HS30-H

But he is - mistakenly - being credited as a "designer": ...which is untrue. Where does this misinformation come from? Is it in fact just a misunderstanding that stems from being called "The Father Of The Z"...? I've sent a comment to Hagerty, but it hasn't been acknowledged yet.

Yes, but it's WRONG.

Fffffffffffffffffff...... FACTORY.

You've got that the wrong way around: 4-speed diff ratio is 3.364:1 and 5-speed diff ratio is 3.9:1 (4.44:1 with S20 engine).

I've tried contributing to Wikipedia in the past (notably on the subject of Albrecht Goertz) but my input was soon edited back again. Far better to make sure that we have the correct information here. And unlike Wikipedia, we have the knowledge, ability and format to discuss topics at length - with supporting evidence in the form of documents and photos - and come to a conclusion (or at least an 'open verdict' on the more contentious points) and all this can be accessed and researched. We have it here. Please don't lose sight of that.

Carl, It could also be surmised that the decision to give ISHIHARA the post of President for five years (and KAWAZOE and KATAYAMA the position of Vice Presidents) was significant. It's open to interpretation from whatever viewpoint you want to hold on it. I'm sorry, but Yutaka Katayama's claim ("I started the company...") is taken far too literally - just like many of the things he said. The truth is that Nissan Motor Co. Ltd. of Japan started NMC-USA as part of a wider - GLOBAL - plan to expand its Export sales by taking closer control of the importation, distribution and servicing of its products. It had already started similar subsidiary companies in other countries that would become significant Export markets, so NMC-USA wasn't the first. That attorney was Reid Briggs, who had already worked on Nissan's behalf when Marubeni Corporation was importing the first 'Datsun' branded Nissan products to the USA from 1957, overseen by Koichi IWATA of Nissan Japan's Export Department, before Katayama (and Kawazoe) arrived in the USA in 1960.

Mike, I wrote out the facts about the incorporation of NMC-USA in the previous thread that this one was split off from, and you simply deleted them. So I will repeat here: Nissan Motor Corporation in USA ('NMC-USA') was incorporated on September 28th 1960. It's first President was Takashi ISHIHARA. Yutaka KATAYAMA and Soichi KAWAZOE were both appointed Vice Presidents, KATAYAMA with responsibility for the Western Division and KAWAZOE with responsibility for the Eastern Division. ISHIHARA held the position of President until 1965. It was at that point that Yutaka KATAYAMA became President of NMC-USA. He held the post until 1975. About Wikipedia: It's useful as a resource for some things, but if we want hard facts and opinion that has been peer-group critiqued about the S30-series Z and the related history that surrounds it, then classiczcars.com is probably one of the best places to search. If WE don't get it right, then who will? So by all means take a shot at editing Wikipedia, but don't forget you're already standing at the foot of the lighthouse.

If you're talking about the 1958 Mobilgas Trial, it was actually Yasuharu NAMBA who was the race team manager. I can't think of any other instance when Katayama was a race team manager.

Unfortunately - and this is something that we are going to see more and more of - it revives and repeats several stories that are just plain falsehoods. Yutaka Katayama's life story is unique, fascinating and extraordinary. It doesn't need all the hyperbole and misattributions. I just read a Facebook post thanking him for "creating" the Fairlady roadsters, 510 and 240Z. It's verging on Cargo Cult worship. Ridiculous.

Can we just get a few things straight before we go any further with this? Yutaka Katayama did not design any cars. He wasn't a 'designer', a 'stylist', an engineer or any kind of technician. He was a businessman, a business builder, a salesman with a background in marketing and advertising. So whilst he was a major figure in Nissan's history, an historically important figure in Japan's 'Showa' era and a great man, he didn't conceive, design or engineer any of Nissan's products.

You are misinterpreting the data on the Nissan Heritage Collection web pages. The 'Oppama Test Car' seen in the Best Motoring video was originally a 1973 car, but was developed - and tested - in many guises through the 1970s, and eventually became one of the fleet in the Nissan Racing School. It didn't race in 1973 with an LY28, let alone in 1971. Cars in roughly that guise did take part in FIA-sanctioned races, but they were in the Group 5 class and occasionally in Group 4 (depending on final spec.). They didn't use N42 or F54 engine blocks. Generally speaking, you won't be allowed to use an L28-based engine for properly enforced FIA events in Europe. As I said further back in the thread, the people you really need to talk to are the eligibility scrutineers for the series/races that you intend to take part in. You need to pick a class that you have a chance to be competitive in, and build the car to suit the rules for the class.

Key point is the rules and regulations of the race(s) / series you intend to take part in. You need to build your car to fit a specific class, and the race organisers (as well as your fellow competitors...) will decide how closely you are expected to follow the regulations for that class.

Mike, If esprist doesn't mind, I think I can answer this. Page 11 in Nissan Service Shuho Z-6 (dated September 1973) notifies the addition of the 'Rappa' (trumpet/horn) symbol on the steering wheel pad, in compliance with new safety legislation. It applies to chassis number S30-108001 and up. Attached scan:

Mike, If esprist doesn't mind, I think I can answer this. Page 11 in Nissan Service Shuho Z-6 (dated September 1973) notifies the addition of the 'Rappa' (trumpet/horn) symbol on the steering wheel pad, in compliance with new safety legislation. It applies to chassis number S30-108001 and up. Attached scan:

Some confusion here it seems. You mean Chromated, surely? 'Chromite' - FeCr2O4 - is a mineral. I have an original (Japanese) document which clearly states that the substrate for most of the steel fasteners and other parts on 'our' cars in Zinc, and that this was quite often coated with an additional (Chromate) layer of passivate for protection, which gave it that characterisitic 'gold' finish.

That's actually written in Katakana, not Kanji...

Same car discussed ten years ago on this forum: http://www.classiczcars.com/topic/10671-april-fool/

"Left to their own abilities..." ? You're one small step away from looking like a xenophobic idiot with comments like that. The last person I heard coming up with this "..all the Chinese do is copy" and "...we taught them everything they know" stuff was drinking tea from a porcelain cup that was decorated with faux Chinese scenes (it was made by Wedgwood). He was oblivious to the irony. I presume you are too?

Thanks for the back-handed compliment, but I'd like to see you mention Mike Brame in this context. We don't see him around on this forum all that much lately, but his contributions on such topics are in the archives and are a valuable reference. And Chris Wenzel wrote THE definitive document on the VZ Program cars, as far as I'm concerned. I've even given a copy to a VZ Program car owner who lives in Japan. Looks like we finally got the "Factory" thing sorted out, didn't we....?

"The Orient". That'll be the place where these things were actually made, and where they already have the "Most Expensive Zs So Far", no?

The 1971 Macau 'Grand Prix' was the auto racing equivalent of the bar scene from the first Star Wars movie. I think the photo I posted helps to illustrate just what a hotchpotch of classes and styles it was. In the grand scheme of things it wasn't a very significant race, but Macau has a long and fairly rich history of racing and in more recent years it has become more important. Many interesting cars have raced there. Not very, but again he was interesting. He either raced under a pseudonym in Japan or in Macau (more on that anon perhaps), but he did race in Japan and actually won a race or two in Clubman classes, whilst also - apparently - having a career in the US Air Force. I tip my hat to him. I think you're damning it with very faint praise, Marty. I think there are not many early 240Zs with period (international) race history out there, and this car - with some mods - would be eligible for some interesting events. You certainly couldn't build it for $25k US and at that price I'd buy it in an instant and turn it back into what it was in 1970 when it was racing in Japan.The S30-series Z was about more than BRE, Morton and Newman. In fact, there's a very good chance that this particular car was racing before BRE had even built their first Z. To be honest, the $65k US asking price sounds realistic bordering on undervalued to me. It's stuff like this that frustrates me about the 'scene' around the S30-series Z sometimes. People "ooh" and "ahh" and virtually wet themselves at the most abominably adorned and superannuated engine-swapped pieces of junk, and can't see the pearls that are right in front of their faces. Sad.

I believe the car for sale is the same one that raced in Macau in 1971, but it has been heavily modified over the years. That 'Alan Thomas 2010' watermark on the photo I posted relates to when I captured the still image from a film. I put it there. It has nothing to do with the date of what is happening in the photo. The event is the start of the 1971 Macau 'Grand Prix' race.

Hi Chris, The two diagonal bars behind the driver that are visible in the photo I posted are nothing like the 4-point Nissan Sports Option 'Safety Bar' kit, and nothing like the Works cars used either. Like a lot of other details on the car, I think it was a (local) private fabrication. However, the car - in its original guise - did have a lot of Nissan Sports and Race Option parts attached to it. It still has a few left now, but it probably lost most of it when it was restored and updated to (then) current regs and safety standards in 1991.

I'll just leave this here:

Over the years there's been quite a lot of nonsense talked about that car. Some of it innocently mistaken, but also some of it carelessly so... Case in point: I notice the ad says that the car took part in the 1970 Macau Grand Prix. In fact it took part in the 1971 Macau Grand Prix. Typo or just poor research? Who knows. I researched the car with quite a lot of effort some years ago. If the vendor or a new owner wants to find out some more about it, they are welcome to ask me. And $70k USD? Sure, why not?