1st generation Mitsubishi Pajero recognized in Japan Automotive Hall of Fame

The Mitsubishi Pajero, regardless of whether you call it Montero or Shogun, is undoubtedly one of the most iconic nameplates in the world and rightfully so. Despite having been discontinued, its legacy lives on with Mitsubishi’s current line of SUVs and pickup trucks.

Well it has gotten the recognition it deserves as its first generation, released in 1982, has officially been selected by the Japan Automotive Hall of Fame as one of its Historic Cars for its contributions to the history of the Japanese automotive industry. 

The first generation Mitsubishi Pajero was very well-known for being a full-fledged off-road 4WD vehicle while still maintaining great comfort for its passengers. That combination allowed over 3.25-million units of Pajero to be manufactured, with exports to over 170 markets until it was discontinued in 2021.

It also came in different versions in Japan such as the Pajero Mini kei-car, and the Pajero Junior and Pajero iO compact SUVs. There is also the Pajero Sport (or Montero Sport in the Philippines) which is one of the Japanese automaker’s most popular models today.

That’s not all the Pajero is about though as it is also very much well-known for competing in the Dakar Rally which has the reputation to be the world’s toughest rally raid, starting in 1983, and claimed an overall victory in 1985, the first ever for a Japanese vehicle. It competed in the rally 26 times in the years leading up to 2009 and took a total of 12 overall victories, including seven consecutive wins.

For us in the Philippines, the Pajero was first introduced by the Mitsubishi Motor Philippines Corporation (MMPC) in 1987, with the first and eventually the second generation models manufactured locally. The latter was also so popular that it continued to be sold as the Pajero Fieldmaster alongside the third generation version.