Dome (constructor)
| Industry | Motorsport |
|---|---|
| Founded | 1975 |
| Founder | Minoru Hayashi |
| Headquarters | Maihara, Japan |
| Website | www.dome.co.jp |
Dome Co. Ltd (株式会社童夢 Kabushiki Kaisha Dōmu?), literally "child's dream", is a Japanese-based racing car constructor, involved mainly in open wheel and sports car racing.
In 1965 Minoru Hayashi built his first racing car, a rebodied Honda S600 coupe. Belonging to Tojiro Ukiya, it was called the "Karasu" (crow in Japanese), due to its shape. Built on a small budget and in a short time, the Karasau emphasized weight reduction and aerodynamics using FRP materials. The car went on to win its debut race at the Suzuka Clubman Race, despite Hayashi having no experience in racecar construction. In 1966 he went on to build the Macransa, a more extensively modified Honda S800 to compete at the Japanese Grand Prix, this was followed by the "Kusabi" three years later, which was a Formula Junior racing car, and the "Panic" in 1971.
In 1975 at Takaragaike, Kyoto, Hayashi formed Dome with an intention to manufacture cars with small production runs, using racing machines to develop the technology. Three years after the company's formation in 1978, the company produced its first concept car designed for road use called the Dome Zero (童夢-零), powered by a Nissan L28 engine. It made its public debut at the Geneva Motor Show the same year. For the following year, Dome produced the production version of the Zero called the Dome P2, which was exhibited at Chicago Auto Show and Los Angeles Auto Expo. But the car was refused type approval by the Japanese Government and was unable to go into production.
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