Say hello to Mitsubishi’s entry to the 2019 Dakar Rally. The Eclipse Cross T1 Prototype will be driven by Spaniards Cristina Gutierrez and Pablo Huete in the grueling 5,000km, 10-stage event that takes place in January.
Gutierrez and Huete have raced (and finished) the Dakar before, but this is the Eclipse’s first outing. It uses a steel space-frame chassis clad with carbon body panels, serious suspension with two Öhlins Racing dampers per corner, and permanent all-wheel drive with locking center, front, and rear differentials.
The brakes are AP Racing, and power comes from a 340hp, 685Nm turbodiesel running through a six-speed sequential gearbox. We think it’s safe to say the T1 Prototype has about as much to do with the normal Eclipse Cross as a thatched cottage.
Mitsubishi has won the Dakar Rally 12 times. Will 2019 bring lucky number 13?
NOTE: This article first appeared on TopGear.com. Minor edits have been made.
