & front coil wishbones made the ride more compliant… handy when racing through the Sahara Desert or travelling over the UK’s rough moorland roads in this case.

The V6 sounds tremendous, particularly with this example thanks to a Fujitsubo exhaust system we had fitted, giving a gorgeously deep, raspy bellow! Paired to a 5 speed auto with a manual function (sport mode), you can shift with a little push on the gear stick up & down, almost giving the feel of a sequential box - It’s great fun to use and only adds to the motorsport vibes!

With the choices of 2WD/4WD high range or 4WD low range, thanks to a central locking differential you should be covered for most situations. With power going to the rear wheels alone (2WD), it can be a lot of fun in the snow if the mood takes you… Launching certainly makes it tail happy. However, stick it in 4WD and do the same thing and the results are seriously impressive! No wheel spin, hooking up with immediate grip and away it goes, showing what it was really designed to do.

For a late 90’s 4X4, performance is impressive - Although rumours suggest it has more like 300bhp, officially the “Gentlemen's Agreement” states a power figure of 276bhp/256lb-ft. It’ll do 0-60 in 7.6 secs and achieve a top speed of 130 mph. The awesome thing is that it will do that everywhere on any surface of your choosing.

Skid plates and a reinforced frame helps this beast with the roughest of terrain and harshest of impacts, like we said ‘built for purpose’.

Visually, this isn’t your regular SUV. You can tell it’s a Homologation special with the bespoke, wide arched, 3dr body, vents & spoiler. The short-wheelbase proportions are awesome, with such little overhang at the front, approach angles are insane! - Ideal for navigating the formidable dunes of the Sahara.

In the cockpit you get a cool set of Recaro bucket seats and during TGT ownership a Personal Steering Wheel has been fitted

Swing open the rear door and you’re treated to some lovely motorsport authenticity with an original tool set hidden in a small compartment within the door card.

Swapping the sands of the Dakar for the snow on the moors gave us a little taste of the Pajero Evo’s capabilities. Being a rugged 4X4, some may not associate it with the JDM halo cars, but the crux of it is that this rare model really is something truly special… and now, the automotive world has started to recognise this car’s prominence!