Diamond For the Rough: How Mitsubishi Turned the Pajero Into a Desert LegendRoad & TrackMichael Teo Van RunkleFri, September 25, 2026 at 12:00 PM UTCAdd us on GoogleHow Mitsubishi Made the Pajero a Dakar Legendillustration by john lawsonThe first Dakar Rally set off in December 1978 as a loosely organized race from Paris to its namesake city, the capital of Senegal, on the westernmost point of the African coast. Dangerous and grueling, the event quickly attracted factory efforts from major manufacturers, which entered everything from prototype rally cars to motorcycles and even massive support trucks bellowing across the Sahara at top speeds.This story originally appeared in Volume 37 of Road & Track.Mitsubishi entered the fray in 1983 with the Pajero, winning the unmodified production class. In '84, the Pajero, now in the modified class, took third overall, while Porsche's experimental all-wheel-drive 911, known as the 953 and the test bed for the 959, claimed first. But in '85, when fewer than 30 percent of the 552 entries completed the rally's thousands of miles from France through North Africa to the finish, Frenchman Patrick Zaniroli brought home Mitsubishi's first Dakar victory. The Pajero, known as the Montero in many countries and the Shogun in the U.K., also took second place, with Briton Andrew Cowan behind the wheel.AdvertisementAdvertisementThe win set the stage for a historically dominant motorsport run, with 12 overall Dakar victories, including seven consecutive from 2001 to the last Africa-based iteration in '07. Over that time, the Pajero progressed from a production-based SUV to a homologated Evolution variant to tube-frame prototypes. The 1985-winning Pajero hews more closely to its roadgoing counterpart than later models yet features a host of modifications necessary to survive three weeks of Dakar Rally racing. Mitsubishi recently restored it, and its current livery shown here represents a slight alteration from its post-race form.A. The 1985 Pajero's boxy proportions might look stock, but carbon-Kevlar-reinforced-plastic body panels replaced steel everywhere possible to shed more than 440 pounds compared with the partial-composite 1984 Dakar truck. Plastic windows and a stripped interior further contributed to weight savings.illustration by john lawsonB. There's an 84.5-gallon flameproof fuel cell behind the seats in the rear cargo area, which also held two spare tires and other equipment for roadside repairs.illustration by john lawsonC. While the stock Pajero had rear leaf springs, the race truck's three-link solid rear axle used coil springs and Bilstein shocks for better performance. A Panhard rod and limit straps kept the springs from ejecting when the truck was at full droop or airborne.illustration by john lawsonD. The rear axle housed a limited-slip differential, with a taller final-drive ratio for 1985 that allowed a higher top speed of 115 mph.illustration by john lawsonAdvertisementAdvertisementE. Twin sticks in the cockpit operated a five-speed manual transmission, as well as the two-speed transfer case.illustration by john lawsonF. A longer front driveshaft moved the front axle forward and extended the wheelbase for more stability.illustration by john lawsonG. A longer front driveshaft moved the front axle forward and extended the wheelbase for more stability.illustration by john lawsonH. For the 1985 Dakar Rally, the Pajero's 4G54 single-overhead-cam 2.6-liter gasoline inline-four got an intercooler to go with the fuel injection and turbocharger added in '84. The race engine's Mitsubishi TD06-17C turbocharger, which later appeared in the GMC Syclone and Typhoon, unlocked up to 222 hp in the Pajero (the most powerful contemporary streetgoing version made 145 hp). The Pajero also used a compressor bypass valve to vent high-pressure charged air back toward the turbo inlet, preventing surge and smoothing out differences in shaft speeds during gearshifts.illustration by john lawsonAdvertisementAdvertisementYou Might Also LikeIf You Can Only Own One Car, Make It One of TheseThese Are the Most Popular Cars by State
