The Lanos development programme was formally started in autumn 1993, with the goal to create a car to replace Daewoo Nexia as Daewoo's small family car. Its purpose was to compete with its contemporaries, the Opel Astra and VW Golf. Four design studios were commissioned to deliver clay models presenting their ideas for the new model's styling. Giugiaro's design was chosen to develop the car's final outside and interior styling. By the end of 1995, 150 prototypes were built (providing for three body styles). The development programme involved extensive testing in a multitude of locations.

The Legram was designed for more classic use than the Formula 4/Hammer and its appearance was that of a genuine 4-seater coupe. Its lines were reminiscent of cars of the 1960s, but satisfied contemporary aerodynamic needs. The reference to the Bravo and Brava was evident in the grille and also in the light clusters that emphasized and exaggerated the original design.

There are no doors: it has to be accessed from the sideboard. The style is a mix of modern forms, simple resumptions of the cars on the market and of technical and style elements of the past. An example: the two small 1930s Formula 1 style windscreens which aside from the aesthetic value, proved effective against turbulence and air flows, to benefit the driving comfort of "pilot and co-pilot". The spaces not occupied by passengers can be closed using coverings lodged in the boot. In the Hammer model the model transforms into an all-terrain, open-air vehicle. The design was developed on the chassis and platform of the Fiat Bravo: it is deliberately a simple and inexpensive car to sell to a young audience.

Made in three units, it takes its name from an exclamation in the Piedmontese dialect meaning "look there" to imply that it is hard not to turn around to admire this prototype with its original shapes. Stylistically, the influence of traditional Lamborghini themes is evident, such as Miura-derived front headlights and a windshield reminiscent of the Countach. However, the Calà is noticeably taller for comfort reasons. The carbon fiber body is anchored to an aluminum chassis with the adoption of a novel technology of bent and bonded sheet metal.