thorstlink

Hello Alan, thanks al lot for your answer. I do the best to answer in understandable English. Your words testify high expertise. I agree to almost everything you have written. And: My words were possibly ambiguous. I'm not of the opinion Goertz represented. I have quoted merely from the talks and his representations. His biography is stereotyped, his life-history sweeping over and over again. I am confident of the fact that Goertz has created many of his realities and he has edged out the reality about that. Schizophrenia. Unfortunately. I also indicated it: I have got to know Goertz as a difficult, self-opinionated person whose credibility is a delicate matter. At best in deference to his high age. I contradict only in one point: Goertz has not started his professional trips to Japan to rush at the buffets of the hosts, but I'm sure it is a humor. Of course the Japanese have knew how to develop the right feel. This is valid in special way for the activities at the US market. Görtz was an adviser, not more, not less. Still: I have big respect for his life work. Who has experienced how he has reported with tears in the eyes about his time in BMW how proud he was on his 507, that forgives him for the pompous which marks his character in serious manner. Thorsten

Hi John, I would love to do so. At the moment I am happy that the good piece has got over the North Atlantic trip unscathed. Once more such an adventure does not stand my heart! CheerZZ Thorsten

Thanks for your warmly welcome. John: yes of course, I try to add some pictures. I imported my 240 Z from the US. American Z experts helped me to find a good serie 1 with all their expertise and cooperativeness. Wonderful! Galderi: I have been at the Nürburgring/Pfalz and it's famous Nordschleife several times but not with my Zedd. Every year there is the impressing Classic Car Grand Prix end of July. Thats really fantastic! Pantah: I met count Goertz first on the Concorso d'eleganza villa Deste at Lake Como, Italy, one of the most important classic car events in the world. I had agreed on this thus with BMW, because I wanted to produce a film about him. Goertz told me during a long interview a lot about his life as a young designer who went courageously and on own initiative in the USA to make there as an industrial designer career. Apparently by chance he met Raymond Loewy at the Waldorf Astoria. He gave him a job. This was the start of the career. End of the fifties Goertz travelled to Japan to get to know the bosses of the most important car manufacturers. His most important meeting, he believed, was Honda. He stood with the doorman and asked to speak Mr. Honda. He would never have thought that there somebody would appear. Mr. Honda did and showed Goertz the whole company. Goertz could persuade the Japanese to build cars which also hit to the taste of buyers from the western continents, above all from the USA, even if his first order was still a typical Japanese for Nissan: the Datsun 1600 sport (SPL311). Of course he has stressed over and over again how important his efforts towards a Japanese sports-car were. The early draughts and prototypes with Goertz design already had this fantastic GT form. Nissan had rejected the project after Toyota with the 2000 GT was quicker on the market. The project failed. The fact that Nissan sketched later a "cheap variation", thinks Goertz, is his salary. When I met him, above all last, he was already more than 90 years old. I experienced him as a difficult, a little bit bitter character. Still: I will never forget the meetings.

Hi AusZCar members, I have discovered your interesting web page and would participate with pleasure in your discussions to get to know the interesting Z scene of Australia. My name is Thorsten and I am from the southwest of Germany, only a few minutes of France and one hour away from Switzerland. I own a Datsun 240z, series 1, construction year 1970 in 918 orange. Classical Zedds are extremely rare in Germany, anyhow the first series are absolutely known. As a TV reporter I had the honour to meet the designer count Goertz while still alive several times and talked to him about the history of the early Japanese car history. This meeting had kindled absolutely also my enthusiasm for the Zcar, even if I know that Goertz was not the designer of this vehicle, at most an idea supplier. Admittedly, I have for many years an informal relation to Australia. My sister-in-law lives in Sydney and has married there in summer. Thorsten