The first Pajero prototype was unveiled at the Tokyo Motor Show in November 1973. The Pajero II prototype followed in 1978, five years later. Mitsubishi’s aim was to create more of a recreational vehicle, not just an SUV.
In January 1983, the first Pajero made its debut at the Paris Dakar Rally, taking first place in 1985 at only the third attempt. To date, the Pajero is the most successful vehicle in the Dakar Rally. This not only gave the Pajero an offroad reputation, but also helped in the sales department.
First generation (1982–1991)
The first generation made its debut at the Tokyo Motor Show in October 1981, and was launched in May 1982. Initially, it was a three-door, short-wheelbase model available with a metal or canvas top and three different engines options:
• 2.0-litre 4-cylinder petrol (2000/2.0)
• 2.6-litre 4-cylinder petrol (Astron 2.6)
• 2.3-litre naturally aspirated diesel (2300 D)
• 2.5 litre turbocharged diesel (2500 TD/2.5 TD).
• 3.0 litre V6 petrol (3000/3.0).
It was loaded with features that had previously not been seen on a Japanese four-wheel-drive car: a turbocharged diesel engine, a front double wishbone suspension with torsion bar springs, power steering and suspension seats. This made the Pajero a four wheel drive vehicle which integrated all the amenities of a passenger car.
In January 1983, only a year following its launch, mildly tuned production Pajeros entered the world of motor sport.
The Pajero, however, failed to appeal to everyone. It was seen to be a commercial vehicle, and since it was only available in a short wheel base form, it didn’t really appeal to those with families.
Hence, in February 1983, Mitsubishi came out with a long wheel base, five door model, to serve the needs of a larger target market.
The long wheel base model was available with a choice of two different engines; a 2.0-litre turbocharged petrol (badged as "2.0 Turbo" and "2000 Turbo" in some markets) and a 2.3 litre turbocharged diesel (badged as 2.3 TD or 2300 TD). It also came in Standard, Semi-High Roof and High Roof body styles. A stripped down nine-seater version of the High-Roof variant was commonly used in UN Peace Operations.
The long wheelbase model also increased seating capacity to seven, with available third row seats, which could be folded to the sides for additional trunk space or combined with second row seats to form a bed.
The Pajero was further refined in June 1984. The turbo diesel engines now had higher power/torque ratings, whilst the long wheel base models got standard four wheel disc.
Information taken from: wikipedia.org
No comments:
Post a Comment