After finishing runner-up in a 1994 Mitsubishi Pajero this year, Ondřej Klymčiw will be back at the Dakar Classic in 2027 with a 2000 Pajero M57. He also plans to dust the cobwebs off his Škoda 130 LR and lease it out to anyone who wants to take part.

Klymčiw raced the Škoda in every Dakar Classic from the inaugural edition in 2021 to 2024, scoring a best finish of 14th in 2023 to go with three stage wins. His final Classic in the car ended with a 24th overall.

He skipped 2025 because he didn’t have much incentive to continue. That motivation came a year later in the form of the Pink Bubble foundation to support kids battling cancer, and he returned to the Classic in January behind the wheel of a 1994 Mitsubishi Pajero. The car was liveried to resemble the tour vehicles in Jurassic Park, and his project was aptly nicknamed “Jurassic Dakar”.

The 2026 Classic was his best run to date as he finished second overall with two stage wins. He thought of building his own car for 2027 but decided against it for financial reasons, and eventually came across the Pajero M57 for sale.

As the name suggests, the 2000 Mitsubishi Pajero M57 sports a BMW M57 three-liter inline six-cylinder engine. The motor produces 500 m of torque and over 300 horsepower. The car is smaller than the ’94 Pajero but the engine is much larger, while the 120-liter diesel fuel tank is at the rear alongside an auxiliary water pump. It also comes with a six-speed gearbox from a Toyota Land Cruiser and a limited-slip differential on both the front and rear.

Built for T1 competition, the Pajero M57 features a custom-made body with an intake for the front window and another for the engine.

“We obviously still have quite a bit of work to do, but the car is beautiful,” Klymčiw remarked. “I’m happy about it.”

The Škoda will be prepared by his personal mechanic. Klymčiw joked that the only stipulation for interested drivers is to “bring this girl to the finish and don’t roll her over in the dunes.”

Featured image credit: FOTOP / ASO