Have you ever seen or read anything about a unique vehicle called Dome Zero? A quick search on the Internet would reveal a sporty car with an attractive design and noticeable performance. Still, the likelihood of running into someone who knows about this car is quite low, even among hardcore enthusiasts. In fact, the only people that might have heard about this car are younger car guys who play video games. That may seem odd, but there is a simple explanation for this situation. In this article, we will see why it is so and learn everything about this forgotten supercar.
Backstory and Relevance
Although an architectural element may be the first association, Dome is a Japanese word that we can translate as a child’s dream. Behind this unusual and unique name is a small racing car constructor whose history spans back to the 70s. During this time, the company has built vehicles that competed in anything from Formula 3 to 24 Hours of Le Mans.
By the mid-70s, the company had extensive knowledge of motorsport and a proven track record. Its founder, Minoru Hayashi, wanted to use this experience to create their first road-legal vehicle. Needless to say, the vehicle he had in mind would be sporty as it gets. In simple words, this race car with license plates would be their attempt at the supercars segment. Manufacturers like Lamborghini and Ferrari already saw this niche’s huge potential, while others were also joining in. And the lack of interest from the big Japanese players was an additional upside. The purpose of this vehicle would be not only to generate sales but also to raise brand awareness.
Poster-Worthy Design
At first glance, the Dome Zero has a remarkable similarity with popular cars like Lamborghini Countach or Lancia Stratos. However, that initial impression is quite deceiving, as this car is anything but an uninspired copy. The wedge shape was the norm among supercars at that time, and almost all manufacturers followed that pattern. What made the car so recognizable and appealing was the wide range of design details that set it apart. Sloping side windows with an elongated windshield that protrudes into the hood made it look like a fighter jet. Various color-coded openings and air vents around the car highlighted that aggressive appearance even more. All these details helped to create a car with a striking and eye-catching outer design.
Hiding behind massive scissor-type doors, the interior was a bit more conservative. Sure, the steering wheel’s unique shape and central-mounted gauges are a nice touch, but that’s about it. Still, a steering wheel and some gauges were all you could have inside the car back then. Things like huge displays or computerized units that let you adjust the damping rate and engine characteristics existed only in movies. However, it did have one interesting feature when the car was on – a colorful digital dashboard.
Dome Zero’s Engine is Far From Spectacular
This road-going race car would use an in-line six-cylinder Nissan L28E engine, best known as Datsun 280Z. With 145 horsepower, this wasn’t the most powerful unit, but it was very reliable and had huge tuning potential. Although the engine was a simple off-the-shelf solution, placing it inside the car was a whole different story. After all, the Dome Zero is, just like all other supercars at the time, a mid-engine car. Unlike the Datsun and its long hood, mid-engine cars have the engine between the seats and the rear axle. In many ways, this limits the overall length of the drivetrain assembly. To overcome this obstacle and avoid making the car too long, engineers used a special 5-speed transmission from ZF. It featured a unique design that incorporated both the gearbox itself and the final drive into one compact unit.
Among other things that revealed this was a full-bred racing car was the chassis and suspension layout. Those sharp and attractive body panels were hiding a racing-style monocoque chassis made out of high-strength steel tubing, making the whole car very rigid and stiff while keeping the weight down. Features like independent double-wishbone suspension and disk brakes all around made sure the handling was up to the job. The result was a capable car with an excellent power-to-weight ratio and formidable driving characteristics.
Why Was the Dome Zero Forgotten?
Dome showcased its prototypes at the 1978 Geneva Motor Show, receiving quite a lot of attention from both visitors and automotive journalists. There was also another prototype, called Zero P2, which made its appearances at the 1979 Chicago and Los Angeles motor shows. This version featured several design tweaks, including a longer front bumper and an updated interior. Several car magazines that had a chance to test the Dome P2 on the track praised its driving characteristic.
Unfortunately, none of these concepts made their way into the production phase. The main reason was the failure to obtain approvals from road use regulatory bodies, despite numerous efforts. In fact, the P2 concept itself was not much more than a stopgap solution. As homologation rules on the Japanese market were strict, this would be a special vehicle for export to the US. However, this effort also failed in the end.
Despite failing the original task, this car did make a certain impact and left a noticeable legacy behind. For a start, it was a base for Dome RL racing cars that competed at 24 Hours of Le Mans. Dome ensured its place among recognizable race car builders by participating in such a prestigious and demanding event. An influence on modern culture is also worth noting, ranging from appearances in several popular video games to being used as a template for the Transformers Hot Rod character.
Last Words
As we have seen in this article, Zero was Dome’s attempt at the supercar segment during the 70s year. It had huge market potential and all the elements that could make it a great car. However, all this wasn’t enough to overcome the administrative and bureaucratic obstacles that stood in its way. In the end, all we got was a couple of prototypes and several Le Man’s racing cars.
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