Tenrai Nogaro II T3

The **Tenrai Nogaro II T3** is a fanonical Mud Plugger created by JustAlex93.

## Details

A successor to the Nogaro 1.5 T3, the new Nogaro II T3 was introduced in time for the 1991 Paris-Dakar rally. Four of them were fielded, two by Burgess and the other two by Kikax Photography. The Nogaro II T3s showed plenty of promise in their first Dakar outing, with three of them occupying 2nd, 3rd, and 4th overall. The fourth Nogaro II T3, piloted by Kuniyuki Sakurai, was in 2nd place overall by the 7th stage until it was forced to retire in the subsequent stage. Nonetheless, the Nogaro II T3 was considered a success.

The year after that in the 1992 rally, three Nogaro II T3s (two Kikax and one Burgess) secured the first three positions overall, with the Burgess car piloted by Sakurai. They had beaten out no less than five Mirage 109 Grand Raids, plus a Triplex-sponsored Rasputin Alkonost Raid. Also of note is a Nogaro II T3 fielded by Roshambo Cigarettes, along with another Burgess Nogaro II T3, which unfortunately finished 15th overall by the 8th stage.

In 1993, the Nogaro II T3s once again dominated against the 109 Grand Raids, taking the 1st, 4th, and 5th positions overall, along with a Roshambo car taking 12th. One thing to note, was that Roshambo was charged by Tenrai to put a new steamlined facelifted version of the Nogaro II T3 through its paces during the rally. It also dominated at the 1993 Baja Aragón, where it took first against the 109 Grand Raid. However, the 109 Grand Raid would strike back during the 1993 Cross Country Rally World Cup, with two of them taking 1st and 2nd place, while a few Roshambo Nogaro IIs (one modified 3-door, plus three T3s, one of which being the facelifted model) finished in 3rd, 6th, 8th, and 11th.

1994 was a bad year for the Nogaro II T3, with four of them DNF'ing and being forced to withdraw. But in '95, it fared better, with three of them occupying 2nd through 4th overall. At that time, the 1991 model was phased out.

For the 1996 Dakar rally, the Nogaro II T3 Kai was introduced and raced, with two of them finishing in 3rd and 7th overall, not too shabby. Sakurai had also taken his '93 model Nogaro II T3 for its last Dakar outing. By then, a number of drivers were beginning to use racing-spec versions of the new Nogaro III SUV.

Even though the Nogaro II T3 Kai had only seen action in 1996, it had, over the years, become something of a cult classic among fans of Tenrai's Dakar vehicles.

The 1991 model of the Nogaro II T3, was a direct upgrade from the Nogaro 1.5 T3 with a redesigned rear clamshell featuring a new spoiler replacing the older wing, in addition to a new 2.2L 16-valve turbocharged Inline-4 engine making 320bhp, and a six-speed sequential gearbox. The chassis is a ladder frame derived from that of the road-legal Nogaro II SUV with an extended wheelbase and a rollcage adding rigidity. As with the older 1.5 T3, the bodywork is a composite of Kevlar and carbon fiber. The frontal independent suspension system is comprised of superimposed wishbones and coil springs with double hydraulic shock absorbers, and the rear is a solid axle with coil springs, also with double hydraulic shocks. The brakes are ventilated discs on all corners.

The 1993 model has a redesigned body that is more streamlined, but is otherwise mechanically identical to the 1991 model, but with the engine's power uprated to 350bhp. For 1995, the engine displacement is raised to 2.4L.

The 1996 Nogaro II T3 Kai takes the bodywork of the 1993 Nogaro II T3 and refines it further. The chassis is a competition spaceframe with a wheelbase of 3 meters with double wishbone and coil spring suspension all around. The 1995 engine carried over, but for 1996, it has a mandatorily-equipped 34mm air restrictor on the turbocharger, lowering the power output to 300bhp. It also features a six-speed sequential gearbox.

## Gallery

### Nogaro II T3

1991 model, Tenrai Dakar livery1991 model, Burgess livery1991 model, Kikax Photography livery1991 model, Roshambo Cigarettes livery1993 model, Roshambo Cigarettes livery1993 model, white

## Trivia

* It is inspired by the 1991-1996 Mitsubishi Pajero T3 rally raid trucks.