The Farmers Mart Oct-Nov 2018 - Issue 59 | Page 73

MACHINERY 73
• OCT/NOV 2018
Forty years of Mitsubishi pick-up success
IT’S 1978, and the world is
changing. Space Invaders spreads
to arcades across the globe and
launches the video game industry.
The first automated cellular phone
network is being built in Japan and
Superman takes off in cinemas.
Another product is launched
which, over the next four dec-
ades, will bring mobility to 4.7
million people – the Mitsubishi
1-ton pickup.
It’s a pickup truck that can han-
dle all types of road, anywhere on
the planet. It has been developed
with a design brief - to meet the
desire of customers for a pickup
with outstanding reliability, dura-
bility and payload performance;
with levels of drivability, utility,
comfort and ride that are on a par
with a passenger sedan.
The first models were appro-
priately named FORTE, although
other badges used included L200,
which remain in use today. From
the very beginning, the L200 was
engineered to provide tough,
dependable transport for people
and goods.
The L200 was developed to
provide a 1-ton carrying capacity
and yet be as easy to drive, have a
combination of rugged reliability,
easy-to-drive nature and impres-
sive carrying capacity. This soon
made it a firm favourite across the
world, from frozen wastes to sun-
baked deserts.
To ensure customers could go
even further afield, Mitsubishi
Motors built on its four-wheel-drive
heritage by adding a 4x4 version to
the range in 1980. This became the
foundation for modern Mitsubishi
4WD vehicles, leading directly to
the SHOGUN and DELICA.
New Ford Ranger Raptor
is Coming to Europe
FORD today confirmed that the new
Ranger Raptor – the toughest and most
high-performing version ever of Europe’s
best-selling pick-up – is storming into
Europe, as the bold new model debuted
at the Gamescom trade fair, in Cologne,
Germany.
Developed by Ford Performance for the
true enthusiast off-roader, the first-ever
Ranger Raptor will go on sale to thrill-seek-
ing customers in Europe in mid-2019
powered by a Bi-turbo version of Ford’s
2.0 litre EcoBlue diesel engine that delivers
213PS and 500Nm of torque; and Ford’s new
10-speed automatic gearbox.
The L200 pickup, renamed
TRITON in some markets, had a
profound effect on the Mitsubishi
Motors’ business too. The first
and second-generation platforms
were mainly produced at Mitsub-
ishi Motors Ohe Plant. Since the
third-generation model in 1995,
production has been concentrat-
ed in the Laem Chabang Plant in
Thailand, from where they are
exported worldwide. It is now
Mitsubishi Motors’ biggest factory,
producing about 400,000 vehi-
cles.
Here is a reminder of the previ-
ous generations of the L200 – and
a glimpse at what the near future
might hold.
merlouk
The new Merlo Turbofarmer sets the benchmark for innovation, comfort and productivity
It’s like riding on a cushion of air
The commanding presence delivered by the
ultimate Ranger’s imposing dimensions and
extreme styling is supported by a unique Ford
Performance chassis optimised for high-speed
off-road driving and go-anywhere capability.
“Forget everything you think you know
about pick-ups,” said Leo Roeks, Ford Per-
formance Director, Europe. “Our new Ranger
Raptor is a different breed – a thoroughbred
desert racer and extreme lifestyle off-road-
er that can toil with the best of them in the
harshest of working conditions.”
A dramatic new video of the Ford Ranger
Raptor in action can be viewed here: https://
youtu.be/U94wDbctu1U
Turbofarmer 35.7
Operator activated Hydropneumatic
Suspended Cab, exclusive to Merlo
The only one of its kind on the market, it’s a new
level of comfort
THE MERLO
2 YEAR WARRANTY
*
WORTH ITS
WEIGHT IN GOLD
Finance packages available to over 18 years of age and subject to terms and conditions.
YORKSHIRE HANDLERS
Murton Lane, Murton, York YO195UY
Tel: [phone]
www.yorkshirehandlers.co.uk