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History - Configurations - Dakar Rally History
Ever since we first drove a LJ71 a few years back we loved it. The smooth ride, quiet motor, comfy interior was very appealing. A baby HDJ81 is what is felt like. The masses loved the little truck as well. But then the head problems came to light; they would crack and leave the owners with a huge repair bill and serious frustration. They still loved the truck as does my wife love hers but the love now had been tainted. The reliability is not there and we posted up about the concerns to our site. Some persons kept buying the LJ series even after the warnings were posted and the results kept being posted to the various forums and chat rooms. EXPENSIVE repair bills and ruined vacations were the norm; frustration was the result that many experienced.
 We received numerous emails asking us what we recommended in place of the well-loved LJ series. Now we had a void to fill but the idea of just grabbing a different model didn?t sit well with us so after much research we found the Mitsubishi Pajero came very close to fulfilling the need. The drivetrain is very similar to the Mitsubishi Delica, which we already had been importing with excellent results.
We contacted Japan to see what the downsides of the Pajero were. The 5 speeds were weak if abused or neglected. The rust proofing was non-existent so rust is a serious issue with these trucks. But apart from these concerns the Pajero is an excellent truck if not abused. Of course anything can be broken if abused hard enough. The good news was the heads were not near as sensitive as the LJ 2LT(E) units.
We shopped around for a high-end unit to bring in and we found the one on our site with 6300 km. the turbo charged, intercooled 2.5L engine would move these trucks comfortable down the road, it is not a race engine but the love of the diesel in an affordable truck was now a possibility again.
The Mitsubishi Pajero has been almost every Dakar Rally since 1983 ranking in the top 10 spots almost every year. Mitsubishi knows how to build a unit that appeals to the people and the Pajero really fits the bill.
 Of course common maintenance is essential to the longevity of any unit and the 2.5L diesel is the same. A pyrometer is STRONGLY recommended for learning and monitoring the engines activity. Long periods at high EGTs can and will be the demise of any diesel engine. A larger exhaust will purge the system of the harmful exhaust gasses quicker leading to lower EGTs.
Rust proofing is a MUST with these units. Many of these units will have rust hidden in the seams already so preventive measures MUST be taken right away. If you bought from another Importer get the unit rust proofed at a competent shop right away, do not delay.
We, at Luxury Imports are happy to be able to offer these trucks to our customers as a replacement for the LJ series. We will strive to bring in extremely clean units that both our customer and ourselves can be proud of.
History: (borrowed from http://en.wikipedia.org/)
The first Pajero I prototype was unveiled at the Tokyo Motor Show in November of 1973. The Pajero II prototype followed in 1978, five years later. Mitsubishi?s aim was to create more of a recreational vehicle, not just a workhorse, as Mitsubishi Motors has been Japan?s biggest four wheel drive manufacturer before World War II.
The first generation made its debut at the Tokyo Motor Show in October of 1981, and hit the markets the following May. Initially, it was a three door, short wheel base model available with a metal or canvas top and three different engines options: a 2.0 liter gas, 2.3 liter naturally aspirated diesel and a 2.3 liter turbocharged diesel. It was loaded with features never before seen on a Japanese four wheel drive; 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 of 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 liter turbocharged gas and a 2.3 liter turbocharged diesel. The long wheel base 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 horsepower/torque ratings, whilst the long wheel base models got standard four wheel disc brakes and four way adjustable shock absorbers as standard equipment.
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 a rugged reputation, but also helped in the sales department. Four months later, in April 1985, the Pajero set another standard: an available four speed automatic transmission and standard ELR seatbelts.
A new flagship model was then introduced in early 1987, with a two-tone paintjob, fifteen inch light alloy wheels, front seat heaters, wool seat covers, genuine leather headrests, a three spoke steering wheel and a sound system with radio/cassette.
Finally in 1988, a 3.0 liter SOHC V6 engine was made available, alongside a 2.5 liter turbo diesel engine, with the first 4x4 intercooler. This translated to better acceleration in mid to high rev ranges. The long wheel base models got a leaf spring rear suspension, which formed a coil link suspension system for better ride comfort and off-road ability.
Mitsubishi sold over three thousand Pajeros in 1989 and 1990. However, the time for a redesign was long due and 1992 saw the first Generation II Pajero. Just about everything was now new and further enhanced. A new, larger body was available in four different versions; Metal Top, Canvas Top Convertible, Semi High Roof Wagon and High Roof Wagon (long wheel base). The short wheel base models where stretched by 70 millimeters (2.8 inches) and the long wheel base models by 30 millimeters (1.2 inches). The available engines included a 3.0 liter 12-valve SOHC with ECI-Multi electronic fuel injection and a 2.5 liter turbocharged diesel engine with an intercooler.
The second generation also saw the introduction of Super Select 4WD (SS4) [known as ActivTrak 4WD in some markets] and multimode ABS, which were firsts on Japanese four wheel drives. SS4 was ground-breaking in the sense that it combined the advantages of part time and fulltime four wheel drive with four available options: 2H (high range rear wheel drive), 4H (high range fulltime four wheel drive), 4HLc (high range four wheel drive with locked center differential and 4LLc (low range four wheel drive with locked center differential). Another advantage of this second generation system is that it gave the driver the ability to switch between rear wheel drive and fulltime four wheel drive at speeds up to 100 km/h (62 mph), whereas the first generation Pajero had to be stationary to switch from rear wheel drive to four wheel drive (but not from four wheel drive back to rear wheel drive). Multimode ABS, on the other hand, was equally innovative. This meant ABS would be fully functional in all modes of SS4, as braking with a locked center differential requires completely different braking parameters.
Configurations - coming soon
Dakar Race Historn- coming soon
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