The Forgotten Rally SUV
In 1983 when Mitsubishi wanted to debut their new capable SUV they needed somewhere that could show its strengths. So they entered the car into the Paris Dakar Rally. It had safety modifications and spare tires and tools, but absolutely nothing was done to the engine, transmission, axles, and wheels. It was pretty much all stock. After finishing the 12,000 Km race the Mitsubishi team came an incredible 11th out of 385 cars! This was a huge achievement considering they would have been happy just finishing the race.
The new Pajero was so good that they won the Dakar Rally 12 times in 32 years and that’s a Guinness world record. In 1997 they wanted to do something special and designed a homologation car. So they created the legendary looking Mitsubishi Pajero Evolution, one of the most underrated SUVs of all time.
The boxy fenders, the aluminum skid plate, the big wing, this is just such a good looking car. This car’s style will never get old. It’s a rally SUV, how could it not be one of the greatest looking SUVs out there.
The Pajero came equipped with a 3.5 liter V6 making 276 naturally aspirated horsepower. It also came with long-travel suspension that made it possible to pull off big jumps from factory spec. It was only offered with 2 doors because it was lighter than having 4 doors. From the factory, it had Recaro front seats that most people said are super comfortable. You could get mudflaps, rally floodlights, and even a decal that was similar to the car that raced in the Dakar Rally. The way this car looked makes it so cool and there are no other SUVs that look cooler than the Pajero Evo.
But with all positives, there are usually some negatives. The Pajaro is super rare and only 2,500 were ever made between 1997 to 1999. Another downside is that they were not made in the US, so you can’t easily get one. They are also going up in value quite fast. So if you want one of these, good luck.
This car is super underrated. Not enough people saw it and went, “That’s a car that I’m buying”. Even though it was neglected by the public, this just has to be one of the coolest SUVs of all time, and I mean it.
