Dome · 1989–1990
Jiotto Caspita
The Jiotto Caspita is a prototype mid-engine sports car designed and manufactured by Dome in 1989. The car was billed as the "F1 on the Road". The original design of the car was done by Kunihisa Ito, who was the vice president and chief designer of Jiotto Design Incorporated. Its name is derived from the Italian exclamation "caspita".
Text from Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0).
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History
The Caspita was the brainchild of Wacoal president Yoshikata Tsukamoto and Dome president Minoru Hayashi. A joint venture between the two companies was formed in July 1988 by the name of Jiotto Inc. (60% held by Wacoal and 40% held by DOME) to design and build the car. The engineering was entrusted to Dome, while the newly incorporated Jiotto Design studio was tasked with designing the car. The Caspita was displayed at the 28th Tokyo Motor Show in 1989. In light of positive reception, a limited production run of 30 units was considered, but never came to fruition. The project would die out in 1993 due to the collapse of the Japanese asset price bubble, which resulted in a lack of demand for sports cars. The Mk. I Caspita is currently on display at the Motorcar Museum of Japan in Komatsu, whilst the Mk. II remains in possession of Dome and sits in their museum below the wind tunnel at their headquarters. Design. The car had a sleek and aerodynamic body design inspired by Group C race cars. Design mockups of 1/5 scale were made for wind tunnel testing. Later, full-size models were made and tested at Dome's own wind tunnel as well as the JARI (Japan Automobile Research Institute) wind tunnel for aerodynamic refinement. Jiotto Design selected three design proposals out of the initially proposed 200 for final development. Out of the three, a design having an integrated rear wing and large side air intakes was fully developed. The Mk. II Caspita was partially restyled with new twin circular taillights, circular headlights, and more traditionally styled side-view mirrors. Powertrain. The Mk. I Caspita was built with a detuned Subaru 1235 flat-twelve engine, a Formula One engine originally built by Motori Moderni for Subaru and rated at 450 hp (336 kW; 456 PS) and 363 N⋅m (268
Sections adapted from Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0); text is shortened. Read the full article for the complete history and citations.
Specifications
- name
- Jiotto Caspita
- Manufacturer
- Dome Co. Ltd.
- Production
- 1989 (Mk. I), 1990 (Mk. II)
- Assembly
- Japan: Maihara
- Designer
- Kunihisa Ito
- Class
- Concept car, Sports car (S)
- Body style
- 2-door coupé
- Layout
- Longitudinal rear mid-engine, rear-wheel drive
- Engine
- 3.5 L Motori Moderni 1235 F12 (Mk. I), 3.5 L Judd GV 72-degree V10 (Mk. II)
- Transmission
- 6-speed manual
- Wheelbase
- 2700 mm
- Length
- 4534 mm, 4595 mm (Mk II)
- Width
- 1996 mm
- Height
- 1135 mm
- Kerb weight
- 2425 lb, 2734 lb (Mk II)
- Predecessor
- Dome Zero
Specification summary from Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0). Measured facts from Wikidata (CC0). Check the linked sources for citations.
More photos
Sources
- Wikidata — https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q1130716CC0 1.0 · retrieved 2026-10-01
- Wikipedia — https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jiotto_CaspitaCC BY-SA 4.0 · Text © Wikipedia contributors; revision 1343768041 · retrieved 2026-10-01
- Wikimedia Commons — https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:JIOTTO_CASPITA.JPGPublic domain · Photo: Yones · retrieved 2026-10-01
- Car Model Index — https://models.autoculturesociety.com/Compiled record. Sources that do not permit reuse are not copied; this index is credited instead.