Mike,
The whole point of this thread is that this guy in Sports Car Market was
saying the SPL-310 was a copy of the MGB, and it isn't! Although the
SPL-310 has some unibody characteristics, as you say, it's different. But
it came out before the MGB, not after.
And then that guy was saying they weren't pretty! We gotta defend our gals.
Fred - So.SF
BTW, I left a message for you. Call me.
_________________________ Reply Separator ___________________________
>Subject: Re: Re[2]: Fwd: our roadster an MGB copy?!!
>Author: "Mike Kerr" <mikekerr@innercite.com>
>Date: 5/7/99 3:30 PM
>
>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.
>>>> 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..."
>>>> Ooooo. 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?
>>>> Also will mention the 200? + championships Nissan has acheived vs.
>>>> HOW
>>>> many for Brtish Leyland?
>>>> 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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