Yutaka Katayama, father of the Z car, dies at 105 - Gizmag
In sad news for the automotive world, Yutaka Katayama, first president of Nissan Motor Corporation U. S. A. , and father of the Z Car, passed away on February 19 at the age of 105. Affectionately known as Mr. K, his impact, not only on Nissan and... Yutaka Katayama's impact can be summed up in three numbers and one letter: 240 Z. In the late 1960s and early 1970s. Previously littler heard of European marques such as Jaguar and Ferrari made their name on the race tracks of the world and... Established brands such as Ford and Chevrolet answered with corporate initiatives like "total performance" and the GT40, and in Chevy's case, backdoor assistance to Jim Hall and his staggeringly innovative Chaparrals. By the late 1960s, it was collectively exporting a small offering of cars that were lightweight, fuel efficient, borderline-cute on occasion, funky looking the rest of the time, but mainly were looked at with derision and made the butt of jokes by... The man responsible for the 240 Z was Mr. K, and the car was the wellspring from which flowed other, bigger, faster Z cars. They were raced by the factory, and they were raced by privateers. The bottom line for Mr. K and company was very good, but the bottom line for the rest of. Source: www.gizmag.com
