Mitsubishi Pajero Evolution: An Off Roader JDM Build

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Introduction: Meet Ricky Moseley

Ricky Moseley - 1998 Mitsubishi Pajero Evolution

Instagram: @rickyshoots

Photographer: Marvin Recinos

Instagram: @mr2mivin

My name is Ricky, and I’m a professional BMX bike rider and ocean photographer with a deep love for weird, rare, and quirky Japanese vehicles. Over the last 25 years as a traveling pro BMX rider, I’ve visited all 50 states and 33 countries. I discovered my passion for cars early on during my travels, where I encountered these unique vehicles. Back home, my friends were also into cars, from K-swaps in the mid-2000s to LS-swapped S2000s and 240SXs. The Memphis car scene was thriving!

Between my love for BMX and cars, I’ve been fortunate to live an interesting life. I’ve almost made a full switch to being a semi-famous ocean photographer, selling my artwork over the last decade. While I can still hop on a bike and shred, being injured sucks! So, that’s a little snippet of my life behind the bike and the lens.

My Racing Roots and Early Car Passion

Growing up in a racing household, my grandfather built drag boats and sprint cars. Living in the South, my mom, an only child, grew up racing the things he built, from boats to cars. She also had a Chevelle 454 and an Oldsmobile 442. Hearing those stories and watching them talk about racing or watching NASCAR every week ignited my interest.

The real turning point came when I wanted a manual car. A friend who rode BMX sold me his 1988 Honda CRX HF when I was 18, and it was game on from there. That led me to meet long-time friends who were among the first to have K-swapped Hondas back in the day. I started fixing, painting, cleaning, and flipping cars. By the time I turned 21, I had probably owned over 30 cars!

After turning 21, I packed up my 1995 EJ1 Civic Coupe and moved to Southern California to pursue BMX. I kept my car passion dormant for about 4-5 years while thriving in BMX and traveling extensively, but it was always there. Then I tore my ACL, and the time off led me back into the car scene heavily. Living in Southern California, I found myself in the biggest JDM scene imaginable. I started tracking cars and got pretty fast (or at least I think so). This opened up a new passion for real JDM cars, especially after seeing the Pajero Evolution featured by Doug DeMuro and Jay Leno.

Discovering the Pajero Evolution

I saw this car for sale on Cars & Bids and watched the video of Jay and Doug breaking down the vehicle. I discovered it was somewhat local to me, so I ended up bidding on it. We didn’t meet the reserve price, so I went to see the car the next day. I loved how quirky and different it was—a 1997 Pajero Evolution in silver with an automatic transmission. I didn’t do too much digging at that point; I kind of bought it shotgun-style without realizing how rare and cool it truly was!

After purchasing it, I realized it needed some love, so we gave it the attention it deserved. Shortly after, I became active in the Pajero Evo community through Facebook groups and other platforms. Fast forward a couple of months after working on the car, I sold it to an awesome guy locally to raise some funds to buy a rental property in Tennessee. After acquiring the house, I found another silver Pajero Evo with a manual transmission—one of only 295 ever made! It was already imported to South Florida, so I bought it sight unseen, had it shipped to California, and it was epic. I performed a ton of maintenance, added some KMC wheels, and made it my own. I never thought I would sell it.

Pajero Evolution Breakdown

There were three colors ever made, totaling 2,693 units:

• Silver: 1,377 total (295 in manual transmission)

• White: 1,229 total (314 in manual transmission)

• Red: 87 total (25 in manual transmission)

I was thrilled with my very rare silver manual transmission; it ran perfectly! But then I saw an ad for a red automatic in Toronto, Canada. I messaged the seller, and we started chatting. The rest is history! I posted my silver manual for sale, and within one week, it was sold. I planned the trip to Canada, flew up, and saw this beautiful Passion Red Pajero Evolution in all its stock glory. We made a deal, and I drove it off, cruising for 16 hours on my first day of ownership!

Unique Features of My Pajero Evolution

Now, we have installed the re-make Ralliart livery, and it currently has real Russian-made OZ Racing wheels installed. I couldn’t be more thrilled; it’s truly one of the rarest vehicles on the planet, and I get the pleasure of daily driving it!

What makes this car so unique is not only that it’s one of 62 ever produced in Passion Red with an automatic transmission, but it also features this epic re-make of the Ralliart livery (which they used in Hot Wheels as well). Additionally, it has a rare set of white OZ Racing wheels that perfectly complement the stunning Passion Red.

Ownership has been fantastic! No matter where I go—car meet, grocery store, gas station—you can plan to take longer because everyone wants to talk to you. I tell everyone the same thing: the Pajero Evo is the best conversation starter you can buy. No one shuns it or dislikes it; being a JDM car, it’s loved by everyone—even the police! I get more thumbs up in this car than in anything else I’ve ever owned!

As for driving, it’s extremely comfortable. The ride is a bit firm, but it’s an excellent highway cruiser, as its gearing was designed for rally racing across deserts! The seating position is high, which is perfect for me since I’m 5'7" on a good day. If you find yourself in a sticky snowstorm or heavy rain, you can slow down to 60 mph or less, pop into neutral, engage 4WD, and then shift back into drive to instantly shred in 4WD for as long as you need! That feature helped a lot on my way back from Canada!

Mitsubishi Pajero Evolution Build List

• Engine: Stock engine getting ready for a large service.

• Interior: Upgraded radio (my only interior modification).

• Suspension: All stock, with plenty of travel for jumping.

• Wheels: 16x8 OZ Racing wheels in white (the older ones produced in Russia).

• Brakes: Stock, but here’s a cool story: brake rotors for this SUV are no longer available. Joe Gatt, the actor who also has a Pajero Evo, collaborated with FSE LA to reproduce rotors for us, and the quality is fantastic. Shout out to everyone making that possible!

• Other Features: All fender flares, undercarriage covers, and window rain guards are stock. The livery was reproduced and came out epic!

Who Did the Work?

All my maintenance and service go straight to Brandon Schaub (@schaub_performance on Instagram). He’s the real hero behind all my toys, being meticulous and honest. I truly owe a lot to him. If you’re in SoCal and need help with any JDM car, especially Mitsubishi stuff, he’s the man!

Also, a shout out to @Squeegee32 on Instagram for installing the livery and doing a bunch of other wrap work for me over the years, and @fresh_detailin for keeping my car clean! I tend to do a lot of work myself and am very proactive with my cars, but for the things I don’t tackle, these guys step in.

Future Plans for My Pajero Evolution

As for future plans, I have some other wheels coming for it—Ralliart wheels that are very similar to the OZ wheels but more to my liking. Besides that, I might add the bumper-mounted OEM fog lights one day if I find a set! Haha! I also plan to do a big overhaul in service and then be done for quite some time. This truck is in a league of its own, and I’m just along for the ride!

Dream Cars

My dream cars include:

• NSX Type R

• Passion Red TME Sticker Pack Evo 6.5

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