The continuously changing Paris-Dakar Rally didn't make its start from Paris, France as it has for the past 17 years ago, but this time made its start from Granada, Spain. The championship event was fiercely fought between Mitsubishi and Citroen in 1995. No true victor emerged in the 1994 event when the Mitsubishis reluctantly withdrew its challenge. It was also the year that Mitsubishi entered with a highly improved version of its Pajero. The atmosphere was highly charged even before the event got started. The Pajero's tread and wheel-base were enlarged making the overall width of the machine 2 metres and its length reaching 4.3 metres. In addition, the engine was bored up from 2.2 litres to 2.4, which put out 350 hp at 5500 rpm. With such improvements speeds of up to 220 km/h was achieved. Veteran drivers Jean-Pierre Fontenay, Kenjiro Shinozuka and Bruno Saby stepped into their new Pajeros for their fourth conquest of the Paris-Dakar. Furthermore, the tread and wheel-base of Saby's machine was further increased to challenge the treacherous terrain. Of the entire 14 SS locales, the battle between the big manufacturers was a close match with Mitsubishi taking six top times and Citroen taking eight. Subsequently, all three Pajeros finished, taking second, third and fourth positions. In the Modified Production Vehicles category, the Pajeros finished ninth and 10th overall. (Class first and second) The Pajeros showed tremendous reliability with five machines finishing out of the top 10.
Copyright 1996,1997 by Mitsubishi Motors Corporation.
No true victor emerged in the 1994 event when the Mitsubishis reluctantly withdrew its challenge. It was also the year that Mitsubishi entered with a highly improved version of its Pajero. The atmosphere was highly charged even before the event got started. The Pajero's tread and wheel-base were enlarged making the overall width of the machine 2 metres and its length reaching 4.3 metres. In addition, the engine was bored up from 2.2 litres to 2.4, which put out 350 hp at 5500 rpm. With such improvements speeds of up to 220 km/h was achieved. Veteran drivers Jean-Pierre Fontenay, Kenjiro Shinozuka and Bruno Saby stepped into their new Pajeros for their fourth conquest of the Paris-Dakar. Furthermore, the tread and wheel-base of Saby's machine was further increased to challenge the treacherous terrain. Of the entire 14 SS locales, the battle between the big manufacturers was a close match with Mitsubishi taking six top times and Citroen taking eight. Subsequently, all three Pajeros finished, taking second, third and fourth positions. In the Modified Production Vehicles category, the Pajeros finished ninth and 10th overall. (Class first and second) The Pajeros showed tremendous reliability with five machines finishing out of the top 10.