Dome · 1950–present
Dome Zero
The Dome Zero (童夢-零, Dōmu Zero) was a prototype sports car from DOME Co. Ltd that was exhibited at the 48th Geneva Auto Show in 1978. The Dome project, pronounced "do-mu" or "child's dream" in Japanese, was started by Minoru Hayashi in 1975, with the goal of producing sports cars using knowledge gained from auto racing. The Zero was to be their first production road car and Dome planned to produce a limited number for sale in Japan. Despite multiple prototypes and homologation efforts, the Zero was never approved by regulatory bodies for sale in Japan or overseas. As a result, the project was not commercially viable and the Zero never entered series production.
Text from Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0).
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Road car prototypes
Design work on the Dome Zero began in 1976 and the prototype was completed in 1978. The creation of the car was motivated by Hayashi's desire to compete in the 24 Hours of Le Mans, a prospect that had full support from his employees, most of whom had professional backgrounds in auto racing. In addition to developing the Zero into a race car, Hayashi intended to fund entry into Le Mans competition by selling cars to the public. The Dome Zero represented a technological leap forward for small-scale Japanese automakers. The unusual design of the Zero required an extensive engineering process, incorporating newly designed components and off-the-shelf items from other Japanese auto manufacturers. It had a wedge-shaped exterior reminiscent of the Lancia Stratos Zero, Lamborghini Countach and Ferrari Berlinetta Boxer. It was rear mid-engine, rear-wheel-drive layout with a chassis of square-section steel tube. The 2.8L Nissan L28E SOHC straight-six engine produced 143 hp (107 kW; 145 PS). This engine was also used in the Datsun 280Z and 280ZX. With this engine and a curb weight of 920 kg (2,028 lb), the Dome Zero offered a power-to-weight ratio that matched contemporary Porsche models. The prototype also incorporated a ZF 5-speed transmission, independent double-wishbone suspension and four-wheel disk brakes, mounted inboard at the rear. The front brake calipers were sourced from a Subaru Leone, the steering column sourced from a Honda Accord and the interior door pulls from a Toyota Celica. The Dome Zero prototype was completed in time for the 48th Geneva Motor Show in 1978 where its design received attention from various investors and interested buyers. Despite this interest, the manufacturer was unable to achieve Japanese road certification for the prototype. This led to the
Racing
Following difficulties with road homologation of the Zero, Hayashi decided to develop a race car, the Zero RL. This was intended to help publicize road cars and to realize Hayashi and his employees' ambitions of racing at the 24 Hours of Le Mans. The 1979 Zero RL was powered by a Cosworth DFV V8 engine with an aluminum twin-tube monocoque chassis. The dimensions of the car were unusual for a Le Mans prototype, with a very narrow track of 1,340 mm (52.7 in) and a long body, 16.4 ft (5.00 m). It is unclear the degree to which the Zero RL was derived from the road Zero, as chassis, body and engine all substantially differed from the road version. The Zero RL first raced at the 1979 6 Hours of Silverstone, driven by Chris Craft and Gordon Spice. Although it was third-fastest in practice, the Zero RL finished 12th of 13. Two Zero RLs raced at the 1979 24 Hours of Le Mans motor race (#6, driven by Craft/Spice, #7 by Tony Trimmer/Bob Evans) but both failed to finish. Dome returned to Le Mans with new versions of the car in subsequent years. In the 1980 24 Hours of Le Mans the RL-80 was driven by Craft/Evans and did not finish. This was repeated at the 1981 24 Hours of Le Mans with Craft/Evans driving the RL-81 and again failing to finish. This ended Dome's racing efforts with the Zero RL, although the company would continue racing with other cars.
Specifications
Chassis: MR (mid-engine, rear-wheel-drive) Engine: straight-6 Nissan L28 Capacity: 2,753 cc (168.0 cu in) Power: 145 PS (107 kW; 143 hp) Torque: 23.0 kg⋅m (226 N⋅m; 166 lb⋅ft) Transmission: 5-speed manual Weight: 920 kg (2,028 lb) Brakes: Ventilated disks front/solid disks rear Suspension: Double wishbone front/coils rear Tyre: 185/60/VR13 Front, 255/55/VR14 Rear
Sections adapted from Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0); text is shortened. Read the full article for the complete history and citations.
Specifications
- name
- Dome Zero
- Manufacturer
- DOME Co. Ltd
- Production
- 1978 (Zero), 1979 (Zero P2)
- Designer
- Minoru Hayashi
- Class
- Concept car, Sports car (S)
- Body style
- 2-door coupé
- Engine
- 2.8 L Nissan L28E I6
- Transmission
- 5-speed manual
- Length
- 3980 mm
- Width
- 1770 mm
- Height
- 980 mm
- Kerb weight
- 920 kg
- Successor
- Jiotto Caspita
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/Q1765758CC0 1.0 · retrieved 2026-10-01
- Wikipedia — https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dome_ZeroCC BY-SA 4.0 · Text © Wikipedia contributors; revision 1365666520 · retrieved 2026-10-01
- Wikimedia Commons — https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:%E7%AB%A5%E5%A4%A2-%E9%9B%B6(Dome_Zero)_(8014531836).jpgCC BY-SA 2.0 · Photo: contri from Yonezawa-Shi, Yamagata, Japan · retrieved 2026-10-01
- Manufacturer website (link only) — http://www.dome.co.jp/e/museum/car_m/car_m01b.htmlLink only; no content copied · 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.