Yutaka Katayama, affectionately known as "Mr. K" passed away at the age of 105, on February 20. The first president of Nissan Motor Corporation U.S.A. is also know among petrolheads as the "father of the Z".
Yutaka Katayama ran Nissan's U.S. operations from the 1970s and the automotive industry has credited him with as the father of the Datsun Z. Mr. Katayama was the first to make a color film of a Datsun on Japanese roads and his love for cars, coupled with an eye for promotion, stood as foundation for the Datsun brand, Nissan's initial name in the United States.
Besides building the company from scratch, Mister K was team manager as two Datsun 210s took part in a rally competition around Australia, managing to secure the win and boost the Datsun brand all over the world.
After his retirement in 1977, Yutaka Katayama was included in the American Automotive Hall of Fame in 1998. In this way, the automotive world recognized and celebrated Mr. K's contribution in developing generation of cars that redefined the American market. He was also the one to setup the first key concepts of the Z-car.'
"Yutaka Katayama (Mr. "K") was a passionate ambassador for the Datsun and Nissan brands and our condoleances go out to his family and friends. His more than 80 years in the car business included an induction into both the American and Japanese Hall of Fames. He was a pioneer on both sides of the Pacific, and we are grateful for his service to Nissan and his passion for our brands," says a release from Associated Press.
The original Z was sold in October 1969 in Japan under the Nissan Lady Z moniker. The car was exported as the Datsun 240Z, a vehicle that was praised by automotive enthusiasts for its good looks, reliability, performance and affordability.
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