“We are down to the last 100 units and celebrating it with the Pajero ‘Legend 100’ Club, which will find new lucky homes in 2021, proving the popularity of the car that built up an unequalled Dakar record that still stands today,” says Nic Campbell, General Manager of Mitsubishi Motors South Africa.

These exclusive limited models stand out thanks to a unique Pajero “Legend 100” badge, and each owner receives a certificate of membership to the club.

The Pajero, in all its forms over the years, cemented Mitsubishi Motors as a top-class manufacturer of Sports Utility Vehicles, starting back in 1985 when a Pajero in the hands of French Dakar Legend Stéphane Peterhansel clinched the first of 12 Dakar victories in the original car.

Mitsubishi’s first of 12 overall victories, which stand as a Guinness World Record to this day, came in 1985 when Patrick Zaniroli and Jean da Silva, both from France, won the event in only the third year that the Pajero took part.

It was only in 1992 and 1993 that the Japanese brand stood on the top podium again when Frenchmen Hubert Auriol and Philippe Monnet won the event in a Mitsubishi Pajero. This was the longest distance this event ever ran, spanning 12 500 km from Paris in France (starting on 23 December 1991) and finishing in Cape Town in South Africa on 16 January 1992.

The Pajero clinched two more consecutive victories in 1997 and 1998, with Japanese driver Kenjiro Shinozuka, who was the first ever Dakar winner from Mitsubishi’s country of origin, in the 1997 race. This was also the only event ever run on only African soil, after starting and finishing in Dakar, Senegal.

This was followed by no fewer than seven consecutive victories year-after-year from 2001 to 2007, the last year the event was run on the African continent.

The model in the Pajero range receiving the “Legend 100” certification is the 3.2-litre DI-DC Auto in SWB and LWB configuration with its well-known diesel engine that delivers 140 kW and 441 Nm.

Its looks neatly combine with a striking chrome radiator grille, 18” alloy wheels, side steps and bold bumper, integrated fog lamps and LED Daytime Running Lamps.

The Pajero “Legend 100” audio system consists of an 860 W High Power AMP and 12 speakers, including tweeters, woofers and subwoofers. Offering crystal-clear sound typically reserved for only the finest of home theatres, this multichannel audio system uses speakers placed throughout the vehicle for optimal sound balance, giving complete music enjoyment everywhere you go.

Pajero Sport Exceed, launched in 2020, takes over as Mitsubishi’s flagship 4x4 SUV.

“We strongly believe in this model. It has the impressive new 8-speed automatic transmission coupled to Mitsubishi Motors’ Super Select II-4WD system, offering optimum balance between engine power, fuel economy and interior quietness,” says Campbell.

The limited-edition Mitsubishi “Pajero 100” has a 3-year/100 000 km manufacturer’s warranty and a 5-year/100 000 km maintenance plan with 10 000 km service intervals.