Here he is, and you'll find him in every Z-car.
Yutaka Katayama is the reason the Z-car exists. It was his idea and he made it happen. Nissan started the whole sports car thing from Japan in the mid-1960s, and the 1970 Datsun 240Z put both Nissan and the Japanese car industry on the map. Since then, other Japanese car companies have entered the sports car business, but soon or later, they all quit. Acura, Honda, Isuzu, Toyota -- they all quit. Even Nissan tried to quit. But the spirit of Yutaka Katayama always reminds Nissan that it's mean to be more than just another car company from Japan, and then the Z-car bubbles up to the surface again.
And now the spirit of the Z-car could save Nissan and the car industry again.
Fifty years ago, there were two strong personalities at Nissan, a sales guy and an advertising guy. Katayama was the advertising guy, a brilliant yet sensitive guy who liked British sports cars and occasionally pursued the traditional Japanese cultural pursuits of flying kites, painting landscapes, and, you know, talking to trees. Needless to say, the sales guy soon had him exiled to America, where he hoped his rival would disappear from view.
Instead Katayama built Datsun (as the Nissan franchise in America then was called) into a sales powerhouse, personally canvassing every town in America and turning used-car dealers and lawnmower repair shops into Datsun franchises. He made Datsun the most important Japanese brand in America, a signature of quality and innovation instead of cheap imitation. For his trouble, the sales guy chased him out of the U.S. company by the late 1970s and put his people in charge. Datsun quickly lost its lead in the sales race to Toyota and became a follower, not a leader.
But as times grew tough for Nissan, the spirit of Mr. K always brought it back from the brink. The 1990 300ZX Z32 was the lead vehicle in a new corporate initiative in vehicle dynamics, a real GT car instead of the Thunderbird clone that the previous generation Z-car had become. When poor sales of sports cars thoughout the car industry led to the Z-car's demise in the U.S. in 1996, a Z-car concept came to the surface again in 1999. And when the 350Z was revived in 2002, it symbolized the Nissan's resurgence with new financial backing from Renault.
And every time, Yutaka Katayama was called out of retirement and asked to provide his blessing. He even became the focus of a notable advertising campaign from which these pictures are taken.
The Z is still the coolest car at Nissan, GT-R notwithstanding. In fact, the new GT-R actually started as a Z-car made serious, a kind of Porsche 911 GT3, until the present, all-wheel-drive big car prevailed in planning sessions. Everyone at Nissan still wants to work on the Z-car project simply because it's always been a car that aspires to greatness.
Unfortunately Mr. K, who turned 100(!) on February 19, isn't really part of the process any longer. Incensed that Nissan uprooted itself from the headquarters he built in Los Angeles for a new corporate culture in Nashville, he's once again in a kind of exile. But as Nissan fumbles once again for a new identity in America, it's clear that it needs him back simply to remind itself that there's more to making cars than slashing costs, playing three-card-monte with a fistful of car badges and one or two platforms, and hunkering down in the bunker with the accountants while the war for the future of the automobile takes place all around you.
In fact, the whole American car industry could stand a little Mr. K. A little aspiration, a little sense of striving for excellence, and a little feel for the emotion with which Americans regard the automobile would go a long way toward making us all face the four-wheel future with more confidence.
Mr. K knew from the start that that the automobile has the power to transform the future. He saw it happen in Japan as he grew with his country through the 20th Century (he is 100 years old, after all). And anyone who has ever heard him speak knows that Yutaka Katayama understands that the automobile is a gift of personal mobility that can make our lives better, not worse. So maybe we should quit apologizing for the car and just get on with the business of making the future.
Where have you gone, Yutaka Katayama?
A lonely nation turns its eyes to you.
Michael Jordan, Executive Editor @ 5001 miles
jaguar36 says:
10:36 AM, 04/16/09
"they all quit" Uhh, Mazda?
carlisimo says:
11:03 AM, 04/16/09
Great article. Thanks!
stingray454 says:
11:15 AM, 04/16/09
Nice article, but it's a little bit utopian.
Two comments:
1 - " but soon or later, they all quit. Acura, Honda, Isuzu, Toyota -- they all quit. Even Nissan tried to quit. "
Uh, I would say a 6 year absence of the Z-car in the U.S. is more than just trying to quit, it was a quit.
2 - "In fact, the whole American car industry could stand a little Mr. K. A little aspiration, a little sense of striving for excellence, and a little feel for the emotion with which Americans regard the automobile would go a long way toward making us all face the four-wheel future with more confidence."
With Toyota Camrys, Corollas, RX350s, and the like the most popular selling vehicles in the U.S., I would argue that most Americans do not regard the automobile with any more emotion than they do they do for a refrigerator or a toaster. Americans who share the same passion for cars as Mr. K are in the vast minority, accounting for fewer than 10,000 units per year here. Sad, but true.
stingray454 says:
11:20 AM, 04/16/09
""they all quit" Uhh, Mazda?"
- Mazda sort of quit, but not really: The RX-7 was killed in 2002, and the RX-8 didn't appear in the U.S. until over a year later in late 2003 as a 2004 model. I don't really count that as quitting, because Mazda had a replacement RX-8 planned and in the works before the RX-7 was killed off.
usma90 says:
01:39 PM, 04/16/09
Very nice article. As an enthusiast of automotive and motorcycle technology and history, it is always nice to discover the 'passion' behind the brands. Mr. Katayama reminds me of 'Pops' Yoshimura. Thanks. And I love the line 'quit apologizing for the car.'
jstandefer says:
01:47 PM, 04/16/09
"Mazda sort of quit, but not really:"
Don't forget about the Miata. It will be celebrating its 20th anniversary in a few months. Ever since they built that first rotary-powered 1967 Cosmo 110S, Mazda has always been smitten by sports cars. Since the 1979 RX-7, Mazda has never stopped building sports cars, and I imagine they never will.
jkavanagh says:
01:59 PM, 04/16/09
stingray454--the RX-7's final model year in the US was 1995. And the RX-8 is not a proper sports car in the true sense of the term due to its backseat and extra doors. So Mazda did indeed give up on performance-oriented sports cars in the vein of the Z-car.
bankerdanny says:
03:44 PM, 04/16/09
stingray, you forget the Miata. It might not be fast, but it is a pure, old fashioned British style sports car. So Mazda's commitment is uninterupted since the original RX-7.
The Z is really more of an Italian/German style sports car than British.
compliance says:
03:56 PM, 04/16/09
Mazda > Nissan
hondacura4 says:
04:52 PM, 04/16/09
I think most of todays Honda enthusiasts gre up with sporty cars like the CRX Si, Civic Si hatchbacks and Preludes of the late 80's/early 90's. At least those are the vehicles that sparked my interest in Honda.
Its true, Honda hasnt been nearly as consistent in offering true sports cars. Sure, Honda offered the S500, S600, S800 roadsters of the 60's and the modern version, the S2000 that was introduced in 2000. No one can forget the under appreciated and disrespected engineering marvel, the NSX. Its initial development started in late 1982!
As of now, it seems Honda will continue to offer its usual sensible portfolio of reliable transportation, which is good for profits, growth and success overall. Unfortunately for (the now...ahem... matured Honda) enthisiasts, Honda currently offers nothing with high performance capabilities and wont in the near future. However, offering more mainstream, sensible products has kept them alive and healthy. I cant say the same for Nissan as their financial health is far from stable.
Let us not forget Honda currently has and has had great sports car engineers also that are just as valuable to the brand as Nissans. Unfortunately, they are not able to excercise their talents at the moment.....with the exception of the cancelled NSX replacement. That car looked so promising!
cwc1 says:
06:19 PM, 04/16/09
I've been lukewarm with most Hondas, but a few have stood out. The 2nd generation CRX had some appeal, and I like the looks of the current Civic coupe (just on the outside though, as the interior is just a bit strange).
Of all Hondas and/or Acuras, the NSX was the one I would have loved to own. But Honda let it get old. By 2000 or so, when its successor should have arrived, it was nowhere, and the revolutionary car of the early '90s was stale and eventually dropped. Even a company with Honda's success does some odd things from time to time.
dougtheeng says:
06:06 AM, 04/17/09
Its nice to hear the story behind the Nissan Z cars. I personally love the 300Z - its definitely the import of choice I would go for if I had the money/extra garage. While the new 370Z doesn't really do it for me, I still appreciate it for what it is. We have to hope things turn around and Honda/Toyota bring back some of their historical models.
stingray454 says:
09:20 AM, 04/20/09
"By bankerdanny on April 16, 2009 3:44 PM
stingray, you forget the Miata. It might not be fast, but it is a pure, old fashioned British style sports car. "
Yep, I stand corrected. I did forget the Miata. I tend to forget cars that are slow. But that's just me ;)
kevinlch says:
11:40 PM, 04/25/09
Great article, good to bring up this topic.
Rage0329 says:
12:54 AM, 09/16/09
This was a great article, I had never heard of him until now. I always liked the Z-cars as a child, my father was head of manufacturing at the Clayton plant in Victoria Australia. I remember the 300ZX being very cool. Nevermind the blistering acceleration of the R32 GT-R. I've recently been handed down the 350Z just as my Dad has picked up his 370Z. They're amazing cars.
Nissan > Mazda any day of the week.
Mazda left the sports-car game when they stopped making the flagship RX-7. Honda stopped when the NSX was no longer made. Toyota stopped in '98 with the last Supra.
No Japanese Auto-maker has a car in the vein of the Z or GT-R. They used to... that's when Gran Turismo was fun to play with my friends.