It must be something lost in translation for who would call a car a “Cedric” or a “Sunny”?

However, the Japanese are amazing engineers and perhaps humourists.

Maybe they are better at the more universal numbers. I mean a 240Z sounds mechanical and tough. To then have a 260, 280 (sorry, fat middle aged 240) and then, my God, a 300 which even with turbos was a show pony and rival to the last obese “E” types.

As to where a “Fairlady” fits any equation, even with a “Z” after it defies logic.

Anyway, before I was distracted, I had a story and point to make. Many years ago a friend proudly owned a Triumph TR4. It wasn’t the then monster 150 H.P. TR6 but was, never the less, a manly car.

This man then saw the first 240Z in 1969 and was hooked. It actually had ridiculously more power than a Triumph and had a gearbox which was eerily quiet and fast and had a rorty burble to boot. Except for the funny plastic wheel trims (never to match traditional chrome wires) it was a beautiful piece of machinery. Even the “Fairlady” badge before the “Z” was forgivable. All was also forgiven about an earlier, 20^th. Century, international event.  

 Mind you there had been earlier “Fairlady” sports cars from Japan which did look much like an MGB imitation with roundoffs. These attracted unfair mockery from the British (now Leyland/BMC incarnations) who tried to maintain sales of what was essentially a pre-historic, nostalgic anachronism.

Times had changed and the field was set for a new age of handsomely crafted, actually brisk, sports cars with both comfort and performance.

As to where this would lead we need to transport ourselves to the magic of the yet, unborn, R32 down the track and how Australian muscle cars were humbled by technology and finesse.