A&Q about 350Z
Q:
MAG,
Your correct. It was Mr K who recomended to Nissan not to call the car the fairlady here in America and refer to it as the number designation (i.e. 240, 260 280 etc.) The story about the movie my Fair Lady being hugely popular in Japan is correct. I think a lot of people put the Fairlady badging on since this would be the JDM version (something to be different).
Rich1
90TT
A:
i wouldnt want it on my car, unless it was an imported japanese RHD model. it's a Z here in america.
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03 CS Touring
VIN #189
Post Edited (Jun 2, 1:46pm)
A:
Rich1 & everyone....I completely understand what you are saying however the FairladyZ in Japan is a different car than the 350Z in US. First of all it's a RHD car and it has different features on the inside... for certain... like the steering wheel design & dash area with more brushed aluminum pieces added & maybe under the hood too?
I know that some people want to have something different & etc. but to me it's like painting your calipers & putting on the name Brembo but they aren't Brembo calipers! So in reality it's sort of deceiving. IMHO.
My SB ZR still feels like HEAVEN....what a wild ride!
A:
driven Z...damm, you beat me to the punch line!! We both had the same idea!!!
My SB ZR still feels like HEAVEN....what a wild ride!
A:
"The name "Fairlady" was given to the new sports car line by Mr. Katsuji Kawamata, President Of Nissan Motors Japan, after he attended the Broadway Musical "My Fair Lady" while visiting the US in 1958. He felt that the name would invoke an image of beauty for the car - because people would think of the beauty of the music and the leading lady in that Broadway Musical.
This is a common and accepted practice within the Japanese culture for selecting automotive names. It is not a usual cultural method here in the US however - so Nissan more commonly used engine size and model numbers as Model Names for the US market. (Note: There are also minor differences in many cases related to engine sizes, safety and emissions equipment between the Japanese home market models (Fairlady Z's) that those exported to other countries)
The More Complete Story: The SPL212 was introduced in 1960. It was a two passenger car with a 1.2Liter four cycl. engine ( 2 12). The "S" stood for Sport, the "P" was the designation for the Bluebird chassis, and the "L" stood for left hand drive. It is significant to note that "L" left hand drive cars could not be sold in Japan at that time. Thus Nissan's first Sports Car was specifically designed and intended solely for the US market.
To understand why the name "Fairlady" was given to a Sports Car, one has to think in terms of the Japanese culture, rather than that of the America culture. The Japanese revere traditions of Art, Music, Philosophy and the study of Beauty. All of these cultural values are considered to be acquired tastes and skills, gained over a lifetime, through personal study and practice.
Here in the US we place a much higher cultural value on personal creativity. Art and Music are considered to be more a matter of inspiration, personal expression and creativity. We therefore place a higher value on personal creativity and expression, than the resulting traditions of the art or music.
While Mr. Katsuji Kawamata, the President of Nissan Motors of Japan Ltd., was visiting the United States in 1958 he attended a performance, on-Broadway, of the hit musical "My Fair Lady".
A couple of years later (1960), when Nissan was about to introduce its new Sports Car Line, Mr. Kawamata gave it the official name of "Fairlady". He had been so impressed with the beauty of the music and the leading lady in that Broadway Musical, that he thought everyone would relate the name of Nissans new sports car "the Fairlady" to the beauty of the music and the leading lady in the play. Indeed, that is what happened in Japan, the name made perfect sense there and was readily accepted in that market.
The Fairlady Sport Car line continued to evolve through the 1960's with the introduction of the Fairlady 1500 in Oct. of 1962, then the Fairlady 1600 in 1965. Along with this evolution of its product lines, Nissan Motors was attempting to increase it's exports to the US Market.
Mr. Yutaka Kayatama, then President of Nissan Motors USA, knew that his customers would not accept the name "Fairlady" for a Sports Car here in the USA, so the Sales and Marketing departments in the US had used the cars model numbers for the most part, in advertising and sales promotion, and with the introduction of the new models for 1965 the badging on the front fenders was changed, on the US cars, from "Fairlady" to "Datsun 1600".
When the new S30 "Fairlady Z" was designed and built for the US Market (as the HLS30) - Mr. Katayama suggested that it not be badged as the "Fairlady' in the US. Mr. K. thought that the car should be named something more aggressive, like "Tiger" or "Shark" in keeping with US cultural traditions and values. That idea having been turned down in Japan, he was willing to accept "Datsun 240-Z". The 240 was a shortened version of the 2400cc engine displacement, and the "Z", which had been the new car's product file designation within Nissan's Design Department.
Mr. Teiichi Hara, General Manager of Design Department No. 2, had given the original sports car plans the file designation "Type Z", as most all of the other characters in the roman alphabet had been previously used. (I suppose that the roman alphabet is used in Japan for alphabetic filing systems ie. alphabetical order.) -Z- "
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Road & Track Executive Editor, Richard Homan 1994
"Give me a 300ZX Twin Turbo and a three-day
weekend in the Sierra Nevadas, and i'll come back
with the meaning of life."
Post Edited (Jun 2, 2:05pm)
A:
can we get an abridged version?
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Chrome Silver '03 Touring -MT-
C.F. Nismo Wing
Shorty Antenna (Stolen!!! Thanks alot!)
Kicker Solo Baric L7 1200w
I don't think, I know...
Well, I don't think you know either
A:
If it's a US spec Z car, then it cannot be called a Fairlady because the Fairlady name was never attached to a US spec Z car. (I'm guessing the nitpickers are salivating over the fact there may have been a couple of early 240Zs that came over labeled Fairlady. Just guessing.)
Any attachment of a Fairlady emblem to a US spec Z car is an affectation.
I like Ferraris, so why not put the Ferrari shield in place of my Nissan hamburgers? And I like the BMW roundel, so I could put two of them in place of my Z emblems on my fenders.
If my wife drove my car, I could put CUTE RN in place of the 350Z on the hatch.
This could go on and on.
Post Edited (Jun 4, 12:43am)
A:
fairl ladys...... ZZZZZ LOL
i need a z32tt convertible 5 speed
A:
quote : "I like Ferraris, so why not put the Ferrari shield in place of my Nissan hamburgers? And I like the BMW roundel, so I could two of them in place of my Z emblems on my fenders?"
I respect that you have owned your z32 since, well, forever, since it was born.
but to say that badging it a fairlady is akin to slapping a different brand insignia on your nissan?
The Chevy Nova was sold in Mexico under a different name, like 'allegro' or some such. Why? Because Nova, or No Va, means doesn't go in Spanish. Not such a good cultural choice, eh? They changed the fuel delivery a little, put in cheaper non-safety glass to save money with the softer Mexican standards, and put on tires with better tread for dirt roads. All these changes make sense? Make it a different car, unworthy of being called a Nova?
Our cars are fairlady's. You want to refer to engine displacement, cubic interior footage, or vin number, take your pick. Whatever limited cultural scope the Japanese thought American's could tap into and think was cool, was how they modified the name. Do I like Z? Hell yeah. Do I appreciate the heritage of the line, including all considerations foreign and domestic? I try to. There is too much cynicism and narrowmindedness on both sides of the world. If my car were a '****twat,' I'd drive it with pride.
My car is badged fairlady. Dr. K made it that way.
'82 jade 280zx turbo - someday we'll meet again
'90 black 300 na jdm engine *ss headers, pop, Koenig split-5's, drilled rotors,
Stillen gtz-r2 fascia &catback zr tips, jspec lights, ACT sport clutch + Fidanza flywheel
A:
agreed.
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Road & Track Executive Editor, Richard Homan 1994
"Give me a 300ZX Twin Turbo and a three-day
weekend in the Sierra Nevadas, and i'll come back
with the meaning of life."
A:
I like the name Fairlady. I'd only want it if the driver's side was on the right hand side though!