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In 1965, the words Japanese sports car would have caused laughter unsympathetic to most consumers America Five years later, many of these same scoffers were queuing to buy a small car racy GT wearing a Datsun Datsun Z car badge soon became one of the most popular sports two-seater car of all time, inspiring many generations of Japanese sports cuts However, for all its potential popularity, Z was a car for which the manufacturer has never had much enthusiasm and the fact that the car was built to do everything alone it has become such a success is a testament to the dedication of Yutaka Katayama, head of the US operation of Nissan, which has had a long and bitter battle to show the world that Japanese automakers were able to this week, the history of the Datsun 240Z, 260Z and 280Z.
When Nissan Yutaka Katayama executive sent to America in March 1960, he was something of exile company less than two years earlier, he had persuaded his superiors led him to enter diminutive Datsun 210 of exhausting company, 10,000-mile 16,100- km Mobilgas Australia Rally, seeking to strengthen the international reputation of Datsun to everyone surprise, he led his small team class victory and the considerable publicity given Katayama adulation, however, n ' not very well with his superiors Katayama was not politically well connected, he had not joined the union executive of Nissan, which was a bad move from the point of view of career advancement and enthusiasm for sports cars was paradoxically considered unseemly for a Nissan executive Considering its highly publicized victory, firing or laying off would have been embarrassing for in treprise, but senior Katayama were also reluctant to reward too rich Katayama was sent to America on a vaguely defined market sale -Search with the implicit hope that fade from view.
Instead, Katayama has taken in America like a fish in water, it almost alone built it to the US dealer network of Nissan and autumn 1960 became the west coast of the young VP Nissan Motors Corporation USA NMC USA.
The first car DAT an acronym derived from the names of the donors of the car's creator appeared in 1914 the first Dat-son debuted in 1930 and was renamed Datsun in 1932, shortly before DAT Automobile Manufacturing Company was purchased by Nihon Sangyo later known as gradually Nissan Datsun nameplate on the US in the early 1980s.
In 1965, Katayama started putting Datsun on the map in the US market a reward, he was named president of NMC USA He was still in a precarious situation with his superiors in Japan, it was successful enough to prevent them from the sack, but not so great success to encourage them to replace it with a more manageable and consistent Executive He also has a powerful ally in Keiichi Matsumura, who recently joined Nissan powerful Japanese MITI Ministry of International trade and industry Matsumura with his hand, Katayama had finally got the home office to listen, but sometimes reluctantly.
In 1967 Datsun was fourth among US imports In addition, after years of home office begging for more tailored to the American market products, Katayama had now Datsun highly competitive 510 small sporty sedan model loosely on BMW 1600 Thanks to 510 in 1969 Datsun was selling nearly 60,000 cars a year in America.
Katayama was extremely enthusiastic about the 510, but he had a big dream that was still unfulfilled Katayama had, after all, was the first president of the Sports Car Club of Japan and he still wanted a real sports car Datsun .
Nissan has built a small number of sports cars before the company sent its first postwar roadster in 1952, although it sold in tiny numbers and was not exported in 1959, Nissan introduced a new roadster based on the Bluebird sedan Datsun SP211 Sport Roadster in its domestic market, it was called Datsun Fairlady, a name chosen by President Nissan Katsuji Kawamata, who had been very taken with a performance of the musical My Fair Lady in visit to the United States in 1958 Katayama, fearing that wimpy-sounding names such as Fairlady Bluebird and would be ridiculed in America, stressed the most prosaic alphanumeric designations for the US market.
The Datsun Fairlady evolved in parallel with the Blue Bird on which it was based, becoming the SP310 1963 Sport Datsun Roadster 1500 in America, and 1595 cc 97 cu in SP311 1965 export templates were known as SPL, indicating the left hand drive the latest iteration was the 1968 Datsun 2000 Roadster Sport with a new 1,982 cc 121 cu in engine inherited the Prince motor Company, which acquired in 1966 Nissan.
The Fairlady drew inspiration clearly British sports cars cheap of his time, especially the MGB and Triumph TR4 contemporary critics have criticized the haphazard style of the Datsun and poorly sorted suspension, but were satisfied by the robust construction and build quality, which put Datsun British counterparts to shame by the end of the sixties, the Fairlady benefited from stronger disc brakes at the front and one of the most powerful engines in its class in hand right, it has become a viable sports racer, campaigned with some success.
The final roadster Datsun Fairlady, known in the US as a simple Datsun 2000 had a 1982 cc 121 cu in the U20 engine rated at 135 hp 101 kW, mated to a five-speed manual Its ride and handling left much to desired, but he was capable of 0-60 mph into 9 three seconds and a top speed of 111 mph 179 km h good performance for a sports car of this production era of those cars ended in 1970.
Yet the Fairlady was not enough to satisfy Katayama He promised, but I always felt like an effort on the half and he did not suit American tastes.
first light of serious effort on the sports car's front was the A550X project, proposed 2 0 liter 122 cubic inch GT conceived as a joint venture with Yamaha to design, Nissan has committed freelance stylist Nissan Albrecht Goertz, an Austrian nobleman who had previously designed beautiful BMW but failed commercially sports car 507.
The project A550X soon collapsed mainly because of concerns over its cost, although Nissan at least partly at the insistence of Katayama remained interested in a sports coupe for the US market Goertz made initial studies to this end before his contract ended in 1965, he also developed the first production version of the coupe Silvia developed an original concept by designer Kazuo Kimura internally and presented the Nissan designers to the Western practice of creating full clay models greatness as an intermediate step between the concept of rendering and production design.
Exactly how much work influenced later Goertz sports car Nissan project is still very controversial in later years, often suggested that Goertz designed the original Z-car in his advice and actually threatened to sue Nissan for libel when the company declared contrary to many accounts, he never filed a lawsuit Surviving photos Goertz designs t resemble donate the finished product, but some historians note some common elements and argue that, least, the working Goertz represented the starting point for Nissan s internal designers.
In a letter to Goertz in November 1980, the head of Nissan Legal Affairs recognized the influence of contributions Goertz, but argued that the production car was nevertheless a house design that was the end of the legal confrontation, but the idea that Goertz designed the Z persisted even after his death in 2006.
Although A550X project does materialize, then Yamaha developed a similar conceptual project with Toyota that resulted in the sports car Toyota 2000GT To our knowledge, Goertz was not involved in the Toyota project.
In October 1965 Teiichi Hara, chief deputy Matsuo was excited about his new assignment department engineering design Nissan and Development awarded a young designer named Yoshihiko Matsuo head Sports Car Design Studio with Akio Yoshida, but he quickly discovered that his new job was, as US mission Katayama, a form of exile as Katayama, Matsuo was a passionate, something his superiors saw in exasperation, and his small studio seemed to be little more than a way to shut him .
Nissan management was still very skeptical about the commercial viability of sports cars, which they considered frivolous, with little profit potential failure of Nissan Silvia coupe certainly didn t help, but the response of dealers to US does suggest that there might be some interest in America if Nissan could find something more suitable Matsuo and Yoshida were allowed to continue working on the design of the sports car, but with a serious support .
The car Datsun Z used L-series Nissan six, which was very similar to the M180 Mercedes-Benz six-L series is available in both four- and forms six-cylinder engine of the Datsun 280Z was bored and stroked to 2753 cc 168 cu in, giving 149 net horsepower 111 kW probably a bit more than the raw power 151 announced in the original 240Z Unfortunately, he pulled a car much heavier if the performance is slightly improved the owner this car has substituted the flat topped piston of the eighties version of this engine to the dished original pistons, which gives a slight improvement in the power and efficiency.
After becoming president of NMC USA, Katayama had written to the home office to request the development of a sports car adapted to American tastes a plan that dovetail with the efforts of Matsuo and Yoshida on a trip Tokyo in 1967, Katayama visited the sports car design studio to see Matsuo work, then at the clay model stage the two men quickly realized that they shared a common goal not only sports car offered the kind of thing they both loved Katayama also seen as a business matter of pride and even national.
One or two years ago, support Katayama wouldn t have been worth a lot, but with his new position and support Matsumura, the idea sports car, now called Maru Zetto Circle Z has started gaining Matsuo also an ally engineer Hisashi Uemura, head of the section three Nissan production division the first section and two divisions responsible for regular cars and trucks, were reluctant to spare the personnel to what they saw as naturally a marginal project but Uemura, which normally focuses on specialty vehicles section as police cars and garbage trucks, agreed to help transform Z project in a production car.
optional alloy wheels are a considerable improvement over the standard car wheel covers Datsun Z, which were often very ugly A weak point of the Z was its brakes, which were only sufficient to ensure 240Z original Datsun and never really improved for 260Z and 280Z heavier the owner of this car has replaced the front brakes of a heavier 4X4 truck Toyota, with grooved rotors for better cooling.
Other than however, unfortunate Silvia, most Datsun sports car projects had been roadsters, following the English tradition Katayama felt the market moves away from open cars; Indeed, convertible sales in the US fell sharply late sixties, he insisted that Project Z should be closed, two GT seats as the Jaguar E-Type car, he was particularly fond He also wanted an engine six-cylinder rather than four.
The design of the Z project went through many iterations The first sketches seem much like last Opel GT while a variation developed by Yoshida abandoned like a Maserati Ghibli The design of the eventual production bore a striking resemblance to the contemporary Ferrari GTB 275 4, designed by Pininfarina, which, interestingly, was also charged with making the Datsun 410 Bluebird Since the Ferrari has cost more than four times the car Datsun Z finally made, however, that the resemblance was not necessarily a bad thing.
The car monocoque Z was fundamentally new, but to keep costs at a reasonable level, many components came from other Datsuns, including MacPherson suspension all around, disc brakes front, drums rear and the motor Z s 2393 cc 146 cu in inline-six SACT was essentially 510 1595 cc 97 cu in four with two additional cylinders in the Japanese market, there was also a 1998 cc 122 cu in version to pull advantage of lower tax rates for small engines.
Nissan management has approved the Z production in November 1967 and Uemura began the complex task of transforming the design completed in a producible car he met with Matsuo earlier on the height of the car, which Matsuo was set at 1200 mm 47 2 inches Uemura argued that he was too weak to US buyers, and finally persuaded Matsuo bring it to 1,260 mm 49 6 inches; car production ended in 1283 50 mm 5 inches, but the gap was even less generous to gaijin rangy.
current prototypes were completed in 1968 and early 1969 test teams have many road tests in the US The evaluation found a number of problems, mainly a vibration from the rear at high speed which need a major overhaul of the differential and half-shaft geometry because the new differential needed a smaller fuel tank to fit in the Z car tightly wrapped tail, engineers Uemura continued a frantic, reduced weight last minute campaign, hoping to improve fuel economy sufficiently to compensate for the smaller tank they finally saved about 50 kg 110 lbs, allowing the American version of a relatively low curb weight of 1057 kg 2330 lb
The first Datsun Z-car was 4135 mm 162 8 in the long 2,300mm wheelbase 90 on 7-inch larger bumpers made significantly more subsequent 260Z and 280Z Datsun 280Z was the 4404 mm up to 173 4, while 2 February 4707 was significant 185 mm 3 and weighed a hefty 1415 kg 3120 lb
Despite its teething problems, the car Datsun Z went into production on schedule and on sale in the United States October 22, 1969 in Japan, it was called Fairlady Z, but Katayama, who thought that the name Fairlady too cutesy for the US market, ordered that American cars are simply badged 240Z We're inclined to take stories Katayama physically removed the Fairlady badges of the first batch of cars in North America with a grain of salt.
With its 2393 cc standard 146 cu in six, the US 151 horsepower 240Z claimed 113 kW thanks to its light weight, it had excellent performance 0-60 mph 0-97 km h in the range of 8 seconds and a speed maximum of more than 120 mph 195 km h it was not a threat to a Corvette or Jaguar E-type, but he made the Z faster than all but the pony cars vilest, not to mention a crowd European sports cars from the Porsche 914 at GM's Opel GT testers had mixed feelings about the handling and brakes of the 240Z, but they agreed that all the ingredients were there.
If the Datsun Z car lacks finesse cost it some points, he lost ground with its market price Its list price in the US was only 3526, that a buyer can expect to pay for a Camaro V8 modestly 1000 equipped and more or less than its foreign competitors such as Alfa Romeo GTV Better yet, the typical mode Datsun, which was a full price, including accessories such as radio, complete instruments and radial tires for which US automakers surcharge.
The Datsun Z car impact on the market was considerable Despite his lack of pedigree, the 240Z offered fast performance, excellent build quality, style and flair of a European GT for the price of a plebeian sedan absolutely brutalized British sports cars of its time, especially the MGB and TR6 and wore the Opel GT and Porsche 914 a blow from which they never really recovered Even with something markup major retailer that has greatly worried NMC USA Datsun sold about 23,000 240Zs in model year 1970 total sales of 58000 US Datsun swelled to over 104,000, indicating that the Z brought new clients to Datsun showrooms for 1971, US sales nearly doubled Z to more than 33,000.
As the hood scoop an early Thunderbird distinctive bulge hood of the car Datsun Z was all about making a style characteristic of a need for engineering was needed to bump the bass line of the hood delete the cover of the engine timing chain.
Z soon proven on the race track and on the Bob Sharp sales floor and Peter Brock campaigned Datsun 240Z very successfully in sports Car Club of America SCCA road racing, where the Z car has dominated C-Production class for nine consecutive years amateur riders can take advantage of a multitude of pieces of performance and competition, both Nissan and a growing number of aftermarket providers If the car Datsun Z n ' not quite rival the ubiquitous Ford and Chevy small blocks for tunability, it was not for lack of trying.
Katayama was ecstatic, he knew exactly what the 240Z for Nissan in advertising, prestige and benefits and he saw it as a brilliant justification of all the arguments he'd never had with the Home Office On before the launch of the Z car, he wrote a dedication source of inspiration in the company newsletter Datsun, stating that the new car had a heart and an American Japanese soul in many ways, this statement could have been a description of Katayama himself.
The first 240Z was a good deal, but in 1978, the Datsun Z car was not so highly priced at the Datsun 280Z began 8683, more than twice the cost of 240Z in 1970. This car with automatic transmission three speed option and a host of accessories dealer-installed as the front bumper bar and rear, was nearly 10 000 new lots of money again in 1978, more than 62,000 have been sold this year, so buyers are not too discouraged.
domestic manufacturers have generally avoided sports car with two seats on the grounds that they would never sell well enough to be profitable for many American buyers, the combination Datsun Z car style, performance, and price was difficult to resist.
Sales of Z continued to rise almost every year, quickly exceeding 50,000 and sometimes approaching 75,000 This growth is all the more remarkable given the rapid price inflation Z By late seventies, the price of the typical thumbnail equipped was more than twice what it had been in 1970.
This higher price bought more low performance The original Z car has been designed with safety standards and American programs in mind, but Nissan did not anticipate the rapid tightening of these standards took place in the middle of seventy years the power of the Datsun 240Z began to drop in emissions controls have been added, dropping to 129 net horsepower 96 kW 1973 1974 Nissan expands engines 2 4 liters Z-2565 cc cars 156 cu in, increasing the power of 139 hp 104 kilowatts and causing a change in name Datsun 260Z.
In the middle of the year, new bumpers federal mandate more swelling in the unladen weight of the growth of Z, prompting a further expansion of the engine of the American car this time, it rose to 2753 cc 168 cu and Bosch fuel injection L-Jetronic was replaced carburetors Japanese and European cars stayed 2 6 liters the new engine has restored Datsun 280Z renamed to nearly its original power levels 149 hp 111 kW and Z was now an embarrassing 180 kg 400 lbs heavier than the 240Z original not only the performance is down, the extra weight added a heavy quality handling and has taken its toll on the brakes, a problem not addressed until such time as the next generation.
The Datsun Z car had an array of well-planned and ergonomics edge for its time, although in 1978 280Z of 160 mph 258 km h speedometer is optimistic Gauges center stack include water temperature, the pressure oil, power, fuel, and an analog clock This car has a steering wheel accessory and new seats borrowed from a Chevrolet Camaro seventies.
As with contemporary Corvette, however, sales continued to climb even as the eroded performance Obviously, most customers were more interested in a bold design and sheer speed, and in any case, even a 280Z Automatic had a perfectly adequate acceleration for conducting day-Z day and was reasonably practicable, and in 1974, a model more 2 2 was available for customers who have asked for at least a token rear seat.
In total, more than 540,000 Datsun 240Z, 260Z and 280Zs were sold, a remarkable total for a sports car two seats The Datsun Z car has also inspired a variety of imitators, including the Mazda RX-7, and Mitsubishi Starion Toyota Celica supra.
Part of the appeal of the car Datsun Z car was that it was a reasonably practical tailgate The rear deck and allow more useful cargo space than a Camaro or Corvette contemporary lip at the front prevents luggage from sliding in the driver's seat, although a cargo net would be a useful addition large intrusions of each side of the trunk are the shock towers for the rear suspension, which uses struts Chapman.
The original Datsun Z car continued until 1978 before giving way to the new Fairlady Z 280ZX also called Japan All those who hoped the second generation would be a return to the vacuum cleaner to top Z was sentenced to disappointment lighter ZX looked like a bullet and still had a potential in 1979, Paul Newman drove to win the ninth car Z consecutive championship SCCA C Production, but it was larger, softer yet more sales-oriented to luxury, remained strong, so the more angular 300ZX, launched in 1984, was more than even it was not until 1990 that the Z became again a serious performance car.
The Datsun 280Z is the latest iteration of the original Z-car, available in the US from 1975 to 1978 His immediate successor was the 280ZX, which kept the L28 engine and basic style themes Z, but was more, more heavy and a little softer it was also more expensive, a trend that would eventually hurt sales of Z, which led to its temporary disappearance in mid-1990.
When the ZX debuted in late 1978, Katayama returned to Japan It was not a triumphant homecoming His success had only served to further alienate his superiors, who were aware of adulation Katayama had received in the press as the father of American success and Z Datsun and seen as a lack of good unseemly humility and loyalty.
In 1975, Katayama was promoted to president of NMC United States, while a company stalwart man, Hiroshi Majima, took over the presidency Promotion ostensible was used primarily to reduce Katayama out of the decision making process from day to day and troubled employees who didn t understand why the company seemed to treat so poorly Finally, in 1977, Katayama was called back to Tokyo and a forced retirement, although he continued to work for a few years after for a Nissan subsidiary .
For years, the name of Katayama has disappeared from several official histories of the company and press releases It was not until the 1990s, ironically, after Nissan merged with the French automaker Renault that was officially handed in a state in 1997, Nissan began launching TV commercials featuring actor intended to represent the man once called Mr. K employees, dealers and fans of the company is still hale and hearty, approaching Author note of its 90th anniversary next year, Katayama was inducted into renowned automobile Temple that day, he died in 2015.
Perhaps the best feature style car Datsun Z is the elegant blend of the rear wing with the roof sail panel, although the chrome window reveals heavy mark it as a product of Headroom 1970s not one of the main virtues of the car Z; a Datsun 280Z is only 1295 mm 51 above.
The Datsun Z car is often the only Japanese representative in the lists of the most important cars of the last century, but the classic status now granted early Ford Mustangs and Camaros continues to elude He still has a public small but loyal, but at the beginning really good ZS become rare form Norm Krell, the owner of our picture subject and an avid member laments that many owners are reluctant to spend too much money fixing or restore their cars, because it is easy to spend more than the car is Nissan value found this lasts in 1997 when they launched a brief campaign unfortunate for sale Datsun 240Zs professionally restored to some Nissan dealers.
were inspired by contemporary practice Ferrari scoop sugar headlights of the car Datsun Z; headlight itself was plastic, from a company that also manufactures seats for bus and stages Lids transparent plastic are not an item of stock, they are not legal at the time, but were a popular accessory item and helped improve aerodynamics at higher speeds.
Why the car Datsun Z was not entirely conventional If its tangible virtues do not quite live up to its promise, the same could be said of the pony cars late sixties, many of which have been slower, awkward, and much less elegant its brand may lack the pedigree, but the Z has been proven on the track again and again He was also very popular and desirable when new, often adds to the luster of model years later Why, then, is the original Z fade into obscurity, even as the first -generation Camaro values always climb higher.
Part of the reason may be just the time when it appeared Although the Z car is for sale at the end of 1969, it is most strongly associated with seventy dark years, the recession of the mid to late the age of the fuel shortage, political disenchantment, and cultural malaise It's hard to feel nostalgia of the seventy years without a good dose of irony, which is why Gremlins and Pacers generate further back condition -main than, say, a people numerous contemporary Corvette of a certain age may have possessed or aspired to a Datsun 280Z ago 30 years, but many people wore hip huggers and leisure suits, too, and many are equally reluctant to admit that in polite society today.
More importantly, we believe, is the fact that the Z car is Japanese If the special magazine Autos interest ran a retrospective on the original Datsun 240Z in the early eighties, they were besieged by angry letters urging them to remember Pearl Harbor Today, many American and European fans still cars emit Japanese sport as inherently inferior to their European rivals, with a level of condescension the edges sometimes overt racism.
Some popular car stories claim that the car Datsun Z created in Japan as a sport builder serious and GT cars, but people said that about Honda NSX and modern Nissan Skyline GT-R, too, and it doesn yet t seem to have the car stuck Z does show that Japanese car manufacturers were able to attack the segments unfamiliar market eagerly if they put their mind to something Honda and Toyota would show several times in the following years .
For us the real meaning of the Z car is not its reputation, look or performance, but the tenacity of Katayama, Matsuo and Uemura face of a sometimes hostile Katayama and especially the selfless corporate culture, especially , knew from the start that while it has achieved its objectives, the home office would never reward him for this, he continued anyway, love and faith in their own instincts, by the by, proved almost completely correct if there is something Don Quixote and Pyrrhus on their achievement, which makes it not less admirable, even if it took a surprisingly long time to receive recognition and honor that 'he deserves.
Our account Yutaka Katayama career comes mainly from David Halberstam, The Reckoning New York, William Morrow and Company, 1986; John B Rae, Nissan Datsun A History of Nissan Motor Corporation in U S A 1960 1980 New York, McGraw Hill, 1982; and Akira Yokoyama comic manga book entitled account Datsun Project X Fairlady Z Project X 240Z Challengers Gardena, digital AC Manga Publishing, 2006 although we suspect some of his too serious dramatization should be taken with a grain of salt, with additional details Daniel Banks, Let Meet Mr K no date, Z Association Car club, accessed June 5, 2009 Article Daniel Banks What's in a name change accessed June 6, 2009 from Datsun to Nissan in June 2002, Z Association Car club is a Nissan additional source of history, including the decision to drop the name Datsun Yutaka Katayama's letter Datsun newsletter, meanwhile, came from Dan Banks, just facts Z February 2005, Chesapeake Region Automotive ancient club of America, the Chesapeake Bulletin Vol 45, No. 2, accessed June 5, 2009 additional information came from John B Rae, Nissan Datsun a history of the Nissan Motor company USA 1960-1980 New York, McGraw Hill, 1982.
Other sources on the development of the Fairlady 240Z Fairlady Z and included the story of Merlin Blackwell, 2000, accessed June 5, 2009, Carl Beck, The Sports First American GT Designed and built in Japan, May 12, 2004, Internet Z Car Club, com port 6 June 2009, the Auto editors of consumer Guide, Nissan Z History November 19, 2007, accessed June 6 com 2009; Brian Long, Datsun Fairlady Roadster to 280ZX The Z-car history Dorchester, England Veloce Publishing, 2006; and Yutaka Katayama and Yoshihiko Matsuo account in Fairlady Z Story, SP SR Datsun Z Tokyo, Japan Miki Press, 1999 Further information came from letters to the editor in Cars Special Interest 125 in October 1991, and Mike Covello Standard Catalog of imported Vehicles 1946-2002 Second edition Iola, WI Krause Publications, 2001.
For road test ratings, we consulted the following articles in Car and Driver Ken Miles and car editors and test pilot Six Sports Roadsters in September 1966; Datsun 2000 looks great, he didnt, but who cares June 1968 Datsun 240Z in June 1970; Datsun 260Z takes a winner and improved on a sure sign of greed in April 1974; Don Sherman, Datsun 280Z test drive in June 1975; Larry Griffin, Datsun 280Z Road Test Eight years and improve every day in July 1978; Patrick Bedard, Datsun 280 ZX-Presentation of the luxury package and all that implies in November 1978; and Michael Jordan, Where did you go, Yutaka Katayama November 1983, all were reprinted by car and the driver of Datsun Z, 1600 2000 1966-1984 ed R M Clarke Cobham, England Brooklands Books Ltd ca 1986.
We are also grateful to Norm Krell, the owner of the Datsun 280Z Red, who was kind enough to offer many anecdotes from his experience as Datsun and enthusiastic mechanic.
equivalencies historical exchange rates were estimated from the data of Lawrence H Officer exchange rate between the dollar United States and forty-one in 2009 Currencies, MeasuringWorth, used by permission Please note that all exchange rate of equivalences mentioned in the text are approximate and provided for illustration and for general information; it is a car history, not a treatise on currency trading or the value of money, and nothing in this section should be considered financial advice of any kind.
I deliberately didn t go beyond the beginning of the 280ZX to 79, partly because even without going into the Z-cars later, the article was already 5,000 words rather than giving little attention to the Z32 later cars 1990-2000 300ZX that are very interesting in many respects I decided to stay there and leave the rest for later.
The 370Z modern 350Z is a puzzle game for me, I welcome its simplicity and relatively low cost fight against part of what killed the 300ZX, and its performance is convincing enough yet, it fails to arouse my affection, largely because of its style and volume, I find less attractive than the Z32 and its basic style especially the original 350Z is oddly derivative it seems, probably on purpose, as a start with Audi TT kind of very poor condition of the gland that caused loose and also paid the fine detailing that made the original TT interesting to watch as the Mitsubishi Galant Eclipse-based or, for that matter, the former Chrysler E-body Barracuda and Challenger can t hide the fact that it's based on a sedan and a big enough what I have more mixed feelings about the 370Z it attempts to add surface detail to what is finally form a pretty f ade; some of them work, some of it is very artificial Anyway, it's a beastly quality, thuggish that is not really to my taste.
I prefer the platform-mate Z, the coupe Infiniti G37 Nissan Skyline, the most favorable proportions gives longer wheelbase The best interior trim doesn t hurt, it's that, I have not checked, but I suspect the insurance company would be happier with the G37 chip back seat with the vehicle with two seats pure Z.
I had no love for the lines too geometric 350Z.
The 370 is what I consider a? D flowing curves more organic conception which are closer to the skin-muscle.
There's a lot about the boomerang lights, catfish grid, but I all I really love Well, I read it's designed so that everything is easy, but to the point of boredom the conduct more intense.
The G35 37 has always been beautiful, but it didn t take long for the car to take a stigma of its own.
When I saw the 370Z in the metal for the first time the other day, I was surprised that I liked better than the 350Z, even though I thought it was too obvious that under the dress -up, it was the same platform as before as it is a middle-aged man who goes out and gets a new wardrobe flashy, it may seem great, but underneath it is still the same guys.
I feel like the attachment points of this platform are too large it is the same with the Scion tC, which is built on the platform of sedan Avensis For that matter, who was struggling with the latest Jaguar S-Type below it was the DEW98 platform, and for all the self-conscious retro style, there was a Lincoln LS in Jags were still low and racy lowered to the point that they weren t necessarily respectable, but the S-Type looked like a nasty schoolboy forced to recover.
I am certain age that I coveted my heart i for 240-Z, but I possessed a leisure suit in my life than I found myself with a Datsun B-210; Godzilla a vehicle as dangerous at any speed It should be emphasized M. Katayama is responsible for that too.
Seeing these pictures ZI hard to remember why I wanted one or both Celica or even the NSX I still ask you at this time of Mustangs, Alfas and in particular the Opel GT I spent my childhood in Japan, so I'm not racist, but there is something so like device in Japanese cars they can try to look like a Ferrari, even much more reliable than one, but they do not inspire love and devotion My Honda Del Sol will be recalled that I have never been 914 Seiko watch works perfectly well, but wouldn t you really want a Rolex.
The tC is based on the Avensis could have sworn that it was yet another version of the Corolla.
Ah, the B-210 Not an auspicious time for the Nissan story, by any means.
Tastes change naturally over time, certainly when I was younger, I was much enamored of high-tech supercars that I am now, for example, but now my interest is more in purity differences online subtle and can make a huge difference in the general feeling of a car.
Yet I still think that at least part of it is the cumulative affect the marketing brand My complaint with most Mustangs, for example, do they re definitely like device in the sense they can seem racy although I must admit that I think the 71- 73 hardtop, the style of the most popular body of the time, is an incredibly ugly car, but she never lets you forget its Falcon or below Fairmont and I have often found the idols have feet of clay 914 is fun, but hardly seems like Rolex, with form, style and feel that seems gross unless you cane it.
I'll give you that the Opel GT ii seems much more interesting than the Z is not nearly as good a car to something that resembles the shape of stock, but its fabulous piece of design, the kind of thing you can look for a long time without tiring, walk and appeal begins to disappear, but as a piece of sculpture, it is much higher.
The Scion tC is actually based on the Avensis platform If you look at the two in the profile, the common carriage of points become readily apparent, it is less obvious for Americans, simply because we didn Avensis sedan hanging to compare.
Ah, bee honey 210 A car that was in the right place at the right time to Honey Bee Advertising 41mpg Since it is the manufacturers are doing to mpg with a regular gas engine in 1974, won 210 Hatchback s class Bonneville 127 mph to something.
Another article on the original Datsun Z-car indicates another USA-centered decision, Katayama centered on events.
But u Yoshihiko u Matsuo please note the spelling of his first name and his colleagues were working on a small range of GT models Nissan sports i i officially called the S30-launch series Export models Datsun 240Z were a part of it, even the Datsun 240Z moniker refers to quite different specifications in different markets and national model Fairlady Z Fairlady ZL, Fairlady Z432 and Fairlady Z432-R have been designed, developed and manufactured at the same time Datsun 240Z that RHD LHD export models Great pains have been taken to ensure that the design and engineering have worked for LHD and RHD versions, although the natural bias was for RHD configuration so what variant i was the original response they were all I.
There's no king in the game, unless perhaps you consider that a true sports car GT might want to be a little better than the specified softened-up springs, dampers, ARB and a bit dumbed-down high 4-speed diff ratioed north American market HLS30U models.
Some corrections Nissan Motor U20 was not inherited from Prince's perspective of Nissan, it was an internal Nissan design with some Prince-ish details that Nissan would have used if merged with Prince or not, Prince n has never been designed Nissan L-series 6 was purely internal Nissan design dating from 1964 65 and the Prince never made Mercedes engines M180 under license huh, they just have some details on Mercedes for their license patented series engines G.
Well done to minimize the content Goertz, but it might be best not to talk to him at all except noted that Nissan did not use him as a stylist, but as a consultant for the modernization of their modeling full-size clay technical and Styling It was certainly not designed coupe Silvia CSP311, as has been widely finished the pen Kazuo Kimura before Goertz had even pitched Nissan apparently Goertz simply suggested that the rear pillars could be slightly different angle and the CSP311 was based on the chassis and running gear of the SP311 Fairlady, not the 311 Bluebird.
Many articles talk about Katayama being exiled to the United States as a punishment as if it was meant to fail, then build its history as a kind of Mein Kampf with a happy ending, but the S30-Z series i would I even built without encouragement Katayama, even if only a few thousand ended up selling in the US, and it looked quite different than the SP311 and SR311-Fairladies series needed a new generation of successor, and Nissan iu had ui have a car in this market segment, regardless stories like yours seems to focus on the needs and US market requirements, in fact, the Japanese domestic market itself began to demand improved product and Fairlady range of current then was increasingly long in-person is the tooth does take into account the hopes and dreams of the Japanese market itself, rapidly changing over the period discussed here, it should also be noted that Nissan if the largest single market i at that time was the Japanese domestic market Nissan itself was an updated model in all sectors of the market, so why not not a sports car GT too.
Furthermore, shining the spotlight on so strongly Yutaka Katayama simply casts the darkest shadows on the biggest story, and all other key players in the story, it was still a great man, but in the Hollywood version of the Datsun 240Z history, he was promoted to a supporting role to billing threw it, he gets paired with Z when he could just as easily be combined with hundreds of thousands of small sedans and pickups that were sold on the market American.
Arguably, one of the most successful Katayama was to sell the concept Mr K Benin and positive as an alternative to the idea of a Japanese company without cold face and it worked, he didn t.
You make some reasonable points thanks to the correction of the name of Matsuo spelling, but I'm not sure I totally agree, I would compare the role of Lee Iacocca's Katayama to the creation of the Mustang it is likely that the Mustang would have finally emerged in a form without Iacocca and give Iacocca single credit, it is naive at best, but he wouldn t have been without him the same thing in the case of the Mustang, he could have end up like the V8 engine Falcon Sprint, which was a forgettable flop.
I get the impression that if the direction of Nissan did not expect necessarily Katayama failure in America, its success was not on the menu The motivation seems to be to get rid of him because he was politically astute and had become something of a pain in the ass I do not think that sending the United States was an attempt to set it up for failure but was put in a region where the aspirations of the society were modest at best, where its success or failure would not be significant.
I Goetz included because it appears in some Z account history, I agree that his role in the Nissan design was minimal, but given how he then tried to take credit for the design I think it worth mentioning.
I got some conflicting information about the origins of the series motor L, and I would be happy to find an authoritative source to help set the record straight.
The difference between Iacocca and Katayama in the example you cite is that Iacocca certainly would have been handy, and often on the spot, while the organic process was taking place the birth of a Katayama car is halfway of other side of the world when the S30-Z series was conceived, styled, designed and produced it didn t have the opportunity and even less skill uu parachute descent in Matsuo and the team's studio often enough to have much influence, and it is only the huge sales success of the Datsun 240Z 260Z 280Z in the continental US that led him to become so inextricably linked to after the fact, ii encouraged the design team, and its positive noises on such a model of the potential sales area has ensured that some of its input was taken seriously earlier in the chain of command, but many examples of specified details Katayama were going fai re if Katayama asked whether the decision to use 6-cyl engine instead of a 4-cylinder engine is often quot ed as a Katayama demand but Katayama was simply pushing for more power there was already an movement towards les six places available in Nissan Skyline see models C30 and C10 Laurel, for example, once the memory started to become clearer Nobody seems to want to believe that something beautiful or interesting could have come from the team Maru Z if Katayama pressed his head around the door from time to time or not.
There are so many apocryphal stories he's become difficult to refute all look at this story that you repeat Katayama i stripped the Fairlady badges every car sent to America i, eg This is obviously not true for one thing, he d have been busy Prizing all these emblems with his screwdriver OK, it would have been a Hands on kind of guy, but this is ridiculous, but that someone takes a second to think about where all these emblems 240Z it I i replaced suddenly appeared in Guess what, they came from Japan too.
I am confused by your belief that Nissan had modest aspirations in the United States and North America in general, I think the opposite is true and it would be a little batty to believe they didn t Nissan Toyota had already dipped a big toe in the uu global market, and had already begun their expansion journey into thinking that the success or failure Katayama well Soichi Kawazoe, who arrived there before him, and the other i i M . K I not significant i Nissan is unthinkable it was a crucial moment and mission, and the two MKS was given point it seems that only Katayama painted this as a kind of demotion of hand, but is part of the script is not it Mr. Katayama sale i i K Movie again.
You do not need to suffer conflicting information on the origins of the motors L-Gata Nissan longer, as the original chief designer L-Gata L20 six of special C130 Six Cedric was interviewed in Issue 102 nostalgic Hero Hiroshi Iida the magazine is the man, and you might as well get the horse's mouth Carl Beck had a translation of this for him, but seems to have put in his own US-centric some filter bizarre and added his own ideas too, so I would take the page he wears as an appetizer instead of a main course We discussed too.
Talking about the horse's mouth, Yoshihiko Matsuo said in early February that it could be in the US later this year, it could be persuaded to visit the ZCCA Convention 2010, then you could possibly have chance to ask him about all this in person.
I Nobody seems to think that something beautiful or interesting could have come from the Maru Z team if Katayama stuck his head around the door from time to time or not i.
I have no doubt believe that, and wasn t my intention to suggest that.
If you can direct me to another source of English language, I'd be happy to consider to make appropriate revisions I took two semesters of years ago Japanese, but I can not read it in a meaningful way.
Sorry, I do not think there are English books that cover the points that we discussed here in great depth books along for Brian Veloce Publishing are probably the best overall, but in my opinion, it goes with the same exaggerating the role of Katayama everyone seems to see the above post by r oliver, who seems to think Katayama was responsible B210 i and I 240Z, as it was a kind of creative commissioner Almighty If you want to see another point of view Katayama story then I'm afraid you'll have to talk to some of those affected in Japan, or at least start looking at the legends with a little more critically.
The problem is, someone who questions the exaggerated Katayama-as-God tradition is very likely to be damned as a kind of heretic lunatic Above all, he Sá really nice man and he commands a lot of respect for nobody wants to think about everything that calls his integrity in question, or anything shine as at least neutral i Acting light on those Katayama painted as enemies.
These are i i Japanese cars we're talking at some point, i we must accept the fact that the history of their concept, design, engineering and production is better to use Japanese sources It may be i annoying, but it's true.
So there's a gap in the book market is your chance.
It was an eye opening section I like you call crappy cars M. Katayama could not hit a home run every time there are employees in all companies that are not their top favorite, but doing their work well enough to keep many of them will eventually be promoted as they can meet the additional challenges the fate of M. Katayama has been driven by the almighty yen and not honor legendary oriental Remember, you're talking about seventy years off and Oriental are ruthless businessmen who have learned well the cut throat practices of Americans as far as your assesment of performance and build quality, you seem to be on the spot in If please remember that you write future articles or revise it more invigorating to drive a car slower handling, bad faster than a powerful, good car handling at the same speed the first Z cars are invigorating the commentators in this article have many good points while missing the center of your article, I also like that you are willing to listen and discuss your reasons briefly to write this I you have this site in my favorites and will visit often.
February 2 was available from the beginning of the model year 1974 as I had a 260Z The engine was very nice, the frame was correct, the fuel induction was unhappy 1974 cars have beautiful bumper thin more cars early, but ended with the ignition locking system 1974 5 cars never officially called such, but there is a split chassis number lost the slim bumpers, but kept the seat belt locking system, although it is more necessary Fortunately, son of the ignition material actions perfectly to the beginning of GM HEI module connector does not change otherwise when I had to replace an ignition module I would have spent as much the car was worth sentence.
It would have been nice, but I am not limited by what the photos that I have or can I find that I can legally use the first unhindered Z cars are rare, even in Southern California, I do not think I've never seen a 240Z here that wasn t in the last throes of rust, or that hadn t been changed almost beyond recognition.
I would have preferred a subject image with less cosmetic changes, but in all fairness, most external changes were 280Z Datsun dealer accessories Norm brakes and the seats are not, obviously, but the headlight covers, wheels and the bumper bars were all stuff the catalog of dealers so while it is not the most representative, it is less false than many of the survivors I saw Zs.
My experience showing slightly modified my cut Black Pearl 1978 is that viewers like to talk shows open early Zs Every third or fourth person has one of those I or my brother let me drive her, or I've always liked cars or anything of the ilk car is entered received 14 performances over the past two years and 13 trophies to show for it this summer came in a show open locally, and won the best trophy in 70 a great field of American muscle cars the judge said that he used to see the early Zs on the streets through the 80s, but now they have almost disappeared, loved the food and light changes for some strange reason, owners are beginning Z lot actually do the kind of restoration that would allow them to present their cars well requires a lot of attention to detail that e muscle car owners do, but it rarely happens the car show presenters tend to be older and more in this jap scrap and Remember Pearl Harbor similar nonsense, but they are largely left the scene of the show and or dying the car is a worthy representative of its kind, outsold all other sports cars in the world during his time, and is aesthetically certainly as beautiful as any regard to the alleged value of the car, so what we're building so that we can sell, or to enjoy, show and lead them These can be ordered for myself, I regularly enjoyed for 32 years, and will continue to enjoy it for some time and then my nephew wants, and I can well sell it.
If you wish to be considered classics, then treat them as a classic and hold your head when you show them to the public Don t ever forget people loved these cars are still.
I had my first one in 1977 280Z in 1982 at the age of 22 I had a 69 Mustang Fastback with 351W before I love American muscle car of course, but if you get the Z, I mean really get you fall in love I had him 77 280Z, a 83 280ZX, 300ZX a 93, a 78 280Z and now I have a 71 240Z.
I will spend several thousand dollars to get my 71 240Z professionally restored this winter he goes to the store on September 20 and I used to come back until next spring.
Will I be able to sell it for what I paid and pay No, but I intend to n This is not an investment, which is a family member.
Thank you for this article, I really enjoyed Perhaps one day the top Z will be officially recognized as he deserves, but otherwise I'm okay, after all I'll have the sweetest car on the road as far as I am concerned, and in the end all that matters.
Article wonderful, I really appreciate attention to detail.
I had a 510, a 76 280Z 2 2 And 73 240Z, 280ZX like and drives a company car in the 80's I loved all the 240 was my favorite if not for a unibody rusty panel that yielded when I hit a deer early one morning, I d always be happy to drive, I do not have the expertise to repair, and sold to someone who did.
I do not remember ever was delayed by mechanical problems in one of the well-made cars, Nissan Datsun.
As an aside, I was laid off in the early 90s and could not afford a B210 that was shot but rust to be stored near the ocean in CA- however, the car didn water leak t particularly a wonder loose with automatic and barely a baby magnet, like the Zs and 510s he ever let me down mechanically.
The original Datsun ZCar devoured with motor, original Datsun engine, accessed June 2009.