Summary (1985 - Paris - Algiers - Dakar)

The seventh Paris - Algiers - Dakar, which took place from 1 - 22 January, was at 14,000 km the toughest ever planned, with a starting field of 503 entrants, of whom 360 competed in the car/truck category. This time the Pajero was even more popular, with three vehicles under Sonauto management and no fewer than 37 entries from private teams. Cowan was once again the team leader alongside Patrick Zaniroli in the second machine, this time starting in the prototype class. From the majestic palace of Versailles, near Paris, the Mitsubishi team, led by Cowan and his capable navigator Johnstone Syers, set out towards the hostile climate of the Sahara, an arena with little sympathy for the weak and unreliable, where the greatest battle in the history of motorsport was to be fought. With temperatures above 40°C and the merciless pounding of the stony desert, through which hundreds of cars race at top speed, the Dakar is the ultimate proving ground for any motor-driven vehicle. For the Pajero, the third year of participation was simply another chapter in the Pajero's rise as the toughest high-performance off-road machine in the world. Under the guidance of Sonauto Mitsubishi chief Ulrich Brehmer, Cowan and Zaniroli drove towards their destiny at the Dakar, while the popular Japanese actor Yohsuke Natsuki had to learn what it means to be away from the stage and to tackle the ultimate competition in a standard Pajero. In the Tenere desert, the Mitsubishi Pajero took the spotlight as Zaniroli took the lead, closely followed by Cowan. Where all the others failed, the Pajero ran in a class of its own. After 22 days, the survivors reached the fresh, cooling breeze of the Atlantic in Dakar, and Zaniroli and Cowan celebrated a magnificent one-two victory, and that after only three years. There was no longer any doubt - the Pajero was the King of the Desert.

Final Standings

Pos.	No.	Driver	Manufacturer	Overall Time
1	189	Zaniroli	Mitsubishi Pajero	48.27.00
2	188	Cowan	Mitsubishi Pajero	+ 00.26.19
3	219	Fougerouse	Toyota FJ60	+ 05.34.32
4	221	Ratet	Toyota FJ60	+ 12.12.29
5	205	Marreau	Renault 1351	+ 12.16.31
6	370	Marci	Range Rover	+ 13.35.52
7	420	Tezekdjian	Mercedes 280	+ 14.44.55
8	211	De Deyne	Land Rover	+ 21.19.30
9	457	De Deyne	Toyota BJ40	+ 22.30.20
10	419	Bouchet	Mercedes 280	+ 23.14.34