HS30-H

Quite apart from the not-advisable-in-USA/'unsafe' hand throttle being part of the original signed-off design and making production, I wonder whether more than a very few of the people looking at the (wonderful!) photos provided for this auction wonder what the blanked-off double switch on the right of the rear window defroster switch was originally provided for? They are, of course, for the left and right parking light system switches. #S30-Series

While we are on the subject, I'm wondering what the BaT 'experts' think when they looked at this particular car's photos (or their 30+ other cars...) and see something like this: Clue: I'm talking about the two pre-stamped round cutouts (unused) on the firewall jute pad. "Designed for the USA", right?

So what was Katayama's role in the S30? And the sentence in bold above is for the birds. Utter nonsense. I could cite any number of names, but the most obvious comparison would be Katayama's colleague and fellow Vice President of NMC USA at its founding, Soichi Kawazoe.

1. The Flying Feather was conceived and engineered by Ryuichi Tomiya, and manufactured by Suminoe. Katayama was a friend of Tomiya and promoted/advertised the product. It was not a Nissan product, so I don't know what "at Nissan" means above? 2. I think you mean the SCCJ (Sports Car Club of Japan) which was started by a like-minded group of individuals, not just Katayama. 3. As above, an event that the Japanese auto industry agreed it needed, and was put together by more than one person. 4. Participation in the '58 Mobilgas Round Australia Trial was originally the idea of Yasuharu Nanba. 5. So did quite a lot of other people. Soichi Kawazoe in particular. 6. Did he? Are we to suppose that - Nissan having sent this (SPL212?) to the United States - it would not have been sold had it not been for Katayama? 7. OK.... so nobody else was doing anything of any consequence then? None of the above is any attempt at the diminution of Yutaka Katayama. What I'm really saying is that people tend to put Katayama in the frame for things that were often team efforts, and/or conceived and executed by others, and/or including Katayama.

He's not doing very well with the 'expert' part. He seems to be convinced that headlamp covers were "aftermarket only" (they were a showroom option in Japan from the beginning of production, then standard equipment on the Fairlady 240Z-L from October 1971, and always available for Export markets should you wish to purchase from Nissan) and that stripe kits were "aftermarket only" when - again - they were a showroom option in Japan and offered, with a factory part number, for other Export markets. If he's got 30+ of these cars then he can't have been looking very closely at them or the stories behind them.

We all make mistakes. No shame in that. It's part of the learning process, and heaven knows there's plenty of misinformation out there to lead us astray, but I just don't understand how or why people can become so convinced that Yutaka Katayama was a qualified engineer (he wasn't) and/or that he "designed" what people are calling "the 240Z". Can I ask, what makes you say that Katayama san "made it a success in the states"? I'm interested to hear how you think that happened, or how it played out. What did he do to make it a success? I would have thought that the main factors in making the 240Z a sales success in North America were: 1. A good product (and everything that goes with that). 2. A recommended selling price of around $3,800 US. 3. A customer base of the suitable demographic (young or young at heart, with funds or access to credit, 'sporty' enough to live with a 2-seater or having access to other vehicles). 4. Economics (Dollar to Yen exchange rate, shipping logistics, all overheads etc) to make the whole project viable. Yes, it was a great product. I'm still full of admiration for the many people who made Nissan's S30-series Z what it was, but in order to meet the targeted (low!) selling price the content of the HLS30U models was pared down and there was clearly some wrangling and struggle - right down to the wire and, in fact, through the first weeks of production - over what would be included in the final spec of the HLS30U, HLS30UN and HLS30UV variants. Was Katayama lobbying Nissan for *more*, or for *less* content? More content (carpets, heated glass, radio & auto antenna, clock, Deluxe seats, factory aircon etc) would have pushed up the selling price, whilst a simplified pretty much one-spec-fits-all (no 'Standard' and 'Deluxe' choice) with limited options would simplify production, reduce costs and simplify delivery logistics. I believe there's a largely untold story here. What exactly are we crediting Katayama san with?

The comments on BaT continue to intrigue and amaze me. This one in particular: Wow. How does it happen that people come to such misapprehension? Coincidentally, I had an online 'conversation' on another forum recently where my correspondent was telling me that Katayama was "a fully qualified engineer" and had designed and engineered "the 240Z" to his own particular needs. I told him that Yutaka Katayama was an economics graduate with a background in advertising and sales - not an engineer. He would not concede the point.

Perfect! Thanks Kats.

Kats, Just to clarify, on the 1969-on Japanese market 'Deluxe' seats, what I was calling the 'Flip Forward Lever' - if you have the seat fully reclined, and then pull the lever UP, the seat back will flip forward on its own - right? And if you are sitting in the seat and want to quick recline all the way back, you pull the lever up and lean back - right? The big rotary knob still controls incremental seat back angle independently of the lever - right? Or am I wrong?

I might now hold the record for the quickest 'Flagged As Not Constructive' comment on BaT. Those high-rolling 'portfolio collection' guys sure do take themselves seriously. For the record, somebody asked when 240Zs started getting the splash pans. '1969' was apparently the wrong answer. Let's hope nobody asks what all those captive nuts are for...

432-R is likely going to stay premium for years to come, but current bid on this low miles, timewarp condition HLS30U is way below what even an average 432 will command, and roughly around what an average 240ZG will change hands for. HLS30U values have been lagging behind for years.

Only a few - all of them Works - LY valve covers were Mg. Same situation for S20s.

First six photos are LYs, which are single cam. HTH ?

Like I haven't been considering it for the last 15 years I've been building it... A philosophically pragmatic 'tribute' I presume. Unless you have period interior and engine bay shots...? We live in hope. Final touch will be the 'Fairlady Z Export version' plate. Has to be done... ?

Personally speaking, I would not be surprised by anything that Nissan/Nissan Shatai (or any of their family of companies and suppliers) did in the early days of production, and/or in the switchover to superseded parts and new models. The principle of Occam's razor usually applies. I'm not saying it was total chaos, but those were heady days. We are well aware that there was always a certain amount of fettling going on, and we have seen evidence of repaired/re-finished (presumably initially rejected as substandard, then rectified and re-introduced to the parts bins) so I would never say never. The BaT universe for a car like this is - naturally - biased towards the North American viewpoint. But these are Japanese cars, and it's almost like some of those people forget that. The memories of somebody who sold these cars when they were new, or who has owned fifty of the same type, are always of interest - but I'd rather speak to somebody who was working on the production line. Or better still, many people who were working on the production line... A perfect example of what I'm talking about has just popped up on that BaT auction: Jeff Segan has just made comment on the rear bumper forward-edge rubbers, after somebody queried their absence on this car. He might need to tread carefully with a "not used on 1970 240Zs" type statement. It's a little like running with scissors... After all, what does "1970 240Z" mean. What month? What variant (HLS30U/N/V? HS30U? HLS30? How about Aus and NZ?)? You'll end up dancing on a pin. The E4100 rear bumper forward end 'base' blocks were seen - for example - on the SLE 0630-911027-U factory sales flyer in 1969 (you know, the red car without a clock, radio or antenna, and with cut-and-pasted emblems) and were a feature on Japanese market cars from the first days of deliveries. Applied somewhat haphazardly in Export market cars, they are perhaps a lesson for us in treating sales brochures as reference points and - indeed - any one of these cars with one-size-fits-all ideas about content and conformity.

Early 432 parts (E42). Don't chase them down without making sure they'll fit a 240Z air cleaner housing.

You'll be doing a lot of catching up, as I reckon I correct fifty of your mistakes for every one of mine you'll do me the honour of pointing out. Not sure you've thought very long about this. The fact is that a "replica" 432-R is a physical and intellectual impossibility, since - in the end - it all comes down to identity. Even if I went to the extremes of having lightweight PZR-style body sections pressed, welded them all together and got everything else spot-on (but still 'fake', right?), such a car could not be considered a true 'replica' of a genuine 432-R without replicating a 432-R chassis number. As that would be illegal, you're snookered. And I must say, this is pretty heady stuff coming from somebody who - just last week - was asking what panels were lightweight, and what panels were beefed-up, on a 432-R bodyshell.

If you're embarking on a voyage to define the nuances between real and fake, and all stops in between, I'll come down to the port to wave you off. It's going to be a long old trip... Oh and, before you sail, I'd be interested to see if you noticed (and can explain...?) the difference between 'replica' and 'replica project'?

Revive Jalopy in Japan is a great source for items like that. Here are some Revive Jalopy radiator hoses on my 432-R replica project car:

Glad you found it informative. For me, the BringaTrailer comments section is - once again - proving to be an echo chamber for many of the same-as-usual characters. One contributor suggested that the comments on this particular car be gathered up in digest form as some sort of reference material, but I don't see how that could ever hope to be accurate when so many contributions don't even get past the first level of moderation? Once again I see larger-than-life character 'Lstepp4re' apparently getting some kind of free pass to post incorrect statements. He's been wittering on about 'Nikra' exhausts (he means Nihon Radiator's 'Nichira' brand) and how Matsua (he means Matsuo) told him that the 240Z was 'designed for the USA', whilst also stating that "stripes on a Z are aftermarket". That would be news to Nissan, who offered them as a showroom option from 1969 onwards on Japanese market cars. There are also stripe kits - in three colours - with a K3110 part number prefix - in the factory R-Drive parts manuals. So of course he's wrong, but an attempted correction doesn't make it past BringaTrailer moderation. As the seat question shows, it's wise to look at ALL variants of the S30-series Z as a source of reference. If people are convinced that the "Made For The USA" mantra means they only need to look at USA market variants, then they'll never properly understand their USA market variant.

I think you're referring to the 'flip forward lever' of Japanese market Deluxe models? Here's an image from November 1969-dated factory literature showing the 'Deluxe' variant (Fairlady Z-L and Fairlady Z432) seats with the flip-forward lever: The Japanese market 'Standard' model did not get the flip-forward lever. North American market HLS30U, UN and UV models essentially got the cheaper 'Standard' seats too.

28th June 1970.

What I'm seeing is quite a lot of people not quite understanding the difference between the 432 and the 432-R. I think that will probably continue, just as it does in the classic Porsche world where Mr Average just won't have a deep enough interest to spot the difference between a 911S and a 911R at ten paces. I take your point about people tending to think that the rising tide raises all ships, but that's been happening across the rest of the S30 range with people wanting to believe that recent sale prices for early/'significant' 240Zs are pulling up prices of later 240Zs, 260Zs and 280Zs. They may even be right to some degree, but there are still a lot of those cars extant and available, which must suppress average values somewhat. That's not the case with extant 432s and - more so - the 432-Rs, most of which are known to enthusiasts in Japan individually (by chassis number no less), and there are not many hiding undiscovered any more. This will tend to keep prices high. I think it's fair to say that rising values of 432s and 432-Rs - along with other rare models like the 240ZG - have been of concern to long-term owners in Japan. People who bought their cars 20, 30 and 40 years ago are not necessarily rejoicing, and some may see high value as something of a burden due to unwanted attention (the wrong kind of attention...) and higher insurance implications with strictures on storage and use.

I think they call it 'Informed Inspiration'. The 'Grünvogel' method of strengthening a flat panel - check out the Wehrmacht-Einheitskanister - must have been in engineering text books for the Japanese engineers. On a fuel container it certainly serves to reduce 'oil canning' whilst also allowing expansion and contraction without putting too much stress on the welded seams. A little bit of genius.

So far I've only managed to get to the 6min mark, and it's already garbage. Typical mash-up of inaccuracies and viewed-from-the-USA prism of Japanese automotive history. Does it get any better after 6mins?