This is the Mitsubishi Pajero Junior Flying Pug and chances are, you’ve never even heard of it.
Mitsubishi only ever sold the Flying Pug in Japan, based around the compact two-door Pajero Junior. It is said that the Japanese automaker was inspired to build the intriguing off-roader following a rise in the popularity of old British cars across the country in the 1990s. The result is a Mitsubishi Pajero that looks like it could have come out of an MG factory.
Original plans called for 1,000 units of the Pajero Junior Flying Pug to be produced but just 139 units are thought to have been manufactured. One of them is up for sale in Oldsmar, Florida.
This particular 1997 Pajero Junior Flying Pug has been listed on Facebook Marketplace with an asking price of $11,800. It has been driven 147,000 miles (~236,000 km) since new and was only imported into the United States in December 2022.
Read: Do Off-Roaders Get Any Cooler Than This Mitsubishi Pajero Evolution?
Despite the car’s age and the fact that it has been driven a lot over the last 25 years, it looks to have been well-maintained and is in good condition. The exterior is clad primarily in a dark shade of burgundy while the wheel arches and rocker panels are painted black. The massive chrome front grille is without a doubt the most striking element of the vehicle’s design but the front and rear chrome bumpers also catch the eye.
The interior is relatively basic but a previous owner has fitted a new touchscreen head unit. Plenty of wooden accents are also found across the dashboard and around the shifter.
Powering this pint-sized off-roader is a 1,094 cc four-cylinder engine that produced 79 hp back in the day. It also features a 3-speed automatic transmission and four-wheel drive.
