Is it true that this is just what they wanted to call the 240-280's when they came to the U.S. or is the Fairlady a specific year and model.

(Sorry for the dumb question, but I've been wondering.)

Quote from Business Week, April 7, 1973:

- Begin Quote -

Puffing continuously on Kent cigarettes, a tast he acquired on a visit to the U.S. ten years ago, he describes himself as "just an element in the management of the company".

But subordinates do not take such a casual view. Secretaries bow almost to the floor in his presence, uniformed showroom employees accord him a snappy salute, and even some Nissan directors cringe in his imposing, black suited presence. "Our President is like Henry Ford, a very strong man", says a Nissan employee.

Kawamata delights in picking English names for Nissan's cars and takes credit for the Violet, Cedric, Bluebird and Fairlady models. The last one occurred to Kawamata after he had seen the Broadway musical, My Fair Lady. The Violet, he says, was picked because of its "esthetic character". He asks; "When you hear the name Violet, doesn't this create an image of loveliness?"

Naming autos represents "my sentimental side", says a chucking Kawamata. But the names change when the cars go into the export market. Nissan's marketing experts fear that such effeminate names would never make it abroad. In the U.S. for example the Fairlady becomes the Datsun 240Z and the Bluebird becomes the Datsun 610. - end quote -

FWIW,

Carl B.

Took the words right out of my mouth Carl. I was just getting ready to write something similar about the Blue Bird and the Fairlady being the domestic name and being changed to 510 and 240Z for the US market for fear of rejection of such a feminette name.

"The US market is more likely to accept things like Chevy 350 or Mustang 289 over a Bluebird or FairLady. But when you change it to 240Z or 510, the whole viewpoint changes. Similar to the 350Z or 240SX over the names Skyline or Sylvia."

Read something like that in an import magazine. Kinda stuck in my head cause I've had to explain the same or similar question from other interested parties.

Dave.

I thought the 1960 SPL212 Fairlady and the subsequent 310 and 311 models had the "Fairlady" name before the Z had it.

E

Also, the 510 was the Bluebird.

E

The 510, 610, 910 are all bluebirds.

The Fairlady name was was in use before the Z, which is why the S30 was called the "Fairlady Z" to distinguish it from the previous fairlady.

The 510, 610, 910 are all bluebirds.....

Don't forget the 810.

Isn't a 710 a Laurel, or was that a Violet? I forget what the 610 was named, but it was like a Laurel Clone with a shorter nose.

Then there was the Sunny line, which was our B110... I always liked seeing a 'Sunny California' in the breakers...always made me smile!

I totally forgot the "Fairlady" Nomenclature, and now must quickly send an Addendum to the SCTA Rules Committee with 'They, Coupes and 2+2's, were ALL called "FairladyZ's" in their home-market of Japan' That should be another leg-up in the argument they are 'the same series of vehicles' for classification purposes...

DOH!

Some of my favorite Japanese version names are: Gloria which always looked the same as the Laurel or the Silva for 240SX, the Cefiro had a Maxima look to it or the Cima which was a Q45 and the Primera/G20 and Teana altima looks. Some that don't have US equals are the S-cargo, Figaro and my dream car Stagea wagon.

S-cargo:

http://images.google.com/images?q=Nissan+S-cargo&hl=en&um=1&sa=X&oi=images&ct=title

Some of my favorite Japanese version names are: Gloria which always looked the same as the Laurel or the Silva for 240SX, the Cefiro had a Maxima look to it or the Cima which was a Q45 and the Primera/G20 and Teana altima looks. Some that don't have US equals are the S-cargo, Figaro and my dream car Stagea wagon.

S-cargo:

http://images.google.com/images?q=Nissan+S-cargo&hl=en&um=1&sa=X&oi=images&ct=title

ah yes. i have my wonderful cefiro (i30)! except the wife drives it now that the Z is up and running

and i must say "drool" to the stagea......

I say drool to the Sunny Pulsar GTi-R.

I whipped one around for a while here in LA, and it was G-Teching at 345 to the ground.

Similarly the Bluebird SSS of 87 (or was it 240RS?) had similar setup.

345HP in a car the size of a 1975 VW Rabbit, with All Wheel Drive, and an engine that spins past 7000 pulling and pulling and pulling!

Nobody made it past the top of second gear without an Ear to Ear Grin!

The only other car that pulled like that little thing did was a Skyline GTR 400HP V-Spec... That thing pulled a ridiculous speed in second gear as well!

And my Nostalgia always-wanted was a Nissan Be-1

"And my Nostalgia always-wanted was a Nissan Be-1A"

Friend restored a nice little green Be-1 for a customer of his Yokohama tuner shop, it was a cool little car. The engine was tiny but powerfull with its little turbo. Nissan had so many of those one or two year cars, like the Rasheed and Figaro.