How much do you know about Datsun coming to America and the story of the 240Z?

Are you a Datsun Scholar?

Are you a knowledgeable son of Dat?

Are you wondering WTF is this guy on about?

The Datsun Heritage Museum in the works, and it will be a source of any and all information relating to Datsun and its product and people in the USA!

Donate as you can, right now money is the immediate need, but all of the collectibles, manuals, literature, parts and stories will be needed.

Are you wondering WTF is this guy on about?

Yes, I am........ :cross-eye

Is this the strangest poll yet?

How much do you know about Datsun coming to America and the story of the 240Z?

As far as I am aware, 'Datsun' ( as an entity, as a company ) never 'came' to the USA. The way that 'Datsun' is being referred to and discussed here makes it sound as though 'Datsun' was the company behind the cars. It wasn't.

I quite understand the affection in which the 'Datsun' name is held, but it seems to me that the affection is at least partly rooted in historic misapprehension.......

I think the truth is that 'Nissan' 'came' to the USA, and the 'Datsun' name - by that time - consisted of little more than an emblem that was attached to Nissan's products.

Alan T.

Alan T.,

I can't help but agree with you on this being the strangest poll yet, but I was trying to help the cause...The Datsun Heritage Museum, by putting it on the front page.

On the Datsun/Nissan name,

If you introduce yourself to me as Alan T., regardless what your birth certificate(or Corporate documentation says), you are Alan T. to me. When I find out later you have more than one name-or a different name, depending on the familiarity of the relationship I may continue to call you Alan T., or change to your actual given name.

Nissan wanted to be known as Datsun. It paid to be introduced as Datsun! Datsuns-er, Nissan Mistake, not ours! Granted the name on all ofthe actual Nissan USA holdings was "Nissan Motor Corp in USA", but the dealers (the public, mass introductions) were all to Datsun-starting with the first one-Signed in great big letters on the front! of the roof of the building "San Diego Datsun". Here in Savannah, Nissan was Introduced by Victory Motors as Datsun-Nissan was is comparitively small type closer to the bottom of the page than the top on the all of the Literature, and the invoices, but the USA versions of all of the literature(other than engine Manuals) and introduced all Nissan products as Datsun first, and Nissan second...and sometimes third.

We all know Nissan was the root, but The Datsun Heritage Museum is for everyone, and must use the familiar and well paid for name chose by Nissan in the period of history it covers.

Reminds me of the CanAm meeting at the Amelia Island Concours, where Pete Brock was introduced, and then reintroduced as Peter Brock. Same guy, different place in his life.

.....I was trying to help the cause...The Datsun Heritage Museum, by putting it on the front page.

I'm not knocking the good intention; Any Datsun/Nissan 'museum' - or any attempt to preserve/promote a little of the history of the company is all good as far as I'm concerned......

Nissan wanted to be known as Datsun. It paid to be introduced as Datsun!

I honestly think a lot of this story is overplayed and/or misunderstood. I question whether Nissan actually "...wanted to be known as Datsun.". It seems to me that they labelled their export product - and some of their domestic product - as 'Datsun' without any concerted effort to hide the fact that it was Nissan product. And yet, to this day, we still have people talking about 'Datsun' as though it was the company behind the product rather than a badge that had been - arguably somewhat arbitrarily - slapped onto that product.

We also get 'Nissan' portrayed historically as some kind of black-hatted bad guys, and 'Datsun' as white-hatted good guys. I'm fairly nonplussed by it all.

We all know Nissan was the root, but The Datsun Heritage Museum is for everyone, and must use the familiar and well paid for name chose by Nissan in the period of history it covers.

Is this entity actually going to be called 'The Datsun Heritage Museum' then? Wow.....

No offence to anyone involved, but if this is true I find it a really obtuse choice. I'm going to need to have it explained to me how Nissan's history and heritage can be covered properly and correctly under the 'Datsun' banner.

Alan T.

( real name Sheila Canth, by the way )

Alan T.

( real name Sheila Canth, by the way )

Sounds fishy to me! :cheeky:

Sheila Canth, Alan T.... et al...

To Most of the past Datsun owners-in the USA, Nissan was/is a separate entity, even though we all know better. Most of the 240Z owners in the USA didn't get into the car in a serious enough way to look for Nissan. It was introduced in the USA as a Datsun-and while I am sure that was not popular to everyone inside Nissan, the tallest hog at the trough made it happen that way!

Since the Datsun Heritage Museum is primarily to address a USA-centeric target audience, the popular folklore of the USA market has to be addressed such that the populace of the USA can understand and be attracted to it-meaning every appearance has to be outwardly aimed at the least (most) common denominator(misconception).

I didn't feel any offense-you paint clear pictures of your stance-actually I appreciate the interaction, I was beginning to think this poll was too odd for member consumption-off the cuff, I simply was at a loss to come up with something better...

Will, Homer, Anonymous... et al

I did forget to include that at the end of the run of the Poll, I will be asking those that answered that they knew something, what the answers are-I know all the answers except one, I do not know all of the differences between the different models of S30s and S31s.

I have parts books for the USA, Japan, Canada, and Australia, but I don't believe they encompass all of the differences-as some parts are not listed in any parts book I have or have been shown.

Will

Extra Credit for those that answered the poll but really aren't sure of their answers...

Why does the Z in the Z emblems have a line through it, and why is that story important?

Will

Well I will try and BS my way around the line in the Z. I would guess that it is

Ƶ is also used by engineers as a variant of Z in hand-written equations, so as not to confuse the symbol with the numeral 2.

Well I will try and BS my way around the line in the Z. I would guess that it is

Ƶ is also used by engineers as a variant of Z in hand-written equations, so as not to confuse the symbol with the numeral 2.

Uhhhh-no. Hint the gentleman who explained the symbolism was encouraged by only one manager in his company, Mr. K.

Will

Since the Datsun Heritage Museum is primarily to address a USA-centeric target audience, the popular folklore of the USA market has to be addressed such that the populace of the USA can understand and be attracted to it-meaning every appearance has to be outwardly aimed at the least (most) common denominator(misconception).

Well, if this 'Datsun Heritage Museum' is going to be biased towards maintaining "....popular folklore of the USA...." rather than attempting to educate and inform, then I think it is going to be somewhat less than fit for purpose - in my opinion.........

Extra Credit for those that answered the poll but really aren't sure of their answers...

I'm not even sure that I fully understand the questions, let alone the answers to them....... :knockedou

For example, questions #1 and #12 appear to be pretty much the same question (?). Question #3's reference to "carbureators" (sic) is pretty obscure ( I like to think I know a fair bit about Matsuo san, but I have no idea what the question is referring to ) - so I kind of half wonder whether Matsuo himself would even know what it was all about. Question #8 asks about a "new" Datsun at Beaulieu, but I can assure you that it is distinctly second-hand looking, even after its ( bad ) 'resto' many years ago.

Question #14 may seem somewhat cliquey to outsiders like myself.....

I like quizzes and cryptic crosswords, but you've got me stumped on most of these.

Why does the Z in the Z emblems have a line through it, and why is that story important?

You might want to watch out for inaccurate 'lore' here. In Japan it is perfectly common to strike an oblique line through the letter Z and the number 7, and it is just to help differentiate them from similar shapes ( like the number '2' and the number '1'. ) - just as 280~Master has pointed out.

When I first saw this in Japan whilst working there, I asked about it and was told that it originated in German use. The Japanese medical and scientific world was greatly influenced by Germany in the late 19th century ( especially the medical world ) and such things eventually became common use. It makes sense to me.

I certainly don't believe that there is any substance to claims that the 'Ƶ' seen on our cars has any special extra significance, and I don't believe that there was anyone working at Nissan who was receiving encouragement from only Yutaka Katayama during the period that the S30-series Z was being designed. Any such story needs to be taken with a huge pinch of salt, and perhaps a little sympathy for the 30-something years in the relative wilderness that the storyteller subsequently found himself in.

Alan T.

Alan T.

The common Folklore in the USA has to be used to attract because of what people think they know-immediately telling someone that a belief he has held for years puts most people off, easing them into the knowledge that they could be, and probably are wrong, while allowing them to conclude that on their own is a less flight prone approach. Make a friend, be a friend, bring a friend to the truth-if you will!

As to the questions, two are nearly identical, as my ISP cut me off THREE TIMES due to storms while I was setting the poll up-retyping twice gave some improvement, but also some redundancy-DUE TO THE AGGRAVATION-my apologies.

The question concerning Carburetors I can throw out-wrong person, but as a poll cannot be edited...I left it in rather than type a fourth time. Again, my apologies.

The Datsun In Beaulieu, my understanding(on the one I am talking about) is that it was purchased from its original owner and importer, last "restored", and subsequently donated by Nissan, and has never been registered, having been driven only a very few KM-this is the condensed story that was on the sign labeling it several years ago-granted from memory(I have pictures somewhere...).

On the crossed Z and encouragement question-the answers were found in a book quoting a Japanese TV interview of the gentleman in question-not the best source, I'll admit, but...

PS, I would never have guessed you to be a Fred Flintstone man(though you have said your 432 replica needs(ed) floors!-the USA, a Clique-whoda thunk it!

Will