Live Out Your Dakar Fantasies With This Mitsubishi Pajero Evo

Think ‘rally homologation special Mitsubishi’, and you’ll inevitably think of the Lancer Evolution. Anyone who knows about the brand’s performance exploits, though, knows it’s not the only one. When the company wanted to excel in a very different kind of rallying, it built the Mitsubishi Pajero Evolution, and now there’s a rare opportunity to own one in the UK.

Based on the three-door third-generation Pajero (known as the Shogun in Britain and the Montero in Spanish-speaking countries for… reasons), the Evolution version was built specifically as a basis for Mitsu's contender in the production-based class of the Dakar Rally and other long-distance rally raid events.

To that end, it underwent some fairly serious re-engineering compared to the standard car. It got a wider track, longer-travel shocks, independent double-wishbone suspension and Torsen LSDs on both axles, plus a faintly ridiculous spoiler that was fitted because the competition car had to have the same silhouette as the roadgoing one.

The biggest change, though, was the engine. The Evo received Mitsubishi’s 3.5-litre 6G74 V6, complete with MIVEC variable valve timing. It pushed an official 276bhp, but this was when Japan’s ‘gentleman’s agreement’ on power outputs was still in effect – unofficially, there’s a good chance it produced more. Said power was sent through either a five-speed manual or five-speed auto, with the vast majority of cars – somewhat unfortunately, including this one – optioned with the latter.

All these changes had a profound effect on the racing version, with the Pajevo sweeping the top three spots at its Dakar debut in 1998, and very narrowly missing out on another win the following year.

Around 2500 roadgoing Pajero Evos were made, the bare minimum to satisfy homologation rules, and all were sold new to the Japanese market. A small number have made their way elsewhere, though, with this one, carrying an indicated 42,500 miles, coming to the UK in late 2015.

Since then, it’s spent some time SORN’d, and has had a lightly patchy MOT history, but all the major things seem to have been rectified in recent years. It’s also, per the ad on Collecting Cars, been fully undersealed, and has a healthy service history from its lives in both Japan and Britain. The ad also points out that all nipples have been greased, which is nice, but we’re not sure what it’s got to do with the car.

Anyway, if you fancy chucking in a bid and really confusing people when you tell them you own a Mitsubishi Evo, there are currently six days left on the auction, with bidding up to £5000 at the time of writing.