Datsun roadster is a full frame car like the Tr4, the MGB is a unibody
construction, so dates make no difference the Datsun was actually a
combination of europen car designs.
Mike Kerr
Roadster Restoration
3730 Todrob LN.
Placerville CA. 95667
Ph.# 530-644-6777
Fax# 530-644-7252
E-mail: mikekerr@innercite.com
Web page : http://www.innercite.com/~wolfgang
Visa & master card
-----Original Message-----
From: Fred_Katz@ci.sf.ca.us <Fred_Katz@ci.sf.ca.us>
To: steven wren <stevair@webtv.net>; B Strachan <bstrachan@home.com>
Cc: datsun-roadsters-digest@autox.team.net
<datsun-roadsters-digest@autox.team.net>
Date: Friday, May 07, 1999 9:32 AM
Subject: Re[2]: Fwd: our roadster an MGB copy?!!
>Barrie,
>
>I have another magazine article, by Ken Gross, April 1997. It says the 1962
>1500 Sports was the successor to the 1959-62 Fair Lady convertible, and it
>appeared at the 1961 Tokyo Motor Show. This was the SPL-310 show car. This
>article confirms what John Matras article states, the production version
>appeared at the New York Auto Show in the spring of 1962. Ken Gross'
>article also confirms that roadgoing MGB's did not arrive until fall of
>1962. So although Datsun edged out MG by a half-year, Datsun was actually
>showing the car the year before the production version.
>
>Fred - So.SF
>
>__________________________ Reply Separator ____________________________
>>Subject: Re: Fwd: our roadster an MGB copy?!!
>>Author: B Strachan <bstrachan@home.com>
>>Date: 5/6/99 5:34 PM
>>
>>Steven,
>>
>>The following is quoted from "Datsun/Nissan Sports Car Buyer's Guide",
>>by John Matras (Motorbooks International, Osceola, WI 1996) pp 18 - 20:
>>
>>"Although the roadster is often called a copy of the MGB, it would not
>>seem to be so unless MG had been outwitted by Datsun's own secret
>>agents. The New York Auto Show [where the SPL-310 was introduced in
>>1962] is a Spring affair, and the MGB was not shown to the public until
>>the London Auto Show in October 1962.... As the two cars were under
>>development at the same time, similarities would seem to be
>>coincidental, the effect of reading from the same page rather than one
>>replicating the other's work."
>>
>>Even more convincing, I had the great privilege of spending an afternoon
>>with Mr.Hidehiro Iizuka when he visited Classic Datsun Motorsports last
>>February. Mr. Iizuka was a member of the SPL-310 design team and he
>>"was there and did that". He was very clear that the Roadster design
>>evolved from the SP-210 four-seater roadster and a performance/size
>>specification. There was NO copying involved, although the similarities
>>between the cars are obvious. I think Mr. Matras is right, the Brits
>>and the Nissan designers were reading off the same page, but not out of
>>each others' books. Why the Brits are so snotty about their cars in
>>general escapes me... having owned Brit cars (MG TD, Jag E-type) I
>>would take a Roadster or a Z car any day.
>>
>>Whatever, the chronology indicates that if anybody copied anybody, the
>>Brits copied the SPL-310!
>>
>>A more complete account of the visit with Mr. Iizuka may be appearing in
>>Z Car and Classic Datsun Magazine one of these days.
>>
>>Give 'em hell ;-)
>>
>>Barrie
>>'66 2000
>>San Diego
>>-----
>>steven wren wrote:
>>
>>> From: stevair@webtv.net (steven wren)
>>> Date: Mon, 3 May 1999 21:57:39 -0700 (PDT)
>>> To: datsun-roadsters-digest@autox.team.net
>>> Subject: our roadster an MGB copy?!!
>>
>>> Anyone seen the periodical "Sports Car Market"? I subscribe, it's Great,
>>> really.
>>> =A0 But,,, in a column called "Ask Mr. Kerb" someone asks the value of a
>>> 1600 Fairlady SPL-311 roadster.
>>> I think you see where this story is going.. Mr. Kerb sees this as a
>>> right hand Japanese car that "...were really copies of the English MGB.
>>> Hamstrung by their ungainly appearance, they were sturdy and had decent
>>> performance and handling. But if they were a blind date, we might say
>>> they weren't pretty but had a nice personality..."
>>> =A0Ooooo. this got my undies bunched up-
>>> I intend to set the confused Mr. Kerb straight, but don't remember the
>>> facts of when the SRL was introduced, was it 2 months before the MGB at
>>> what auto show?
>>> =A0 Also will mention the 200? + championships Nissan has acheived vs.
>>> HOW
>>> many for Brtish Leyland?
>>> =A0 anyone care to refresh my memory so I can send off a proper response
>>> to MISTER KERB?
>>> Steve Wren
>>>
>>> --WebTV-Mail-1140825532-3664--
>>
>
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