Questions that come at 3am...and stay the night

[fpw]

Some of you may or may not know that Godzilla's Japanese name is Gojira (which is what those of us close to the Big Guy call him). Isn't it odd that the American distributor changed his name to a word the Japanese can't pronounce?

[Ken Valentine]

Some of you may or may not know that Godzilla's Japanese name is Gojira (which is what those of us close to the Big Guy call him). Isn't it odd that the American distributor changed his name to a word the Japanese can't pronounce?

Maybe the distributor couldn't pronounce Gojira. Then again maybe he thought it would be easier to sell to American audiences.
How many Americans would buy a car called Fair Lady, or Honey Bee? But change the name to 240Z, and B210 . . . .

Ken V.

[Gord]

Wasn't the Fairlady the 300Z and the Sylvia the 240Z? Datsun/Nissan have a thing with female names. :)

[Biggles]

Wasn't the Fairlady the 300Z and the Sylvia the 240Z? Datsun/Nissan have a thing with female names. :)

I owned a Datsun 240Z (and damn do I miss it). I believe it was the Fairlady--she certainly was to me. :)

[Ken Valentine]

Wasn't the Fairlady the 300Z and the Sylvia the 240Z? Datsun/Nissan have a thing with female names. :)

In the early '60's, Datsun began exporting a 1.5-liter. two-seat roadster called the Fair Lady. It didn't sell very well in the U.S.. At that time American manufacturers were naming cars after snakes, rodents, fish and other wild animals. (Cobra, Mongoose, Baracuda, Marlin, Stingray, Mustang, etc..) So, in '64 ('65?) Datsun changed the name and displacement to "1600" . . . and the car began to sell.

Datsun also read American Sports Car magazines and fixed what complaints were made about their cars. (Pity American manufacturers didn't do that.) In 1967, they came up with a new model with the same body style, a 2-liter, single overhead cam engine, and five-speed transmission . . . they called it the Datsun 2000. It was a pretty big deal at the time, as the only other cars with five-speeds were Porsche, Ferrari, and Maserati.

A couple of years after that, they introduced a 2.4-liter coupe and called it the 240Z, which later became the 260Z, the 280 Z, 300ZX, and so on.

In Japan, all of these cars were called "Fair Lady."

The Sylvia was a hand built coupe based on the 1500 Fair Lady chassis some time in the mid '60's. IIRC, they were only sold in Japan and Australia.

Ken V.

[Ken Valentine]

I owned a Datsun 240Z (and damn do I miss it). I believe it was the Fairlady--she certainly was to me. :)

The 240Z was a very fine automobile.

I drove a '77 B-210 for 17 years . . . and 380,000 miles. I designed and built the manifolds and exhaust system, turbo-charged the engine, made a few minor suspension modifications, built an air-dam with a "splitter," and topped the car out at 137 miles per hour -- by the tach, the speeder meter only went to 100 mph. Not bad for an 87 cubic inch push rod four cylinder. That was a strroonng engine!

I would loved to have done that with a 240Z. I'll bet it would have made an easy 140 mph. Although that long hood would have made it susceptible to cross winds at that speed, a more radical air-dam and splitter would have cured it.

Great cars!

Ken V.

[Biggles]

The 240Z was a very fine automobile.

I drove a '77 B-210 for 17 years . . . and 380,000 miles. I designed and built the manifolds and exhaust system, turbo-charged the engine, made a few minor suspension modifications, built an air-dam with a "splitter," and topped the car out at 137 miles per hour -- by the tach, the speeder meter only went to 100 mph. Not bad for an 87 cubic inch push rod four cylinder. That was a strroonng engine!

I would loved to have done that with a 240Z. I'll bet it would have made an easy 140 mph. Although that long hood would have made it susceptible to cross winds at that speed, a more radical air-dam and splitter would have cured it.

Great cars!

Ken V.

I put a triple deuce carb set-up on mine. Theoretical top end (red line in fourth gear) was over 160!

[Ken Valentine]

I put a triple deuce carb set-up on mine. Theoretical top end (red line in fourth gear) was over 160!

That fast, eh? I didn't know how high the gearing was. The B-210 had a gear ratio and tire size which gave it a speed of 23.5 miles per hour per 1000 rpm. Not counting tire growth, theoretical top speed was 141 at a 6,000 rpm red line, but I could only get it up to 5,800 . . . and it took a long time to get there. It would reach 100 quite easily, but that last 37 mph . . . took . . . for . . . ever.

Ken V.

[Lisa]

That fast, eh? I didn't know how high the gearing was. The B-210 had a gear ratio and tire size which gave it a speed of 23.5 miles per hour per 1000 rpm. Not counting tire growth, theoretical top speed was 141 at a 6,000 rpm red line, but I could only get it up to 5,800 . . . and it took a long time to get there. It would reach 100 quite easily, but that last 37 mph . . . took . . . for . . . ever.


Εκείνος ο γρήγορος, EH; Ι didn't ξέρουν πόσο υψηλή η συνοδόντωση τροχών ήταν. Τα β- 210 είχαν μια αναλογία εργαλείων και ένα μέγεθος ροδών που του έδωσαν μια ταχύτητα 23,5 μιλίων ανά ώρα ανά 1000 περιστροφές/λεπτό. Η μην μετρώντας αύξηση ροδών, θεωρητική κορυφαία ταχύτητα ήταν 141 σε μια κόκκινη γραμμή 6.000 περιστροφών/λεπτό, αλλά θα μπορούσα μόνο να την πάρω μέχρι 5.800. .. και πήρε έναν μακροχρόνιο χρόνο να φθάσει εκεί. Θα έφθανε σε 100 αρκετά εύκολα, αλλά εκείνο το στο τέλος 37 mph. .. πήρε. .. για. .. πάντα.

Just thought I'd share what this thread looks like to me. :D

Lisa

[Auskar]

It's pretty much all Greek to me.

[Bluesman Mike Lindner]

I suspect the distributor got a flash from the future that in the '70's, a band called Blue Oyster Cult would be writing a song...and the word "Godzilla" rocks =much= harder than "Gojira." But there are more questions like that. Are bees domestic animals? (Randy Newman) Where does your lap go when you stand up? (Robert Heinlein) And my own favorite: was Jesus a Christian?

[Ken Valentine]

Εκείνος ο γρήγορος, EH; Ι didn't ξέρουν πόσο υψηλή η συνοδόντωση τροχών ήταν. Τα β- 210 είχαν μια αναλογία εργαλείων και ένα μέγεθος ροδών που του έδωσαν μια ταχύτητα 23,5 μιλίων ανά ώρα ανά 1000 περιστροφές/λεπτό. Η μην μετρώντας αύξηση ροδών, θεωρητική κορυφαία ταχύτητα ήταν 141 σε μια κόκκινη γραμμή 6.000 περιστροφών/λεπτό, αλλά θα μπορούσα μόνο να την πάρω μέχρι 5.800. .. και πήρε έναν μακροχρόνιο χρόνο να φθάσει εκεί. Θα έφθανε σε 100 αρκετά εύκολα, αλλά εκείνο το στο τέλος 37 mph. .. πήρε. .. για. .. πάντα.

Just thought I'd share what this thread looks like to me. :D

Lisa

I CAN break it down into a simple -- but long -- explanation, thereby adding to your store of useless knowledge. Question is . . . do you WANT me to? :D

Ken V.

[Joe Konrath]

Some of you may or may not know that Godzilla's Japanese name is Gojira (which is what those of us close to the Big Guy call him). Isn't it odd that the American distributor changed his name to a word the Japanese can't pronounce?

The most famous horror author in Japan is Edo Gawa Rampo, a man who took his name from a famous English horror writer.

Hint: say the name slowly. It's a Japanization of an English name.

Rampo has had several dozen movies based on his work and his life, including the famous MOJU (Blind Beast) and BLACK LIZARD, both must-sees for fans of Nippon cinema.

Joe :cool:

[The Mad American]

Isn't it funny how a question about how the US distributors of Godzilla got from Gojira to Godzilla turned into a gearhead discussion on the wonders of Japanese automobiles?

I never thought of the Godzilla thing as far as the Japanese being able to pronounce it...that is odd. One thing to note, I lived in Japan for a while and the Japanese Defense Force (their military) still looks just like they do in the Godzilla movies. It made me happy in a strange way to see that they do indeed go around in fatigues with a white helmet and white gloves. Kind of like finding out the Easter Bunny does exist.

[Ken Valentine]

Isn't it funny how a question about how the US distributors of Godzilla got from Gojira to Godzilla turned into a gearhead discussion on the wonders of Japanese automobiles?


I find what unravels when you start pulling on a thread absolutely fascinating.

Ken V. Whose train of thought just derailed.

[jimbow8]

Isn't it funny how a question about how the US distributors of Godzilla got from Gojira to Godzilla turned into a gearhead discussion on the wonders of Japanese automobiles?
Yeah, they usually turn into a gun discussion. This auto thing puts a new twist on things. Unfortunately, I have little knowledge in this area either. :p