This Is A Real Pajero From Mitsubishi. For Real | Carscoops

Back in the late 1990s, Mitsubishi set out to sell 1,000 copies of its strange little Pajero Jr-based Flying Pug, only to pull the plug after moving just 139 of them. Spend a few seconds looking at the thing and the sales figures start to make sense, because whatever Mitsubishi was going for here clearly missed the mark with the buying public.

Read: Mitsubishi Clearly Didn’t Give A Flying Pug With This One

For reasons known only to itself, Mitsubishi decided the Pajero Jr. should look as though it had been designed in the UK during the 50s or 60s, coming off more like a London taxi than anything built in Japan. Where most of the Flying Pugs ended up over the years is still a mystery, but one of the survivors is crossing the block in the US this September, giving American buyers a rare crack at one of the strangest rides the company ever put its badge on.

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There’s no word on when this Pajero Jr. was imported into the US, though it can’t have seen more than a handful of local roads. Given how rare the car is, you’d forgive the previous owners for keeping it hidden away under lock and key. Instead, it has covered 131,241 km (81,459 miles), so someone clearly enjoyed it, odd stares and all.

All-Original

Unlike another Flying Pug that appeared for sale in the US late last year, this one isn’t painted in a shade of maroon, and is instead finished in black. It appears to be all-original, still rocking silver wheels and wrapped in white-wall tires.

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In proper British car fashion, there’s an abundance of chrome across the Flying Pug’s exterior, including the huge front grille, the front bumper and the wing mirrors.

Weird as it looks, the Flying Pug rides on the same proven hardware as the regular Pajero Jr., including the 1.1-liter four-cylinder with 79 hp and 72 lb-ft (98 Nm) of torque. It also gets a part-time four-wheel-drive system with 4H and 4L modes, plus a two-wheel-drive option.

Obviously, you shouldn’t buy the Flying Pug for a traffic light Grand Prix, or for any serious off-roading, but if you want people gathering around your spot at the local Cars & Coffee instead of the guy with the fifth identical Miata, this is one way to make it happen. You can check out the listing over here.

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