My 1971 Datsun Fairlady series 1 / 240Z
free-combination comment on your article on the name for one of Starion models MITUBISHI reminded me of an article I read some years ago in the New Yorker about the founder of the American subsidiary of Nissan called originally Datsun I do not remember the title or publication date of the article, or even the name of the subject, but an incident he describes remains firmly in memory.
Apparently, the Datsun 280Z was originally planned by the president of Nissan in Japan to be called Fairlady, because he loved the musical My Fair Lady, but the man of Nissan in the United States had the good sense to realize that no car would ever sell this name.
If I remember the story, he and other employees had to physically force Datsun nameplates cars after their arrival on the boat, it was apparently a gross act of insubordination to rename the model something else, but 280Z, being the car's internal designation for Nissan, was barely acceptable where the executive keep his job long enough for sales to take off.
I remember the 280Z as a great little car, and we considered my teacher of high school mathematics as the cool heights because he led the one he took the math team meeting in it could never may have been cool with a name like Fairlady.
In Japan, the car the 240Z was still known as the Fairlady to stay in line with the past Nissan sports cars; Yutaka Katayama Katayama, president of Nissan USA fought hard to have all US badging replaced by 240Z and refused all dealerships receive car until he had done.
Many cars Datsun Nissan 280Z before and after, were called Fairlady The old Datsuns have a fan club This is a current Fairlady You may be able to see the Fairlady logo on the back and on the plate.
I wonder what would have made Katayama want to change the name Fairlady It seems that previous models were often sold with the label but sometimes Fairlady sports or both Datsun label information I contradictory or vague.
240 Z began production in October 1969 as model year 1970, he was under construction along the new body style Fairlady Z There are several major differances between 240 and Z Fairlady Z should be more than a simple exchange badges to change every car was built for a specific market, eached planned way in advance.
For example, the 240 Z is LHD and Fairladys has RHD Fairlady also got a smaller engine to 2000 CC because of the tax due in Japan and the US version received a 2400 DC motor It there were also several options on the Fairlady could not get on a plate 240Z ID is also different between the cars in the United States and Japan, each with prefixes in the Japan WINE version has also obtained its mirrors on the wings, the American cars on the doors.
Thus, the two cars have 90 percent of the same parts with slight differances according Were gone.
I Fairlady Z in 1970, serial number 00144 It was built in November 1969 and won in 1969 entitled Fairlady due to its date of construction at the beginning and sale.
It would take more than a simple exchange of badges to change.
I'm sure true but I'm not sure how it relates to the claim that they were originally the Fairlady badge but that the badges were removed before being shipped to dealers Unless you're saying that they were so different they maybe could have had the same badge that doesn t make sense to me, given the wide variety of cars for foreign and domestic markets that have the badge.
This is a good example of why I don t post here very often.
This is a good example of why I don t post here very often.
I'm sure true but I'm not sure how it relates to the claim that they were originally the Fairlady badge but that the badges were removed before being shipped to dealers Unless you're saying that they were so different they maybe could have had the same badge that doesn t make sense to me, given the wide variety of cars for foreign and domestic markets that have the badge.
If both cars on the market and the US market in Japan were both fairladys called and if, when the United States Fairlady cars DRIVE LEFT Fairladys had swapped them badges when they arrived in the United States to call 240 Z .
Yutaka Kayatama, then president of Nissan Motors USA, knew his customers would not accept the name Fairlady for a sports car here in the US, so that sales and marketing services in the United States used numbers of car models for the most in advertising and sales promotion, and with the introduction of new models for 1965, the badging on the front wings was changed, American cars, Datsun Fairlady in 1600.
When the new HLS30 Sport GT was designed and built for the US market - M. Katayama suggested he would not be badged as Fairlady in Mr. K US think the car should be named something more aggressive like Tiger and Shark accordance with US cultural values and traditions This idea was rejected in Japan, he was ready to accept Datsun 240 Z 240 was a shortened version of the 2400cc engine displacement, and Z, which was the new file identification product car in Nissan's design department.
Even before the new generation of Z cars hit the shores Fairlady name was withdrawn from the US market since 1965.
I remember the 280Z as a great little car, and we considered my teacher of high school mathematics as the cool heights because he led the one he took the math team meeting in it could never may have been cool with a name like Fairlady.
Okay, either this guy commentator, not sure Snopes is full of shit or was the team from the smallest mathematics in the world The 280Z was two places rolleyes lol.
Now, if he had a 280Z 2 2, like the one my father bought the first year, he came out and again it all seat 4 people Well, you can squeeze more if they wanted to sit on the bump the rear seat that, in fact, my father did when he took me, my brother and two cousins of the grand Canyon of New Mexico in it - very uncomfortable.
I'm still not see the transport of a math team or any team anywhere in a sports car two seats.
In addition, the 280Z is an update of the 260Z was an update of the 240Z seems that the debate would fairlady first with 240, not 2 models later as the 280Z was a car starts but just a more recent edition of an established favorite sports car.
A friend of mine was 240, 260 and 280 z In general, there was only one running at any given time Anyway, in second grade, he packed seven, yes seven people in his 240 when he blew a shock, but it was done 2 is a tight squeeze in these cars, Putting normally a 3rd in the trap can be done that I'm not quite sure where he put all the 7, but wow.
Datsun 280Z Fairlady 1 Datsun 280z, great little 280Z, 280Z great little considered.