Great Cars: NISSAN Z

Nissan was riding high in the 1970s it's 240z was the fastest selling sports car in the world droves of buyers flocked to the company's cars by 1975 it was the topic vehicle importer in the US and around the world but by the 1990s its fortunes had reversed stale products had dimmed its tone Nissan needed to change or go on [Music] [Applause] [Music] the Nissan zeod shows how much difference one car can make first launched in the 1970s it set hearts racing and caused a stampede but it died a slow death and disappeared in the 1990s its revival save warned that Nissan was once again raring to go to understand this corporate rollercoaster ride we must go back to the game the Nissan Motor Company started building its small Dutson passenger cars in April 1935 these cars showed the world that Japan was a modern industrialized nation the preparation for war shifted the emphasis to military trucks after the war the country tried to regroup and find its footing Hassan's plant was requisitioned by the occupation forces for almost ten years many of its dealers switched allegiances to Toyota the old order no longer functioned Nissan would have to move away from tradition truck production resumed in 1945 and passenger cars in 1947 but the company was rocked by perpetual labor-management strife to stabilize would require changing how it did business Nissan executives turned to an American that word Deming whose wartime experience helped him develop statistical control methods for developing low-cost high quality manufacturing I told the Japanese that they would capture markets within five years the world over that they would take their place alongside prosperous nations they have done it they have done it no one I was the only man and Japan in 1950 that believed it but I believed it and I knew it oddly enough American car makers ignored Demmings helped but Nissan embraced him and started on the path to revival it helped them take a role in the rapid transformation of the country the Japanese miracle was underway Yutaka Kuriyama was one of the people who would launch nissan onto the world stage he had a passion for cars and racing [Music] in 1958 Kathy Alma convinced the company that he should enter to dutson's in the Australian rally one of the most grueling races in the world the cars won their class championship demonstrating Nissan's rugged engineering nistha is originally a engineering company rather than sales rather things was little bit weak in the past but in the worst day of Nisan so Nissan was keeping engineering power themselves the world recognized Nissan's prowess but it was awarded the Deming prize for engineering excellence recent saw this as a sign that it was ready to export its cars it was an expensive and risky move but the only way to grow it saw a need for small affordable colors [Music] the cars were an unusual sight in the US large cars dominated the roads but some people were buying Volkswagens and other European cars learning to sell cars in the US would require finding someone who understood the Western world Kuriyama was given the job of taking Nissan onto the global stage he'd attended college in the US and had a feeling for what people wanted he saw that Volkswagens had a certain charm Mercedes had luxury Jaguars were sexy and Porsches were exciting Nissan's were planed no one thought caddie Yama's task was easy in case this global marketing experiment failed they decided to sell the cars under the Datsun brand and not tarnish the Nissan name the cars diminutive size wasn't a drawback in other parts of the world in Europe a Nissan could easily be mistaken for a Renault Fiat or Morris with higher gas prices lower wages narrow roads a lack of homes with garages a small car was practical while its cars looked quite at home in Europe Kerry AMA knew we had to do something to make them sell in America he educated the engineers about designing and building cars that would tantalize North America and put Datsun on the map it was a steep learning curve the cars were becoming increasingly well engineered but they were still boring however there was a bright spot the Fairlady 1500 with inspiration from mg Nissan created a series of sports cars using the sedan chassis the 1600 and 2000 roadsters were more reliable than the mgs and tramps but weren't the breakthrough cars Cathy AMA needed Cathy Amma didn't give up he still thought the hot sports car was needed to break out of the pack something to rival the Corvettes Jaguars and Porsches [Music] he wasn't alone some of the engineers and designers shared his passion for sports cars the company contracted with Albrecht Gertz a German sports car designer to help them develop concepts he was known for styling the 1957 BMW 5 over 3 and 507 to roadsters that are considered classics many believe that the work he did for Nissan inspired the early designs for what would become the legendary 240z katyana had been promoted to president of Nissan Motors USA he relentlessly pushed Japan headquarters for a sports car project his pressure resulted in a new design team being formed to develop a sports car for the US market the effort would be given an internal code name Nissan design project C since all the other letters had been used goods had shown the designers how to bring their drawings to life by using modeling clay this would give them a way to see a concept in three dimensions and view it from all angles working with their hands they could feel all the curves they wanted in a car once the model was done they started to build prototypes kalyana wanted the new car to be sleek and modern looking like a race car he made sure it was wind tunnel tested and refined he was pleased with the shape but there was more testing to do before the car could be mass-produced it had to go through an exhaustive series of crash tests safety was becoming increasingly important in the u.s. the prototypes were built disassembled tested and refined until the team was sure they were ready to take on the world finally in 1969 it was time to show the public the results of their work the company unveiled the Fairlady Z at the Tokyo Auto Show it got the attention of the press and stole the show Kathy Amma was sure that this was the car that would conquer the world by October of 1969 it was ready for the United States this was a car that looked like a winner but Kathy Yama knew its name the Fairlady Z was a loser Jiri christened it the 240z this shapely cover caught the attention of young people all over America they swarmed into the dealerships hoping to catch a glimpse of the exciting new sports car while making waves overseas it was having the same impact at home the Z car was a hit it was soon clear that it was a car in sync with the spirit of the times it was stylish at performance and a $3500 cost less than a Corvette it was hard to ignore this color [Music] the automotive press responded immediately to the XIV editors snap them up right off the boats and feature the Z on numerous magazine covers the writers wrote glowing reviews a far cry from the reception most Japanese cars received to become accepted as a world-class sports car decent had to prove the Z could compete it was entered in the East African safari rally this rugged event would show that the car was more than just another pretty face already more than half the entrants have retired that's number 11 is running the wild plains of Uganda closing in on a course leader and it's 13-point lead as the car zoomed toward Nairobi it became clear it was headed for victory in the Safari Rally [Music] others saw its racing potential the team was organized that won numerous races sponsored by the Sports Car Club of America the SCCA John Morton was one of the leading drivers there's a 2.4 liter over there and have really moved out the handling is special too the doctor has victus brakes up front when you're going this fast I wouldn't have it any other way the team won the 1970 and 1971 SCCA see production championship and was rewarded with a contract from Nissan to develop a high-performance version of the cone publicity from racing and glowing reviews catapulted sales in 1970 one year after being introduced they used C sold for more than what it was new American car companies had tended to dismiss the Japanese before the C hit the market and the response to the small car invasion from Europe and Japan was lackluster the little cars from Detroit were surviving on the loyalty of customers who would only buy American but this was about to change [Music] when OPEC the Organization for Petroleum Exporting Countries turned off the tap in 1970 the gas lines formed people switched to the Japanese carmakers fuel-efficient cars the 240z got 20 miles to a gallon and Dustin's other cars did even better what buyers found was surprising not only did the cars get better mileage than their Detroit steeds they were better built they didn't need as many repairs were more reliable and often the dealership experience was much better [Music] while most people remained loyal to the homegrown cars in the United States import sales grew Nissan and Kathy Gama rode the wave of events by 1973 sales of the Z car alone had exceeded a hundred and fifteen thousand small Japanese cars were no longer a curiosity they were showing up everywhere young people flocked to the affordable imports partly out of rebellion against their parents and the cars they drove and partly because the cars just seemed to be more fun the Z got a bigger engine in 1974 up to two point six liters and we've renamed the 260 compliance with stricter emission regulations robbed the car of some power horsepower fell to 139 but critics greeted the new model with open minds [Applause] [Music] the press and the public responded to the Z it set a simple year sales record of over 63,000 cars but some weren't happy with the power loss Nissan introduced a more powerful car the next year with an engine displacement of 2.8 liters of course they call it the 280 C this car helped Dustin become the top-selling import in the United States in 1975 it was a remarkable achievement that mirrored its growth at home in 1974 we some had claimed 34% of Japanese car sales this was a company to watch while sales figures were promising there were organisational problems that eventually would nearly kill the company Kuriyama knew that Nissan dare not become complacent if it were to survive in the increasingly competitive world market he constantly battled with corporate headquarters for change his reward was to be summoned home and retired in 1977 Kuriyama worried that the company was losing its way it would be a few years before it became clear that he was right on the surface things seemed to be fine the newsy the 280 CX was ready to roll out in 1979 it is larger and more luxurious than its predecessors the new Z was lauded by the motoring press as a real contender that could take on the Corvette and even a Porsche sales shot up to over 86,000 it also captured its 10th consecutive SCCA championship the Sun continued to rack up racing wins more changes followed a turbocharger in 1981 and more racing wins one of their most recognizable drivers was actor Paul Newman he'd been racing C's since 1979 he was more than a hobbyist he was a serious competitor he won the SCCA GT 1 in 1985 and 86 Nissan loved it it provided a great marketing boost for the new Z this 50th anniversary edition the 300 CS the 300zx were sleeker and had a more powerful 3 liter engine the normally aspirated engine he produced 160 horsepower while the turbocharger beefed it up to 200 it was the second best-selling zine but some began to wonder if it should be so luxurious the doubters were in a minority and the company kept beefing up the car with more features in 1990 the styling was enhanced and the car took on a more aggressive posture it was given a new double overhead cam free liter engine that boosted normal horsepower to 222 and to 300 with the turbocharger once again Motor Trend named the 300zx it's import car of the year automobile magazine awarded it the design of the year Rodan track called it one of the 10 best cars in the world it looked like this legend would live forever but they were growing signs that this high-performance luxury sports car was pricing itself out of its market its popularity have been built on affordability at forty five thousand nine hundred ninety nine dollars it now cost more than ten times when first introduced sales started to plummet from nearly 40,000 in 1992 a little over 4,000 in 1995 the z-cars fortunes mirrored the state of uncertainty at the whole company Nissan had expanded capacity throughout the world during the 1980s and taken on large debts but its lackluster cars weren't selling anywhere these songs executives couldn't manage the changes and things spiraled out of control one of the casualties was the Z model the last 300 rolled off the assembly line in 1996 things continued to get worse venice' he needed help and accepted a 5.4 billion dollar offer from Renault for a 36 point 8 percent stake in the company Renault sent in the Brazilian born son of Lebanese immigrants Carlos Gunn to oversee its investment Cohen had earned the name Lacoste killer during stints as an executive at Michelin and Brennan theoretically he was to report to the Nissan Chairman but in fact he was there to turn things around he wasn't afraid of change everything we touch we shift and everything we shift we try and do make better shift is not just a tagline it is in fact a value that motivates us to stretch to deliver our very best it manifests itself in working across functions companies borders and cultures [Music] Gowens plan for a quick return to profit included debt reduction closing factories and job losses but he believed the key to long-term growth was new models he said there's no problem the good products can't solve he was determined that the company produced innovative new cars that would like those in its heyday during the 1960s or 70s this was a company that changed the way people viewed automobile engineering and manufacturing of course he had to resurrect the Z one of our goals has been to add an emotional dimension to our products we knew we had to retain the strengths of our serious engineering and expertise and add to it both a visual passion and excitement in the new Z we wanted create create an authentic front-engine rear-wheel-drive sports car go on hired Shiro Nakamura away from Isuzu and put him in charge of design from 240v we brought affordability practicality and to sense of family from the 300 years we've brought contemporary design and contemporary sports car proportions Gerry Hirschberg former president Nissan Design America welcomed the new Z with open arms we did not want retro but we did want a kind of fusion of the DNA of both the 240 and the 300zx we aim to capture the kind of feline Grace I've called it of the 300zx along with the kind of long hood kind of sassy short deck kickback stance of the original 240 Z we also wanted to project a strong sense of the cars extraordinary performance and I have to tell you it is extraordinary when the Nissan 350z sports car was introduced in August 2002 it's signaled that change was underway it quickly became the best-selling sports car in the United States selling nearly 40,000 units in its first year this stylish 287 horsepower car hoped to capture the Z heritage in design performance and values a critical test would come when the father of the original Datsun 240z Yutaka Kathy Yama was introduced to the new model the company once again was interested in his opinions in the old days this was good for the younger people but now they are growing the ages going up and this will fit to the middle-aged people - or older people even myself I can enjoy it the car passed the katakana test a critical indicator for the company this agile looking sports car delivered more performance and features than the original but retained a feeling of refined simplicity the Z wasn't the only energized product to emerge from the goin at Nakamura change machine its bread-and-butter sedan the autumn er earned awards and accolades and racked up growing sales it became the son's best selling vehicle Nissan was on a roll and Gowen decided to take on the last bastion of Detroit's power the full-sized pickup he unleashed the v8 powered Titan a massive truck with maximum towing capacity of nine thousand four hundred pounds no one would think Japanese cars what puny ever again [Music] while Nissan sprouted broad shoulders it didn't forego style it's sleek Morano stood out among look-alike SUVs Nissan was profitable again yoen had delivered the changes he promised and more including a convertible version of its flagship vehicle here was a company that was once again on the road goin wasn't content to stop this he had new territories in his sights like China he had shattered the old image of Nissan and replaced it with a vibrant new one the Z car was a vital part of that transformation it's very difficult to explain by a word or the mall so I think experiences of best things oh Christ it has been a remarkable journey from the dreams of its founder to its evolution as a globe embracing enterprise this sound is a companies that have repeatedly shown what a difference one man and one car can make [Music] [Applause] [Music]

Channel: King Rose Archives

Views: 84,479

Keywords: Nissan, Yutaka Katayama, Datsun 510, Fairlady, Mr. K, Albrecht Graf von Schlitz genannt von Goertz von Wrisberg[, Albrecht Goertz

Id: 6QbTQvWl3PU

Length: 25min 3sec (1503 seconds)

Published: Wed Oct 25 2017