To qualify for the Dakar Rally's T2 production-based class, Mitsubishi was required to build road-legal versions of the Pajero Evolution. Approximately 2,500 to 2,693 street-legal examples were manufactured between 1997 and 1999, based on the second-generation Pajero platform but differing from it in nearly every meaningful way.
The road variant, designated V55W, was powered by a 3.5-litre 24-valve DOHC V6 6G74 engine equipped with MIVEC variable valve timing and a dual plenum variable intake, producing a claimed 275 bhp at 6,500 rpm. The bodywork featured pronounced fender flares, twin fin-like rear spoilers, a hood scoop, and skid plate protection. Front suspension used double wishbone geometry while the rear employed a multi-link independent setup unique to the Evolution. Both front and rear Torsen differentials were fitted as standard with permanent four-wheel drive.
Mitsubishi's Dakar campaign began in January 1983 when the first Pajero debuted at the Paris-Dakar Rally. The program achieved its first overall victory at the third attempt in 1985 and went on to accumulate victories in other long-distance raid events including the Australasian Safari and Northern Forest rally raids.
In the 1984 Paris-Alger-Dakar, a Mitsubishi Pajero driven by Andrew Cowan finished third overall after covering more than 11,000 km. From that foundation the program steadily grew in competitiveness. Between 2001 and 2005, with the introduction of a third-generation Pajero featuring a monocoque chassis and fully independent suspension, Mitsubishi achieved five consecutive first-place finishes at Dakar and claimed 12 of the 15 available podium positions over that same span.
The overall Dakar tally reached 12 wins in the Cars Class, along with 150 stage victories — more than double the 78 stage wins accumulated by Peugeot, the second-most prolific manufacturer. The final overall victories came in 2007, after which Mitsubishi withdrew from factory Dakar competition.
The competition versions of the Pajero Evolution were developed and refined across multiple generations. The third-generation variant introduced the monocoque chassis construction that provided both structural rigidity and weight savings critical to the punishing multi-week format of the Dakar Rally. The fully independent suspension on all four corners allowed the car to maintain pace across rough desert terrain where earlier solid-axle designs would have struggled.
The Mitsubishi Pajero Evolution's dominance of the Dakar Rally across more than two decades established a benchmark that no other manufacturer has matched. The Guinness World Record designation as the most successful Dakar manufacturer underscores both the depth and consistency of the program. The road-going version produced for homologation purposes has itself become a sought-after collector vehicle, with its competition-inspired styling and unique mechanical specification setting it apart from the standard Pajero. The car represents the high-water mark of Mitsubishi's motorsport ambitions before the company scaled back factory racing programs in the years that followed.