Jiotto Caspita MKII

Information

Jiotto Caspita MKII

The Jiotto Caspita was a concept prototype mid-engined supercar designed and manufactured by Dome to be a F1 car for the road. The original design was made by the vice president and chief designer for Jiotto Design Incorporated, Kunihisa Ito, and the name Caspita comes from the Italian exclamation 'caspita'. The project was a joint venture between Wacoal, which owned 60%, and Dome, which owned 40%, with the two companies forming Jiotto. The Caspita came from Wacoal president Yoshikata Tsukamoto, who put Dome in charge of the engineering and the newly formed Jiotto Design studio in charge of the design.

The design process for the Caspita had over 200 proposed designs. 3 of them were made into 1/5 scale for aerodynamic testing. Later, they were made into full-sized models and were tested by Dome's wind tunnel as well as at the Japan Automobile Research Institute. In the end, they went with a Group C racing-inspired design featuring a huge rear wing and large air intakes on each side. The MKII was very similar to the MKI, with it being an evolution with minor differences in design. New twin circular tail lights, circular headlights, and more traditional side mirrors. All of these aesthetic changes go along with more refined aerodynamics.

The Caspita MKII was powered by a Judd GV V10 that would make 585 hp and 374 Nm (276 lb ft) of torque at 10,500 rpm. The V10 was able to give the Jiotto Caspita MKII a claimed 0-100 kph (0-62 mph) of 3.4 seconds and a top sped of 199 mph (320 kph). The engine was the biggest difference between the MKI and MKII due to the MKI's engine having been discontinued by Subaru.

Both of the Caspitas chassis and body work were made by Mitsubishi Rayon Co., Japan's largest acrylic fiber producer, which made the bonded aluminum and carbon fiber monocoque chassis. This was achieved by sandwiching aluminum between layers of carbon fiber and putting it into an autoclave to create a rigid structure. This process was repeated 15 times over the span of 2 months, which, along with the new Judd V10, made the Caspita MKII heavier, weighing 1,260 kg (2,780 lbs).

The Jiotto Caspita MKII was produced with an almost identical interior with gull-wing doors, which allowed you to get into the red and black interior, which was made to be entirely driver-focused. This emphasis on a driver-focused F1 car on the road resulted in not having air conditioning, cruise control, or any driver amenities. What it did feature was advanced technology like an electronically controlled wing and adjustable suspension, which, for the time, was cutting edge.

The Jiotto Caspita MKII would be first shown in 1990 and would continue development until 1993, when it would be canceled due to the collapse of the Japan Asset Bubble. It has been kept by Dome and is in their museum below the wind tunnel at their headquarters.