Dome ZERO Concept - 1978

The Dome project 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.

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 strikingly modern wedge-shaped exterior reminiscent of the Lancia Stratos Zero, Lamborghini Countach, and Ferrari Berlinetta Boxer.

Several off-the-shelf components were used to include a steering rack from the Honda Accord, caliper assemblies from the Subaru Leone and halfshafts from the Toyota Cressida.

It also made sense to source the engine from an outside manufacturer. For the Zero prototype, a 2.8-litre Nissan straight-six was selected.

In this configuration, the Nissan engine produced 146ps at 5200rpm and 23kgm at 3600rpm.

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 Zero into a race car, Hayashi intended to fund entry into the Le Mans competition by selling vehicles to the public.

The Dome Zero prototype was completed in time for the 48th Geneva Motor Show in 1978, where its striking design received a lot of attention from various investors and buyers. Despite this interest, the manufacturer could not achieve Japanese road certification for the prototype. This led to more energy being committed to a second prototype road car for the international market, the Zero P2. However, homologation rules were stringent in Japan, and Dome did not have the funds to sustain the lengthy and costly homologation procedure routine for well-funded mainstream Japanese automakers. It is not clear what the exact reasons were for Zero's failure to achieve Japanese homologation.

Now the Zero lives on only in memory.