Tributes flow as father of Nissan Z dies at 105

Yutaka Katayama, the father of the Nissan Z cars has passed away aged 105. Photo / AP

Yutaka Katayama (pictured), a former president of Nissan Motor's US unit who built the Z sports car into a powerful global brand in the 1970s, has died. He was 105.

Known as the "father of the Z", Katayama won international respect for the Datsun Z as an affordable sports car at a time when Japan-made products were synonymous with slipshod quality.

Katayama, who retired from Nissan in 1977, died of heart failure at a Tokyo hospital, his son Mitsuo said.

Carlos Ghosn, who has led a turnaround at the Japanese carmaker under an alliance with Renault, resurrected Katayama's legendary status at Nissan by bringing back the Z, which had been discontinued in 1996.

Inducted into the Automotive Hall of Fame in the US and Japan, Katayama is revered by Z fan clubs around the world, which nicknamed him "Mr K".

"A car is a horse. I want to drive a thoroughbred that's in tune with my heartbeat, but not something that's too dressed up for someone like me," Katayama said. He had a vivacious personality, unusual for a Japanese person of his generation.

A Nissan Fairlady Z NISMO is displayed at the media preview for the Tokyo Motor Show in 2013.

He made one of the first colour films of a Datsun, innovating visual story telling for marketing, something taken for granted in the motor industry today.

"With a love of cars and a flare for promotion, he built the Datsun brand, Nissan's initial brand name in the US, from scratch," Nissan said.

Mitsuo Katayama said his father was zooming around in the Z in heaven, no longer worried about "gas, police or traffic tickets".

-AP