Mitsubishi Pajero Usine MPR6, 1997
Mitsubishi Pajero II Facelift
Mitsubishi Pajero II Facelift•
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French registration title Embodiment of the Mitsubishi - PSA duel on the Dakar and other Rally Raids
Prototype developed by SBM with official factory support 3.5 litre 300 bhp V6 Turbo engine, 6-speed X-trac gearbox, 500 l tank 8 Donerre shock absorbers, welded body, carbon-kevlar windows
This example was driven by the future world champion champion
Jean-Pierre Fontenay, 2nd in the 1997
Dakar behind Kenjiro Shinozuka
Personal collection of Jean-Pierre Fontenay until 2013| only one owner since! Peugeot, then Citroën, were for a long time alone in the World Rally Raid Championship, before a manufacturer tried the challenge. It is true that the 205 T16, then 405 T16 and Citroën ZX, directly extrapolated from the Gr. B queens, had a few trump cards and a considerable head start to impose their rhythm. Mitsubishi entered the great Dakar adventure at the
beginning of the 1980s, via a small French company based in Pont-de-Vaux (in the Ain region) and managed by the prolific and talented Bernard Maingret, head of the SBM company. It was he who, for nearly 20 years, built and developed the prototypes officially entered by the factory in Rally Raid and the Dakar.
The Pajero MPR6 that illustrates these pages is an essential link in the history of the Dakar, of Mitsubishi, and in the career of Jean-Pierre Fontenay. In the history of the Dakar first of all, since 1997 is the first year that the race is run without Peugeot-Citroën since 1987... Indeed, we had to wait for the two French manufacturers to take over the race for a period of 10 years before the sport’s governing commissions banished the old Gr. Bs from the race, thus allowing a little suspense to reign.
Finally, in the history of Mitsubishi, since the efforts of the Japanese manufacturer, which started from a blank sheet of paper in 1983 and has always been at the forefront since then, are finally rewarded by a quadruple win for the brand! And finally in the career of the endearing and regular French driver Jean-Pierre Fontenay, official Mitsubishi driver for 12 years, racing on all the continents, with an incredible regularity and always remarkable results.
He was at the climax of his career at that time, with a significant record on the Dakar: 4th in 1995, 3rd in 1996, 2nd in 1997 and winner in 1998!
The vehicle was then put in the colours of Kenjiro Shinozuka’s car by the factory, who took the top step of the podium in 1997.
It was revised and toured around the shows and other dealerships before being bought by Jean-Pierre Fontenay in the early 2000s and sold to its current owner in 2013. Aguttes now offers you the rare opportunity to acquire an authentic competition prototype (only two surviving examples) officially entered by the factory in the toughest race in the world, in the hands of an official French driver who would be crowned World Champion of the discipline the following year. A cocktail quite difficult to match!
https://www.aguttes.com/lot/134856/db67eb99-d954-43ec-a37a-05709fff3155
