Summary (1992 - Paris - Sirte - Cape Town)

It was the longest, most ambitious and definitely toughest challenge there had ever been: the Paris - Sirte - Cape Town sent the brave drivers into the unknown through 11 African states in the first transcontinental rally. To the familiar types of terrain such as desert, bush and savannah were now added jungle, mud and river crossings. Those were the planned hazards - but there were   also countless unplanned ones. Quite rightly, Sonauto Mitsubishi chief Ulrich Brehmer predicted that the rally would be won or lost in the desert, since on the rest of the course the narrow tracks made overtaking impossible. The three Pajero prototypes set out through Libya with these words in mind. The team of Kenjiro Shinozuka and the German Erwin Weber was joined by motorcycle expert Hubert Auriol, and all followed the team orders to the letter until they reached the Tenere desert in Niger and the battle took shape. An enormous sandstorm, the greatest fear of every navigator and driver, raged over the desert, and the backup team waited in Dirkou, Niger, to see who would escape the storm first. Joy   broke out when Auriol, then Weber and finally Shinozuka came into sight. Brehmer could hardly conceal his triumphant joy as he congratulated the Pajero drivers on their arrival. For the rest of the route, the Mitsubishi team only had to rely on the legendary endurance and the skills of the technicians - which they had never called into question. After a route diversion due to a civil war in Chad, where the mechanics had to jump into the aircraft like in a Vietnam film, the Pajeros arrived at the finish in Cape Town two weeks later and took the first three places. It was a historic moment for the country that was slowly regaining its acceptance after apartheid and political unrest, and it was the crowning achievement of Mitsubishi's efforts in motorsport. A one-two-three victory had never happened before and it will be hard to ever achieve it again. The Pajero was officially crowned the best off-roader of all time.

Final Standings

Pos.	No.	Driver	Manufacturer	Overall Time
1	211	Auriol	Mitsubishi Pajero	20.42.30
2	210	Weber	Mitsubishi Pajero	+ 00.04.53
3	213	Shinozuka	Mitsubishi Pajero	+ 00.18.52
4	204	Waldegard	Citroen	+ 01.20.42
5	203	Vatanen	Citroen	+ 02.25.09
6	205	Ickx	Citroen	+ 04.08.46
7	206	Lartigue	Citroen	+ 04.49.12
8	208	Servia	Lada Samara	+ 05.12.54
9	207	Ambrosino	Citroen	+ 05.37.07
10	221	Wambergue	Toyota HZJ 73	+ 07.34.38