From Hagerty's e-mail newsletter:

April 29, 2011
Some car names just make sense. The curvy Volkswagen Beetle, the devilishly powerful Lamborghini Diablo and the superfast Ford Mustang were given monikers designed to call attention to each vehicle’s unique characteristics.

But not every car is so fortunate. Whether these vehicles were top sellers or commercial failures, they all have one thing in common: prime real estate on our list of the worst car names of all time.

9.Datsun Fairlady (1959-70): Nothing says macho sports car like show tunes. Amazingly, Nissan named its sporting roadster after the musical “My Fair Lady,” thereby alienating at least 50 percent of the market for the car.

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Ross Williams
1978 280Z Black Pearl Edition 38k Original Miles

So true.


My car still has the badge on it, though.

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-Chris

Really good point Ross, and it's a shame. The cars bearing that sissy name actually had some muscle, so they really deserved a better label.

Japanese ladies are expected to be fair-skinned; it's a sign of proper breeding, dignity and class. A Fair lady in Japan is a desirable woman.

When Mr. K decided to release the Z to America, he knew better.

Can't wait to hear Carl's responses to this thread!

Frank

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1970 240Z

I will certainly defer to Carl, and also to Katsuhiko Endo if he should
happen upon this thread and care to comment.

But as I understand it, some Datsun higher-up attended the Broadway
show and was so taken by the Fairlady name that he insisted that it be
given to one of the Datsun line. So some politically incorrect individual,
some guy named Katayama I think, basically put his career on the
line (it seems to have been a habit) and rebelled at that poor choice of
names, insisting that it would cripple sales. As with so many other of
Mr. K's suggestions and recommendations-- yes, and demands-- all
based on his being the man in contact with the buying public, it fell on
deaf ears.

You wonder how some people progress to the highest levels of manage-
ment. No, I guess you don't wonder: everybody knows about internal
politics, toadies, bootlickers, yes men, and the like. But not so Mr. K.

Fortunately for us, Yutaka Katayama was so outstanding in whatever he
did (his arguing with top management aside) that Datsun (Nissan)
couldn't fire him, lest he go to one of the competitors. No, I take back
what I said about his arguing; he must have been outstanding at that,
too. Otherwise, I suppose we would be driving Toyota 240-Z's or Honda
300-ZX's. Even "Subaru 350Z" just doesn't have the right "ring" to it.

All Z Best,............................Kathy & Rick

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All Z Best,.......Kathy & Rick

1969 Z.CAR (#00013 10/69) 8/30/76
1969 ITSA.Z (#00171 11/69) 8/24/73
1970 OLD.Z (#06289 6/70) original owner
1971 510 2dr since 12/31/75
1969 1600 rdstr (our 160-Z)
1971 (#19851 1/71) sold
1975 75.Z (#01343 1/75)

There are other possibilities......

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1970 240Z

Frank, that is awesome!!!! I don't know how you come up with 'em.

With a "persuader" like Mr K is holding, I daresay he didn't need help
from "Mad Mike" Taylor, on the right. All 6'4" and 270 lbs of him.

All Z Best,.........................Kathy & Rick

_________________
All Z Best,.......Kathy & Rick

1969 Z.CAR (#00013 10/69) 8/30/76
1969 ITSA.Z (#00171 11/69) 8/24/73
1970 OLD.Z (#06289 6/70) original owner
1971 510 2dr since 12/31/75
1969 1600 rdstr (our 160-Z)
1971 (#19851 1/71) sold
1975 75.Z (#01343 1/75)

Hi Rick:
The "higher -up" was Mr. Katsuji Kawamata, at the time he was President of Nissan Motor Co. Ltd, He visited the US in the late 50's as I recall. He is the person that saw "My Fair Lady" on a New York Stage.

Kawamata was a very powerful CEO and he enjoyed personally naming Nissan's cars. In addition to "Fairlady" he named the "Bluebird" {aka Datsun 510} and a few others. He did however answer to Nissan's Board of Directors, and Nissan's Board did answer to MITI {Japanese Ministry of International Trade and Industry}, which in turn was ran by what we would call "Wall Street" {the banking and investment firms with all the Capital}.

The first "Fairlady Roadsters" {SPL-212} were produced ONLY in Left Hand Drive, as Kawamata saw "Sports Cars" as being built specifically to increase export sales. When the 1500 Fairlady Roadsters were imported into the U.S. - they did have "Fairlady" emblems on their front fenders - - However the U.S. Sales Brochures said "DATSUN 1500 SPORT". By the time the 1965/66 1600 Datsun Roadsters went on sale they had DATSUN emblems on their front fenders.

It is significant to note that from 1960 to 1965 Mr. Takashi Ishihara was President of Nissan Motor Corporation in U.S.A. From 1965 to 1976 Mr. Katayama was President of Nissan Motor Corporation in U.S.A.

Actually - Mr. K had no problems with Mr. Kawamata, it was the management chain between Mr. K and Mr. Kawamata that constantly attempted to undermine Mr. K's success. Mr. Kawamata was the person that approved Mr. K's entry in the Round Australia Rally in 1958, when the management chain between Mr. K and Mr. Kawamata had previously rejected the idea.

For that matter - as a side note - It was Mr. Kawamata that directly contracted and funded BRE as a Nissan Factory Competition Team here in the U.S. in 1968.

Mr. K had joined Nissan right at it's forming by Mr. Ayukawa. So Mr. K. had considerable seniority in the management ranks by 1958. It is also significant, very significant, to understand that Mr. K was related by marriage to the family that had been Mr. Ayukawa's financial backers, as well as to Mr. Ayukawa's family - when he formed Nissan Motor Company in 1933.

So as irritating as Mr. K might have been to the middle level management chain {all tripping one another trying to get ahead of each other} - - Mr. K actually wielded quite a bit of political clout within Nissan himself.


FWIW,
Carl B.

That's an excellent presentation, Carl, and thankZ for correcting me
on some of the things I didn't have quite right. I was hoping that
either you or Kats, or any other knowledgeable person, would help
me out where my memory was a bit weak.

For example, I hadn't remembered that it was called "Nissan Motor
Corporation in USA" as early as 1960 (not Datsun), nor did I remem-
ber that Mr. Ishihara had preceded Mr. K as President.

Now John T, wasn't that little white 1959 roadster at last year's ZCCR
show an SPL-212? That was so cute we just wanted to buy it and
take it home with us.....................
Only as a souvenir of the show, you understand................

All Z Best,..............................Kathy & Rick

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All Z Best,.......Kathy & Rick

1969 Z.CAR (#00013 10/69) 8/30/76
1969 ITSA.Z (#00171 11/69) 8/24/73
1970 OLD.Z (#06289 6/70) original owner
1971 510 2dr since 12/31/75
1969 1600 rdstr (our 160-Z)
1971 (#19851 1/71) sold
1975 75.Z (#01343 1/75)

This?

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1970 240Z