Datsun Z 50Th Anniversary Front Grille Badges And Leather Key Rings !

[Sean Dezart]

Be one of the first to celebrate fifty years of the Datsun Z with one of these limited edition, top-quality enamel grille badges.

 

 

With a diameter of 80mm (3.15‘’), thickness of  3mm (0.118") and weighing in at 100g (3.53oz), it can’t fail to be noticed and will last for years !

Raised letters, fantastic detailing and strong colours

 

Securely fixed to your grille via a long, threaded bolt, two locking nuts and a vertical bar to fit behind the grills’ horizontal bars at whichever height suits best.

 

 

 

 

Limited edition, top-quality leather - hide laser-etched keyrings.

 

With a diameter of 44mm (1.73‘’) and a thickness of  3mm (0.118") it is hardwearing, durable and will gradually become softer with use !

Fantastic, intricate detailing and made to securely last for many years.

 

 

Free sticker included with both the above : inside window sticker of the same design.

 

The diameter of 80mm (3.15‘’) gaurantees a great visibility with fitment inside your window to last and can be removed/replaced whenever you want - yes, reusable !

 

Prices :

 

AUS$58 for the badge including postage

AUS$23 for the key ring including postage

 

 

All posted within a bubble-wrapped envelope for extra protection.I will group ship on multiple orders.

[Rickers]

The sticker looks really cool! Is there any reason you went with that colour scheme with the grille badge over a more traditional datsun one? (i.e. red/blue). I'd be really interested in something like below, although I would imagine it would need to be reworked by someone that is good with design/art.

 

[Andrew_L26]

The sticker looks really cool! Is there any reason you went with that colour scheme with the grille badge over a more traditional datsun one? (i.e. red/blue). I'd be really interested in something like below, although I would imagine it would need to be reworked by someone that is good with design/art.

 

240z_50th_2_1.png

Normally 50 years is celebrated with gold so I think that's where it came from!

[Rickers]

Normally 50 years is celebrated with gold so I think that's where it came from!

 

Ah! Great point, still not a fan though.

[Sean Dezart]

Hiya Rickers.

 

All fair points and we're all entitled to our own view of things.

 

I drew some inspiration from Nissans' anniversary badges (10 years of S and 50 years of Nissan (see attached images) and gold is obvious for 50 years.

 

Next, the badge is only 80mm in diameter and for it to be seen under a shaded grill (from the bonnet/hood), it needs to have clear and distinct colours. A white background was therefore ideal and in any case, 80mm all round is bigger then, for example, your idea.

 

After that, keep the colours simple, not only because more colours cost more money and where mine has 2x (black and gold), yours (for ex) has double that but more colours on an already small image, at distance and shaded losed its' impact.

 

Also, I figured that the word 'DATSUN' would speak for itself irrespective as to whether or not I used period colours schemes...ask yourself, if you removed the 'Z', would you look at your image and think Datsun Z / 240Z ? It could be almost anything and not specifically automobile related.

 

I'm not having a go at you and there are perhaps other designs which might have worked  too ; I'm  trying simply to emphasise that I thought it through and I figured that the most cost-effective* and 'punchy' image that clearly got the message across was that which I've presented here.

 

*After paying the molds, manufacture, shipping and then covering the cost of shipping it out to you (envelope+postage) and a free sticker (which cost to make etc), there really isn't a great margin and what I make I shall be contributing to our national clubs' first really big indoor classic-car salon next November to celebrate the Zs' 50 years....so all for a good cause !

 

My aim is to make some serious noise worldwide so that after 50 years hard work, the Z is truly and ubiquitously treated with all the respect it deserves as a true classic car with a full and varied competition pedigree !

[Rickers]

Hey, thanks for taking the time to reply

 

I'd like to add, just before I get into this, I think what you're doing is great and I wish you the best of luck raising funds for your classic-car salon in Novemeber. I also really like your sticker.

 

 

All fair points and we're all entitled to our own view of things.

 

Cheers, I hope nothing I say offends you. I'm not an artist, I've never tried creating badges and I've never been informed of any prices that are faced when creating badges. I do know what I like though, and I'm definitely not afraid of giving out my opinion to those who don't want it

 

 

 

I drew some inspiration from Nissans' anniversary badges (10 years of S and 50 years of Nissan (see attached images) and gold is obvious for 50 years.

 

Those badges look really good, and I can definitely see that you are drawing some inspiration from them. I guess the biggest difference is how clear, and simple they are. There's no overlapping of the more complex shapes, and even though the Anniversary is small it's clearly legible. My favourites are definitely the bottom two.

 

 

 

Next, the badge is only 80mm in diameter and for it to be seen under a shaded grill (from the bonnet/hood), it needs to have clear and distinct colours. A white background was therefore ideal and in any case, 80mm all round is bigger then, for example, your idea.

 

I agree, clear and distinct colours should be used, that's why I chose the blue and red for my crude example, any car guy is going to look at the blue/red and think Datsun, very distinct. Was there any reason to go the white background over, let's say, a black one? As much as this badge should stand out from the others on the vehicle, I believe it should be at least similar to the factory ones.

 

I think the obvious next step to take would be clear, legible text. The badges that you took inspiration from have very clear, legible text. Even the small Anniversary text is quite easy to read and I think it's because of how Nissan has placed it on very simple backgrounds (i.e. the text is on a solid background, with no overlapping, or the text is on a simple square-ish ribbon with a uniform background colour of gold). When I look at your badge, I can hardly read the Anniversary text and because there is so much text, it's simply not as clear as the badges you took inspiration from, it looks a bit crammed. I think my crude example also fails to make the Anniversary text clear and legible.

 

Uh, what size are you referring to? My crude example is just a 20 minute gimp2 image that was 1024px x 1024px in size that has been resized to 256px x 256px to save my internetsss. It has no dimensions stated, or otherwise implied. I'm sorry if this wasn't clear. It was just a mock-up of what I imagine the badge being.

 

 

 

After that, keep the colours simple, not only because more colours cost more money and where mine has 2x (black and gold), yours (for ex) has double that but more colours on an already small image, at distance and shaded losed its' impact.

 

I agree, K.I.S.S (keep it simple, stupid. Thanks to my primary school teachers), but I do not agree that because my crude example has 2 more colours than yours, it loses it's impact. From a distance the crude example would be more identifiable than your badge, simply because of those red/blue colours I have used, whereas for both, the text becomes very hard to read at any sort of distance, especially the very close together Anniversary text.

 

I agree, shade would be a huge factor but shade doesn't just effect mine... Your badge has super dark colours for the text, that is small and very close together, as soon as any shade hit's the badge, it's not going to be legible... So I guess if we combine both of our ideas together, whilst in the shade, we may get that our combined badge is blue and red with a gold 50, haha.

 

I have no idea on pricing, so thanks for letting me know that there maybe/is limits to the amount of colours basic prices may include.

 

 

 

Also, I figured that the word 'DATSUN' would speak for itself irrespective as to whether or not I used period colours schemes...ask yourself, if you removed the 'Z', would you look at your image and think Datsun Z / 240Z ? It could be almost anything and not specifically automobile related.

 

The keyword Datsun definitely does, when you go up close enough to read it. Whereas the Blue/Red (symbolic Datsun colours that any car guy knows) could be seen from a lot further away than your badge could be read, which seems to fall into one of your points earlier on about a badge losing it's impact.

 

If I saw my crude example without the Z, I agree I would not be able to tell which Datsun it's for, but if we removed 240z from yours, which Datsun is yours from? Isn't that why we put those on there???

 

I guess you're right about the badge being anything (if the person does not make the reference to Datsun from the colours), you must think the same thing about the 280zx anniversary sticker, or your badge if the person doesn't know what a Datsun is. If I saw a badge on a car I would think 'hey, that has something to do with that car. It says 50th Anniversary. Oh! It must be something to do with the 50th Anniversary of this car.' but that could just be me.

 

 

 

I'm not having a go at you and there are perhaps other designs which might have worked  too ; I'm  trying simply to emphasise that I thought it through and I figured that the most cost-effective* and 'punchy' image that clearly got the message across was that which I've presented here.

 

It's the internet, if you get offended on it then you're using it wrong!

 

I'll agree to disagree with that, I agree that you've put a lot of effort into this, but I don't agree that it's the best choice. (ex. the Anniversary lettering in the badge compared to the sticker is on the verge of not being able to be read and the whole design seems squished and doesn't seem to have any similarities with any of the other, factory, badges on the car).

 

 

 

*After paying the molds, manufacture, shipping and then covering the cost of shipping it out to you (envelope+postage) and a free sticker (which cost to make etc), there really isn't a great margin and what I make I shall be contributing to our national clubs' first really big indoor classic-car salon next November to celebrate the Zs' 50 years....so all for a good cause !

 

My aim is to make some serious noise worldwide so that after 50 years hard work, the Z is truly and ubiquitously treated with all the respect it deserves as a true classic car with a full and varied competition pedigree !

 

Awesome! I hope the car salon goes well and i think it's great what you're doing, I wish you the best of luck.

[Sean Dezart]

I always associated blue and red stripes like that with Martini Racing and therefore Porsches and Lancias.

 

Cheers.

[Rickers]

I always associated blue and red stripes like that with Martini Racing and therefore Porsches and Lancias.

 

Cheers.

 

Even when they're on a Datsun?

[dat2kman]

Forget the blue/red, that was just some US based privateer, that every Tom, Dick and Harry now copies.

 

I reckon what you have done is very good, and bearing in mind it doesn't really kick off until late next year, 2019, if you push it to as many sites, and pages, as possible, to get the wider car enthusiast community, to realise that the Z car will soon be 50 years old, will hopefully focus more attention on the Japanese classic cars.

 

A number of years back, one of the Aus Z clubs did a small run of similar high quality badges, to commemorate their existence, a few of these very high quality badges were put on some cars, but the majority were just put into a draw or boxes of memorabilia.

 

You look at a lot of the Brit/auK cars at car shows, and they proudly wear their tin badges!

[Sean Dezart]

 to get the wider car enthusiast community, to realise that the Z car will soon be 50 years old, will hopefully focus more attention on the Japanese classic cars.

 

You look at a lot of the Brit/auK cars at car shows, and they proudly wear their tin badges!

 

That's the aim - we should all be on a crusade - this is me starting early and in 2020 (50 yrs after the Z was exported to us lucky few, I'll be celebrating with a huge stand at Le Mans Classic - every year there are +900 Porkers - having just 50x 240Zs and sharing with our other Datsun/Nissan sporting friends to make a 100 cars would already be pretty cool.

 

Rickers....yes, but which Datsun - I see the red/blue on pickups and the like

[Rickers]

 

Rickers....yes, but which Datsun - I see the red/blue on pickups and the like

 

Lucky I put the Z on it   If you have any other questions about the crude design I mocked up, please feel free to PM me.

 

Anyway, back to the actual badge in question, not my 20 min crude design...

 

Will you be fixing the hard to read anniversary for the next batch? Or is this it? Are we able to buy the sticker separately?

[Sean Dezart]

Lucky I put the Z on it

 

Will you be fixing the hard to read anniversary for the next batch? Or is this it? Are we able to buy the sticker separately?

Yes indeed.

 

Noted that the word 'anniversary' isn't that legible and it could have read 'years' in bigger test but I feel it had to be that word - it's recognised worldwide and always associated with Nissan. But....the laurel leaves and '50' scream at you - I think.

I'll sell the stickers seperately and in anticipation have already ordered a series with just 'Z' and not '240Z' for our later-model cousins and whale-herders.

 

You'll have to let me know which you'd like.

 

1x sticker posted = AUS$4.5 or two for AUS$7.5 (if you have a friend nearby wanting one to save on some postage).

[Rickers]

I don't have friends but I'll still take 2 of the 240z ones. Let me know where the $$$ has to go.

 

cheers

[Sean Dezart]

seanz@wanadoo.fr (AUS$7.5, paypal as a gift between family and 'friends' please) and PM me your adress please.

 

Thanks.

[sidedraught]

Forget the blue/red, that was just some US based privateer, that every Tom, Dick and Harry now copies.

 

 Really? Blue and Red have been Datsuns colours for at least 50 years, its on the badges, on the brochures, on the signage.

[Rickers]

seanz@wanadoo.fr (AUS$7.5, paypal as a gift between family and 'friends' please) and PM me your adress please.

 

Thanks.

 

Sorry, I'm not trying to screw you around but sending as a gift adds a transaction fee that is very similar to the price of the item. 

 

I'm going to give them a miss, sorry about that.

 

[sidedraught]

Paypal and Ebay are taking the piss with their fee structure.

[260DET]

 Really? Blue and Red have been Datsuns colours for at least 50 years, its on the badges, on the brochures, on the signage.

 

He's confused, again. The 'privateer' was BRE, Brock Racing Enterprises, and his cars colour scheme included red, white and blue diagonal bars below the A pillar.

[24 Dat]

That's the aim - we should all be on a crusade - this is me starting early and in 2020 (50 yrs after the Z was exported to us lucky few, I'll be celebrating with a huge stand at Le Mans Classic - every year there are +900 Porkers - having just 50x 240Zs and sharing with our other Datsun/Nissan sporting friends to make a 100 cars would already be pretty cool.

 

 

 

At Challenge Bathurst 2020 i am planning to have a group of 50 Z's and ZX's and 5 spots for other awesome Datsun/Nissan so please keep that in mind.

Mostly likely November 2020, possibly the most Z's you will see on a track competing in Australia at one time and a huge static display of Z's and ZX's as well over the weekend.

[Sean Dezart]

Excellent - make sure the press know of it and keep reminding them !

[Sean Dezart]

Sorry, I'm not trying to screw you around but sending as a gift adds a transaction fee that is very similar to the price of the item. 

 

I'm going to give them a miss, sorry about that.

 

chrome_2018-04-20_12-19-19.png

Sorry - never seen that before, normally it's only a little more - crazy !

[dat2kman]

Really? Blue and Red have been Datsuns colours for at least 50 years, its on the badges, on the brochures, on the signage.

Only in America!

Go back and look at the original footage of the Datsuns racing in Japan, 1960's/1970's, they were all varying solid colour cars, no stripes, it was just the loud garish Yanks that multi coloured them!

[boyblunda]

I recently placed an order with Sean and expected to pay a surcharge(s) of some kind and did not pay much notice to them - a $162 order ended up being a little over $172 and I thought that was okay.

 

I have not looked into the breakdown of the additional charges but maybe it is a greater proportion of the total if the amount to be paid is smaller.

 

Maybe if people got together, and put in their order and paid a single transaction, they might cut down the proportion of the surcharges.

 

Great idea to put out a second run of the stickers for those like myself who are 260Z owners. I will be ordering some of those with my next order.

 

Best wishes with all of this Sean. It has obviously had a lot of thought and time given to an enterprise that promotes the S30, and for which there is no personal financial gain for yourself.

[24 Dat]

You gotta love google 

https://listcarbrands.com/datsun-logo/ 

https://listcarbrands.com/nissan-logo/

https://kashmalahasan.wordpress.com/2016/05/26/digital-branding-nissan-since-1931/

 

 

Below from one of the links, but the other also you can search say  The Blue rectangle represents the sky and the red circle, the rising sun from the Japanese flag 

and who knows maybe white as purity or the white of the flag

 

"From the foundation of the company in 1930s Nissan Motor Company produced both Datsun and Nissan-branded vehicles. However, according to the company’s policy, it was Datsun that provided cars for export markets and required a recognizable logo to advertise them. A simple yet clever logo was introduced :- A blue rectangle  with Datsun inscription in white letters, embedded into the red circle, reflecting the sun"

[sidedraught]

Only in America!

Go back and look at the original footage of the Datsuns racing in Japan, 1960's/1970's, they were all varying solid colour cars, no stripes, it was just the loud garish Yanks that multi coloured them!

 

The badge on my 1000 coupe from 1968 is red white and blue, and they were never sold into North America.