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When Woman Maths goes bad
1 month ago
Pajero Evolution is capable of winning the Dakar... or trundling to Aldi
February 2025
It’s been five months since I last wrote about my latest fascination, the Pajero Evolution. Dear reader, I have bought one. In the dark, from eBay, for a grand total of £19,500. Brave or foolhardy? I was about to find out.
It is glossy silver, or at least it is in the places where the lacquer has not failed. Importantly, there is no rust at all. The cabin shows very little wear – the Recaro bolsters are almost voluptuous, in fact. On the test drive it jumped willingly into life at the turn of the key, all the gauges showed numbers I liked the look of, and other than a small transmission blip, where it seemed to fall out of and then back into gear at a roundabout, I was very happy.
Discounting the blip and the minimal service history – frighteningly normal for Japanese imports – I transferred the money and left my partner to drive it home while I wafted back in my 1990s Mercedes-Benz E320. On arrival, I could see from Thomas’s face that not all was right in the world. The blip had occurred twice more at very low, creeping speeds. He told me not to worry, that maybe he had imagined it, or that it simply needed a transmission service.
"Not a single Mitsubishi service centre in the UK knew even the basics, such as what oil the transmission took"
The next day, I took it to Aldi in Leighton Buzzard. It is always my first drive. I like the middle aisle. I was almost immediately asked, ‘Did you do all of that?’ while a bemused but interested man gestured towards the truck. I explained that it came like that and, of course, told him how many Dakars the Pajero had won. If you’re interested, the answer is 12, including seven on the trot, conferring upon it a pedigree no other desert raider comes close to matching. And, so far, no blip. That was soon to change as I eased my way out of the parking space. Something truly sinister was going on, something very real and not at all imaginary. That journey home was the last time I did not have a Pajero-sized weight on my shoulders.
After a day spent online, I realised this was not going to be easy. It is not the truck’s fault that Mitsubishi didn’t build many (the figure seems to be between 2500 to 3000 depending on whom you believe, of which goodness knows how few survive), or that they were only sold into the Japanese Domestic Market. Nor is it the truck’s fault that hardly a single part is shared with a standard Pajero, or that every piece of literature is in a language I do not speak, read, or even recognise a single letter of. It’s not even the truck’s fault that Mitsubishi itself seems to have long since forgotten it existed. Not a single Mitsubishi service centre in the UK knew even the basics, such as what oil the transmission took. Mitsubishi HQ could not tell me either. I am not embellishing, which is really rather sad.
So I drove it to the hero of this tale, Charlie of Charles Gates Racing.
“I found a man called Laslo on the Facebook Evo group, the oracle of Pajero Evolution knowledge. He just happened to be hauling an engine to the UK and had a spare transmission, £750 plus gaskets and other necessary accoutrements, that he could bring too”
September 2025
It’s now been eight months since I handed the keys of the Pajero over to Charlie for the first time. Through no fault of his, and largely because parts are so hard to find (if they are not pure myth), and just a bit because so little is known about these rare cars, we learned together. I was the ‘parts person’ and Charlie was the brains of the operation. He is unflappable, I think due to his addiction to L322 Range Rovers and what that does to a person.
Looking back, the good news was that Charlie diagnosed the transmission issue within the first week. A simple leaking seal inside the gearbox. It was me who faffed about, taking advice from strangers on the internet and trying to find a cheaper solution than the quoted £2000 transmission rebuild fee. What a fool I am.
In the end, I found a man called Laslo on the Facebook Evo group, the oracle of Pajero Evolution knowledge. He just happened to be hauling an engine to the UK and had a spare transmission, £750 plus gaskets and other necessary accoutrements, that he could bring too. Not only that, but he also manufactures, to a very high standard, all manner of parts for the car. Hallelujah! He recommended a timing belt kit, which apparently was very well timed and may have saved the engine from unstitching itself.
Laslo arrived in a BMW estate on steel wheels, and I knew immediately I should thank whatever god is out there for him. He cut through my faff like a hot knife through butter, shining the light of knowledge and experience over the project.
When not battling L322s, Charlie performed heroics on Helen's Evo
December 2025
Between Charlie, Laslo, and perhaps a little bit down to me, the truck is now running as sweetly as I suspect it ever has. So here are some of the highlights required to get us from there to where we are today:
– Translation of 300 pages of a Japanese workshop manual.
– Imported transmission oil from Germany.
– Compilation of a comprehensive body of research into a binder I now call ‘The Bible’. It is 425 pages long, front and back and would make a capable if somewhat unwieldy murder weapon if I so chose. Which I haven’t yet.
– Mechanical work including: welding repairs to the exhaust bracket, replacement of the anti-roll bar drop links and track rod ends, a new battery, all belts and the auxiliary pulley, plus a fuel tank gasket, fresh brakes front and rear, a full service, and replacement of the transfer box oil and power steering fluid. The car also now has Apple CarPlay, and an aircon re-gas but most notably, a new transmission, a four-man job due to its incredible weight and size.
– Refurbishment and painting of the grille, tow hook plus many more little details.
– Sourcing factory-correct wheels and centre caps, refurbished by Posh Wash, and the fitment of brand new BF Goodrich KO2 tyres and, of course, a four-wheel alignment.
– Thomas then designed the new livery in homage to the Pajero that won the Dakar Rally in 1985, by the same people who did the Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution VI Tommi Mäkinen Edition.
I feel bonded to it, like we have been through a trauma together and come out the other side not just as survivors, but as fast friends. It is totally different to how I feel about my small collection of faithful Mercedes-Benzes. Those cars are a warm fire on a cold day or a drink of water on a hot one. The Evo feels like a privilege. It captures people’s attention, but only if they know what it is. Wherever you go, it will always be the only one in the car park.
I am learning to trust it too. I am very polite to it. I ask nicely for it to take me to Aldi and I thank it when we arrive. Laslo tells me they are strong trucks, and logic says they must be, after years of Dakar domination. But it’s going to take me a while, and a lot of watching my Ps and Qs, to get over all this.
Today
After 12 months, today I finally drove it to a Scramble. I got to show Andrew and he approved, which made me far happier than I think he realises. (Even through your best poker face I could tell how chuffed you are with the car and so you should be. Apologies for my comments about the lack of a third pedal – AF)
I am so very proud. Not just of the truck, but of everything it has taught me. About patience, about trusting the right people, and about the true value of a job well done. Because now I have a truck built to conquer deserts, and it’s idling contentedly around Tring, while I finally stop listening for noises that may or may not be there.
Main image by Alex Penfold
