FILMS "Road test in the U.S. & CANADA Oct-Dec 1969"

[bpilati]

Kats, did you make these video files? Were you videotaping them off of a TV set? If so, maybe there is a better way to record them directly to a computer. Let me know how you did it. Thanks.

In Nov 69 I was ten years old and lived in Virginia, far from where the tests occurred. It's interesting to learn of these tests, because I didn't know that they were conducted. My father bought a 71 510 4-dr sedan in May of 1971; I was 11 years old. The car price was $1995, and the only option he purchased was the air conditioning system for $495. I distinctly remember looking at the 240Z sitting in the Datsun showroom. The dealer was Pence-Briggs Datsun in Richmond, VA. My father originally wanted to buy the Datsun pickup truck, but we could not sit the family across the bench seat, there were three of us. Then he test drove the 510 station wagon, he didn't like the road noise coming from the rear of the car. So he settle on the 4-dr sedan. I asked him to buy the 240Z and he told me he wished he could, but it wasn't a family car. I also remember seeing the smaller Datsun 1200 model car in the showroom. Mr K came personally to shake my hand when we purchased our car........j/k. My father's 510 was the 920 paint color just as my Z is today.

[26th-Z]

Do a right-clik and "save target as" to down-load the .wmv file and play it through Explorer? Can't help you on the Mac, Ben. They are .wmv files.

Great stuff Kats! Car washes have changed a bit from those days! I loved spinning donuts in the parking lot! Where was the scene with the mountain map?

I was sixteen when this was going on.

[bpilati]

Do a right-clik and "save target as" to down-load the .wmv file and play it through Explorer? Can't help you on the Mac, Ben. They are .wmv files.

Great stuff Kats! Car washes have changed a bit from those days! I loved spinning donuts in the parking lot! Where was the scene with the mountain map?

I was sixteen when this was going on.

Old fart.

[EricB]

6yrs old... 9 yrs old... 16yrs old... damn... i was 5yrs away from being conceived! My 73 240 is two years my senior. Actually all three of our old cars are older than my wife and I... just the way we like it actually...

-e

[Alfadog]

Well, my dad had just turned 21 at the time.

Lovely videos kats. Thank heavens they documented the trip :classic: And thank heavens you are sharing the experience with us!! I am so thankful. That is Mr. K in the blue shirt in "photo4.mpg" right? What do you think the people are doing in that part of the video?

[kats]

Hello,

Thank you everyone.Nice stories!!I am very happy that I can hear your good memories.These are what I have been wating for.

My father was 28 years old at that time,he owned small Mitsubishi sedan.I wish he could own Z for him and for me.

Alfadog,nice question!I do not have time now,I will be back soon.They are talking about badges??

kats

[kats]

Hello,

Bryan,I recorded them from a TV,not directly to a computer.I think it is very good too,if recording to the computer directly.But I did not have tools now,mabe someday.

By the way,I am curious about the part of video "Mr.K is thinking about something standing at tail gate" in the title of my web page "Photo mission".

I have heard and red like many of you about Mr.K's story that he took fairlady-Z emblems off from the very early deriverd 240Z in the U.S.

Not happend in this video,because these two Zs did not have any emblems as you see from the video.Seems to me Mr.K is thinking about emblems,the american gentleman(maybe he works at NMC)is telling and explaining about emblems on the tail gate.

At that moment,in Oct 1969,the name "Datsun 240Z" was already fixed I think.I will up load some photos which verify my reasons.But I am not sure emblems alredy existed or not at that moment.

What I am interested in is,the story of Mr.K's took of emblems is true or not.

Thank you,

kats

[bpilati]

I think Mr K is thinking about how the executive jerks in Japan are boiling in their own juices because he had a good idea. Mr. K should be emperor of Japan, and there should be a national Z holiday. Oh btw, since you recorded off a TV, does that mean you have these "films" on videotape? If so, they can recorded onto a computer through a video player.

[Alfadog]

I have heard and red like many of you about Mr.K's story that he took fairlady-Z emblems off from the very early deriverd 240Z in the U.S.

Not happend in this video,because these two Zs did not have any emblems as you see from the video.Seems to me Mr.K is thinking about emblems,the american gentleman(maybe he works at NMC)is telling and explaining about emblems on the tail gate.

At that moment,in Oct 1969,the name "Datsun 240Z" was already fixed I think.I will up load some photos which verify my reasons.But I am not sure emblems alredy existed or not at that moment.

What I am interested in is,the story of Mr.K's took of emblems is true or not.

Hi Kats!

Yes I agree with you. I think they are talking about how the emblems will look, when they are made. I do not believe the story of Mr. K removing the emblems from the early exports. I think Nissan was a little more professionally run, even then. It is a romantic story, but doesn't really make sense to me.

Perhaps this story is just a romanticised version (changed over the years) of the fact that Mr. K really really did NOT like the name "Fairlady Z" for the American market.

We know that much is true, right?

Here is another question! Do you know what they are shooting pictures for in the same video with the young woman? Has anyone ever seen a photo that looks like it could have been taken here?

[26th-Z]

I don't think the story is true, Kats. Remember the solid casting emblem I showed you at the convention? Matsuo san told me it was the earliest type chrome Z from the initial make of the emblems. I think "240 Z" came from the design studios in Japan. HLS30-00042 has the solid cast chrome Z emblems.

The NA test cars had no emblems. I think they did that on purpose because the car was being tested and not released for sale yet.

[Carl Beck]

Hi Kats:

When I spoke to Mr. K the first time in Atlanta 1995, he said he took the "FAIRLADY" badges off the first Z Cars and replaced them with "DATSUN" emblems. Although we did not specifically state it... I believed at the time he was talking about the first three production cars to arrive in the States... they are also known as the "Press Cars" which were later given to the race teams HLS30 00006, 00007 and 00008.

According to articles written at the time, the first ship from Nissan that contained Z Cars for sale to the public, held 36 DATSUN 240-Z's and arrived in early Jan. 1970. According to Mr. Brock, BRE received their first Z from the second boat-load which contained several hundred 240Z's in Feb. 1970... that is why BRE started their race car program three months after Bob Sharp Racing got one of the Press Cars in Dec. of 1969. You may recall that John Morton had to use a 2000 roadster, up-classed from D-Production to C-Production to gain enough championship points, to make the 1970 SCCA C-Production Class, American Road Race of Champions for 1970.. (which of course he won for BRE).

Years later, in Dearborn at the Induction Ceremony for Mr. K into the Automobile Hall Of Fame in 1998, Les Cannaday and I were standing in the Hotel hallway around our rooms talking to the man that was the L.A. District Sales or Service Manager in 1969... I'm sorry I can't think of his name right now and I'm not sure of his position. He told Les and I the same story and said he was there at the time and he was the person that went and got the "DATSUN" emblems to put on the cars.

Sorry I can recall the man's name, we meet so many people from the very early days of Nissan USA at that ceremony I had a hard time keeping them straight.

That same person is the one that remembered selling the BRE Baja Z for Peter Brock in 75... so Les or I should have his name somewhere.. He was a tall/big man and may be the person in the films... I'll let you know if I can find his name again..

I don't think that there is any question that Mr. K personally removed the "FAIRLADY" badges from the Z... He said he did and others that were there at the time have confirmed it.

FWIW,

Carl

Carl Beck

Clearwater, FL USA

http://ZHome.com

IZCC #260

[Marty Rogan]

Hi Kats,

Great films, thanks for sharing them with us!!!

Do you have any information about what happened to these test cars after they completed the tests?

Marty