I. Introduction

If you believe car magazines, read books or even look at international publications on the subject of Nissan or Datsun or even the Nissan Fairlady Z, Datsun 240Z or Japanese vehicles in general, then one thing quickly becomes clear: Albrecht Graf von Schlitz, known as von Goertz and von Wrisberg, provided the sketches for the design of the Datsun 240Z.

Some even say that he is the true designer of this car. Others say it was his idea. Here and there you even read that he also worked on the Porsche 911.
But did he? All that? No one is sure, and if you ask around a bit and read several sources, there is clearly no clear line here whether he was the designer, head of design or the designer of the Z. Somehow he seems to have been involved in everything. Alone. From America. Without speaking Japanese. Without having visited Japan and Nissan too often. And without the help of Nissan's Japanese employees. But could that really have been the case? Can he alone be responsible for the success of these cars, and who else at Nissan was involved? You read very little about KIMURA Kazuo, MATSUO Yoshihiko or ITSUKI Chiba and YOSHIDA Fumio in above all German-speaking countries.

At this point, I apologize for a very German view of this topic. But I, the author of this article, am German. And in general, it is often the Germans who attach great importance to their German count. After all, he is said to have helped Nissan to create such a successful car. But let's wait and see.

And why should they? After all, they were "only" Japanese employees of a large corporation and not blue-blooded German designers whose business cards are almost exclusively adorned with the BMW 507.

So let's embark on a journey full of contradictions, quotations and copied repetitions.

Me, Florian Steinl, Datsun enthusiast, collector of thousands of Nissan documents and early fan of the brand, is in charge of this work. Thanks are also due to Thorsten Link, German journalist, editor and presenter of many car magazines. Thanks are also due to Alan Thomas, Carl Beck, Kats Endo, Brian Long and Ian Patmore, whose tireless commitment has kept the subject of the Z alive for many decades and who have endeavored to provide facts and evidence.

To tell this story, however, you always have to let Albrecht Goertz's fans have their say. The necessary research was therefore not always easy, and you usually come across very one-sided views.

"But I wouldn't wake any sleeping dogs. It won't help anyone, whether they were involved or not."

"Well, that's going to be a tough nut to crack. The Silvia thing is even in the relevant Nissan books. But I really can't write anymore about it conscientiously. I also don't think you'll find anyone who will burn their fingers."

The president of the German Z club. on Facebook, early October 2022

So did it take precisely this one German industrial designer to make a Japanese car brand a success? Does anyone really care what it was like and whether Albrecht Goertz developed the Z?

Some say "no". Others say "yes" - and it is precisely for these people that this article is dedicated.

But let's start at the beginning. Let's try to understand Goertz as a person a little better and get a picture of a man who has been called the "007 of design" (Tassilo von Grolman, founder of the German Designer Club DDC).

Goertz was born in 1914 on the Brunkensen/Alfeld (Leine) estate. He completed an apprenticeship at Deutsche Bank, went to London to work for a private bank, moved to Los Angeles, assembled aircraft engines, washed and tuned cars and developed a talent as a draftman of hot rods. He also changed his name from Görtz to Goertz to make things easier for the Americans.

In the process, he succeeded in having his own car built. A body designed by him, placed on the chassis of a Ford Mercury. He called it the "Paragon" and, quite by chance, was given the opportunity to exhibit it at the 1939 World's Fair in San Francisco. A groundbreaking little success that was to shape his future. However, the war interfered with his early career as a designer or even car manufacturer, and he was called up to the army in 1940, having become a US citizen shortly beforehand.

5 years later, he returned from the army to Los Angeles and visited his ex-wife Julie "Luli" Dorothea von Bodenhausen in New York. She was now married to Paul Kolsman, and they lived together in the penthouse of the Waldorf-Astoria Hotel. They had arranged a room for Goertz in the hotel, before which Goertz parked his self-built car and went into the hotel.
(source: "You've Got To Be Lucky" - Chapter 5 from his book)

There he was approached by a man he didn't know who wanted to know what kind of car it was. In his self-confident manner, he readily told him that it was a Ford and that he had made it himself in his garage.

The stranger is immediately enthusiastic and introduces himself as Raymond Loewy. He was an industrial designer and was working for Studebaker at the time, together with his design company. Loewy was enthusiastic about Goertz's design work and hired him after Goertz had first studied at the Pratt Institute in Brooklyn.

"Do you know Studebaker? No? We do great things. Work for us."
Raymond Loewy, in front of the Waldorf-Astoria, 1945, quoted by Goertz in an interview with Thorsten Link

Goertz spent just over 2 years with Loewy, but was then dismissed again. He is credited with having been responsible for various elements of the Studebaker vehicles during this time. Truthfully, however, this was more of a team effort. The other colleagues, on the other hand, are never mentioned by name in books. Goertz was also still studying at the time and generally new to the industry.

"You will never become a designer. Make sure you marry a rich woman!"
says an article by Jürgen Lossau from the Hamburg Film and Television Museum, who interviewed Goertz in April 2001 (link to source).

He leaves Loewy's studio.

But Goertz did not give up. He founded his own design studio - Goertz Industrial Design, Inc. in New York - at the age of 39. (link to source)

A short time later, another fateful chance encounter happened.
He came across Max Hoffmann, who was considered the largest car dealer in New York at the time. He mainly sold luxury brands from Europe. Mercedes, Porsche and BMW and was a respected businessman.

It was therefore not surprising that Hoffmann's success gave him an early insight into the manufacturers' planning of new models - including at BMW, where a roadster sports car project was being planned.

However, Hoffmann was not convinced by what BMW's design team had to show at the time, and he went to Goertz, whom he had previously met at a motor show.
(link to source)

He advised him to create his own designs and send them to Munich. Goertz, who was convinced early on that he was the best of them all, was the one to go knocking on doors. No matter what it was about.

"I couldn't even give it away, why don't you be so kind and make a few designs?"
Hoffmann told Goertz - it was all about the preliminary work for BMW.
Interview about the design work on the Steinway & Sons 125th Anniversary Limited Edition Grand Piano in 2005 - (link to source)

10–12 days later, the answer via Telegram. He should come to Munich and audition at BMW.

Goertz's work scored points, and he managed to win over BMW. In January 1955, contracts were signed, and he designed the BMW 507 and subsequently the 503. The actual work was actually by Kurt Bredschneider - but is wrongly attributed to Goertz.

"The BMW 507 is a roadster from BMW. Like the BMW 503, the model designed by Albrecht Graf von Goertz is considered an icon of automotive design,"
(source: bmw-veteranenclub.at)

Both landed at the IAA in Frankfurt in late summer 1955 and the cars were celebrated as a complete success, because BMW managed to show an "opponent" for the 300SL from Mercedes, which at the same time was to become THE calling card for Goertz, who was otherwise not really a car designer. (link to source)(link to source 2)

But how did Goertz, who worked in New York, manage to deliver something tangible to BMW in such a short time? He visited BMW several times, but worked centrally from New York.

The trick was - and this is very important for later - that he created huge clay models and had them transported to Munich by ship.
This process enabled him to convince BMW of his design achievements - at least for some BMW employees.

His self-confident demeanor was not always well received and, as with Loewy before him, he was very controversial. As a result, Goertz and BMW parted ways, with some managers disagreeing with him. (link to source)

But Goertz had long since returned to New York when BMW board member Hans Grewenig sent him a telegram:
"The 507 is the star of the show! Congratulations!"

The car gained a worldwide reputation. So did Goertz, who, with his arrogant manner, was firmly convinced that anything was now possible. Nevertheless, only just over 250 examples of the BMW 507 were sold.

"If I can appeal to someone emotionally with a car, I can do the same with another product" - said Goertz after his deal with BMW. (link to source)

And he was proved right. He was commissioned by Agfa, Kienzle and Rowenta. He designed toasters, clocks, pens and even chairs for the Mexican government. Not only that, but he worked obsessively and became more and more convinced that only he knew the way to success.

He tolerated no opinion other than his own, and took many by surprise with his manner. He demands. He commands. He strives for the maximum, the greatest. Where he is, he is ahead.

"I always wanted to be first."
Goertz says in the book "Nissan – Autos die Geschichte machen" by Joachim Kuch

So it was only natural that in 1958 he set himself the task of creating a design for the successor to the Porsche 356. He produced a clay model and applied to Dr. Ferry Porsche in 1959. But he turned him down.
"That's a Goertz, not a Porsche".
Shortly before this, he also met Ferdinand Alexander "Butzi" Porsche, whom Goertz advised to stop studying and gain practical experience in the Porsche body styling studio instead.
"That was perhaps my greatest contribution to Porsche." says Goertz. Porsche's future success is therefore based on this recommendation he so generously made.
(source: AutoBild Klassik, February 2011)

This "collaboration" resulted in several newspaper articles referring to him as the father of the 911.

For example, Terry Greenfield wrote the following lines in Automobile Quarterly, The Origin of the Species in 1986:
"He returned briefly to his native land to work on the 911 project for Porsche. (...) After BMW Goertz worked for Porsche, where he helped develop the styling for what would become the 911."

Or also:

"Goertz spent time with Porsche, where he was part of the team behind the 911."
(link to source)

But does that sound plausible? Because as we know, that's exactly what didn't happen - after all, the 911 was only planned as the 901 at that time. The name change came much later.

But none of that is important. What is important is what is happening here. Goertz manages, through his arrogant manner, not to deny connections and to maintain a certain reputation through the work of the press and to have a work attributed to him that can be turned into truth through constant repetition. And that's exactly what we see with the Nissan Silvia, Yamaha A550X and Datsun 240Z at a later point.

Because let's be honest. Which Porsche book reports on the influence of Goertz on the Porsche 901 or even the 911? Which Porsche driver proudly reports that Count Goertz had a major influence on this legend?

Porsche designers Willi Vetter, Karl Vettel, Georg Urbanczik, Rudi Maier and Walter Huettich in 1958.

Influenced by his time in America and his physique - he was relatively tall and slim - he holds on to the current street scene in the United States. Cars have to be big! That is clear to him. Because he sees the future of the automobile in the USA.

But what he doesn't see in the USA are vehicles from Japan - he senses an opportunity and decides to go to Japan in the winter of 1961 to talk to Japanese companies about his vision.

In a late interview with Thorsten Link, Goertz recounts how he boarded the plane and told the cab driver in Japan that he wanted to be taken to "Mr. Honda". When he arrived at the gate, he was met by Soichiro Honda himself, who knew and appreciated his first car, the BMW 507. Goertz recounts this tale from his life at every opportunity, and it can be found in almost all of his stories. (link to source)

But Honda takes no liking to the count. His manner is too cheeky. His demands are too conceited and uncompromising.

"Build cars for the USA! You're stupid if you don't."
These were his words to Thorsten Link in a conversation.

But the count doesn't give up. He rang Toyota, Mazda, Seiko, Fuji and Sony. In other words, not necessarily just companies that build cars. The count is obviously looking for potential customers, as he had told his wife on New Year's Eve 1961/1962 that he wanted to go to Japan. Without any sensible background, just like that, as a spontaneous intuition.
(source: AutoBild Klassik, February 2011)

"He is in Yokohama every eight weeks, with five designers under his command. Goertz designs the Silvia sports coupé CSP311 based on the Nissan Roadster, which is presented in Tokyo in September 1964."
(source: AutoBild Klassik, February 2011)

"His first work for the Nissan Group: the Silvia Coupé from 1964, a pretty, albeit well-behaved notchback two-door based on the Fairlady, built only 554 times."
(source: Alles Auto Exklusiv, 7-8 2021)

"Another beauty on the way to Miss Japan 1969 went by the name of Silvia. Albrecht Count Goertz (...) tailored Silvia's fitted dress (...)."
(source: Auto Motor Sport, 2003)

"Goertz (...) designed the Silvia (...)."
(source: Auto Zeitung Classic Cars, December 2019)

"The pioneering design of the Silvia came from the German designer Albrecht Count Goertz, who also created the basic features of the successful Z 240 coupé."
(source: Motor Klassik, Briten-Roadster trifft Japan-Rivale, 2014)
(link to source)

"This time, too, with success, as he delighted his new clients with a graceful two-door, which was called the Datsun Silvia in its homeland."
(source: Markt - Klassische Automobile und Motorräder, Dezember 1992)

"A few years later, he designed the Datsun Silvia for Nissan (...)."
(source: BMW - Mobile Tradition live, 2004)

"Goertz sought contact with Datsun in 1961 and found open doors there. This collaboration resulted in the Silvia Coupé (...)."
(source: Oldtimer Praxis, September 1998)

"Albrecht Count Goertz was responsible for the design of the Datsun Silvia Coupé 1500. For its successor, the 240 Z, he merely made suggestions. Goertz is therefore not the creator of the legendary Z sports car, even if he assessed this differently throughout his life," car chronicler Eberhard Kittler tells OLDTIMER MARKT, drawing a line under the file."
(source: Oldtimer Markt, March 2023)
(link to source)

"Nissan Silvia Coupé (1966) - Count Goertz changed almost every line of Kimura's original design."
(source: Zwischengas.com, 2012)

"And can it be called profound when the design of the Nissan Silvia is once again attributed to Albrecht Graf Goertz, even though the designer's name was Kazuo Kimura? In a word: no."
(source: AutoBild Klassik about the book "Legendäre japanische Sportwagen", August 2022)

"Albrecht Goertz runs his own industrial design office in New York City. Although he has other automotive successes to his credit (notably the handsome little Nissan Silvia coupe, never sold in the United States, more's the pity), he has not confined himself to cars, designing everything from movie cameras to furniture for Mexican schoolrooms."
(source: Road & Track, March 1971)

Let's take a deep breath and try to understand the contents of these selected articles. Goertz designs a Silvia sports coupé. It is his first work for Nissan. He tailors the dress for it. He makes his employer happy with this beauty. However, all of this is done in collaboration with Nissan. And this despite the fact that Goertz was actually a "one man show" who "liked to work alone" (Markt - Klassische Automobile und Motorräder - 12/1992). How should this be interpreted? His credo was always that he wanted to build large cars for the USA, because he saw the future of the automobile here. However, the Nissan Silvia was "too small and underpowered" (AutoBild Klassik, February 2011) from the outset after being exported to the USA and was therefore not a success in America. In other words, exactly the opposite of what Goertz always stood for. Does that fit together? Does that make sense for someone who delivers designs for a car to make his client happy?

But let's jump back in history a little and fly to Nissan in Japan. Even before Goertz was hired as a consultant, work was already underway there on a car that was to bear the name Datsun 1500 Coupé CSP311 and was based on the previously built Nissan Fairlady Roadster. KIMURA Kazuo, who had worked for Nissan for many years and had previously designed many models, was in charge of the project.

He also stated that the coupé project had been started without the approval of the design department and that it had never been given its own development code, such as the A550X.

The most important sketches for the later Silvia date from March 1963 and show something very close to the final design. Completely without Goertz. The rearview of these sketches is almost identical to the finished prototype and the production model. In addition, there were to be folding headlights, which were very popular at the time. In the end, however, the decision was made in favor of four fixed round headlights, as the retractable form proved to be difficult and would not have met American safety standards. The sketches clearly show a hatchback body, which was part of the original design brief from the outset. However, the angle of the c-pillars was to change later and, if a few books are to be believed, can be traced back to Goertz. KIMURA says he had difficulty modeling the body side and c-pillar of the design, which transitions from the fender to the body side and c-pillar. We'll keep that in mind. Because this is important for the later course.

Incidentally, the design and naming had its origins back in 1959 with the Bluebird (drum roll: model code WP311). The later models CSP311, SP311 and SR311 were based on this platform and thus looked back to the previous naming 211 and 110. Here, one thing leads to another, even without aristocratic help.

Incidentally, the sketches and research shown below are based on the work of Ian Patmore, whose detailed background information can be read here.

Translation from Japanese:
A commemorative photo was taken on New Year's Day in 1960. It was a lineup of all the employees of the ZOKEI (creative/craft/modeling) department posing on the roof of the second building of the Nissan design office in Takara-cho, Kanagawa-ku, Kanagawa-ken.
From right to left, front row: TESEN Masamichi, IIZUKA Hidehiro, SAN0 Isao, KAJIWARA Hidetoshi, TAKAHASHI Yoshiharu, TARUI Aki and IDA Isamu.
From right to left, back row: NAGA Nobuo, KITAGAWA Yu, OOTA Yukio, SUZUKI Sensuke, KANNO Shizue, CHIWATA Masaru, YOTSUMOTO Kazumi, TAKAHASHI Takeharu, WATANABE Hirobumi, SAKAIDA Jun and KIMURA Kazuo
Most of them wear the uniform of the creative department.

KIMURA is further quoted as saying,
"The shape of the front grille was determined in one day, and the drawing with the design instructions was made in one hour. Since the license plate did not fit well on the top and bottom of the rear bumper, I divided it into two parts and placed the number lights in the cut-out bumper. In May 1963, the construction of the CSP311 was almost complete."

So let's summarize. In March 1963 there were already drafts, designs and a concept for this vehicle. In May 1963, this was "almost complete". Exactly at the time when Goertz was officially employed by Nissan. The reason for this was that Nissan had massive problems in modeling clay models of the designs in 1:1. A technique they tried to learn through external companies or outsource this process to external companies. So in 1963, Nissan turned to Creative Industry, a Detroit-based company that provided clay models for vehicle designs. These clay models were so-called master models in original size, from which casting molds could be made for production. Nissan also decided to use this technology for the previously designed Datsun Bluebird. This history is so exciting because it reveals the major problem that is very relevant in connection with Goertz.

At the time, Nissan used clay made from wood wax, which was used in Japan for candles, writing and temples. This hard wax was very difficult to work with. It was only with the help of Creative Industry that Nissan became acquainted with a wax from the Chavant company. A red material that was very easy to work with at low heat. Added to this was the fact that Nissan had previously only ever produced 1:4 scale models and did not have the skills within the design department to build full-size models. However, this became increasingly important for further development.

This problem was solved by hiring Goertz, who taught the styling department how to do full-scale modeling and what materials and tools to use. A talent he had possessed for many years.

According to NAGATA Shigeru, a Nissan employee who was assigned as Goertz's translator, he helped translate KIMURA's design of the CSP311 into a scale model and gave good advice on clay modeling. At Goertz's request, the scale model of the CSP311 was brought into a large room where the actual clay design could be examined from different angles.

It was through these new methods that Nissan created a new profession within the company: Clay modeling.

Influenced by Bertone, Ghia and Michelotti, the European trend towards sharp design spilled over to Japan at this time. The Hino Contessa 900 Sprint, designed by Giovanni Michelotti and shown at the 9th Tokyo Motor Show in 1962, was significantly influenced by this design language - as a benchmark for the Nissan Coupé, so to speak.

By developing the 1:1 clay models and learning this technique from Goertz, some small, final changes were made to the basic design. It is most likely thanks to the count that the angle of the c-pillar is different from the one initially designed by KIMURA. The CSP311 prototype should finally make its debut at the upcoming 10th Tokyo Motor Show.

However, this was not to happen. Because this prototype was shown to Nissan executives and the President of Nissan, KAWAMATA Katsuji, on a small test track at the Nissan Tsurumi plant and in the design offices. This was the first time the president saw the car (Remember, it was a secret project without any authorization.), and he didn't like it. The president said, "I can't put it on display!" KIMURA was then instructed to draw up a production plan and only then proceed. Development work then began for the 1964 motor show. This put the plans for the Tokyo Motor Show, which was to take place in a few days' time, on hold. The general rule at Nissan was that only cars intended for public sale were shown at motor shows. The prototype had not yet been approved for sale, and from the outset could only be produced by Yamaha at great expense and by hand. As was often the case at that time.

Despite KAWAMATA's dislike of the car, Yamaha completed a second Datsun 1500 Coupé show car by the end of 1963, and a running prototype was built around the same time. A left-hand drive prototype was also made, probably when production was released for right-hand drive and Nissan was testing whether the concept would work in left-hand drive. The plan to prepare a small part of the production for export to the USA was already in place at this time.

However, as KIMURA alone could not keep to the schedule, other designers joined the team. YOSHIDA Fumio, NAKAMURA Haruyoshi, MATSUMOTO Seijiro, SASAKI Kenichi, MACHIDA Toru and TAMURA Kumeo are names that are unfortunately mentioned far too rarely, along with many others. So it was a team that worked as a team here. Not a "one man show". It is also particularly important to mention that TAMURA and YOSHIDA were later involved in the S30 project.

In March 1964, however, there was a fiasco. The cost of production would be too massive, too uneconomical, for Yamaha to do the sheet metal work by hand. Therefore, shortly before production began, it was decided to outsource everything to the Nissan plant near Tonouchi, where metal presses took over the process. This did not go down well with Yamaha, who had previously been awarded the contract for the series production of this car. However, Yamaha collected the designs and construction drawings and handed them over to Nissan.

Albrecht Geortz, KIMURA Kazuo and YOTSUMOTO Kazumi

The car made its debut at the 11th Tokyo Motor Show in October 1964 as the Datsun 1500 Coupé. Not as a Nissan. This was because the brand name Nissan was only used for engines above the G-series (1500 / 1488 cm³) - Silvia only followed later as a model name. The reason for this was that an R-series engine (1600 / 1595 cm³) was only installed shortly after the trade fair and shortly before the start of production due to its smooth running at higher engine speeds.

In the end, as history showed, the car was not a success. Too expensive for Japan, too small and too unsporty for the USA. Exactly the opposite of what Goertz always stood for and what he always wanted to do. He never wanted to be responsible for a hand-built small car for a small target group in the USA. That was not "think big". Especially since this car was never primarily planned for the USA, as the number of left-hand drive Silvias shows very well.

So does this fit in with all the quotes in above-mentioned magazines? Does it fit with a designer who made his client happy? Was he the designer or the one who provided the designs? Clearly, no. But he was the one who helped Nissan build this car. Because it would probably never have been possible for Nissan to develop a vehicle in its own team at this time and with only 1:4 models and at this speed, and ultimately to produce finished cars based on the smaller clay models.

KIMURA summarizes the story as follows:
"I wanted to work for Mr. Shozo Sato, who was the chief designer of Nissan Motor at that time. Unfortunately he left the company after just one year and I didn't get much guidance from him, but in my fifth year I was put in charge of the CSP311 (Silvia) and was responsible for the development of the exterior, interior and emblem with just three designers. During the course of the project, German designer Albrecht von Goertz joined us as a consultant and gave us advice, which left a lasting impression. This car was presented at the 1964 Motor Show as the "Datsun 1500 Coupe" and was sold as the "Nissan Silvia" from 1965."

So is it the advice and customization requests on the c-pillar that are enough to call the count the designer of the Silvia? Please judge for yourself.

At the same time as the Silvia project, Nissan had started work on a modern GT. The aim was to develop a modern, sporty car in collaboration with Yamaha.

Yamaha was to supply the engines and build the prototype. As history has shown, however, nothing came of this collaboration. Instead, design elements found their way to Toyota, which used them to develop the Toyota 2000GT or rather worked on a sports car itself and commissioned Yamaha to develop the engine. Yamaha took over the production and development of the prototype.

As was usual at Nissan, the 2000GT was also designed by a team within the company and it is difficult to see any influence from Goertz at any point. More on that later.

What is not so difficult, though, are the similarities to the Toyota 2000GT. However, this was built in series. Without commercial success, to be sure. The car flopped. Production by hand was simply too expensive - as we already know from Nissan (see above).

But back to the A550X, about which hardly anything can be read in Europe. This is because the German Count is directly named as the designer of the Z. Only when this is not the case, when the situation with the Z is somewhat defused, is it directly inserted that he designed the Yamaha A550X prototype. What a mess.

But where did that come from?

He himself writes the following in his biography, "You've got to be lucky":

"The metal prototype that was made to my design and specifications was delivered to Nissan and the project came to a halt"

He continues to write, but never shows pictures. Neither of one model nor of the other:

"In addition to the metal prototype developed by Yamaha to my design, Nissan made a fiberglass version of it."

However, if you read Nostalgic Hero Magazine 51 from November 1995, you will find the following exciting lines:

"Rumors have surfaced that it was Goertz who designed the Silvia and Nissan A550X. The article from which this is taken was written with "special thanks to Kimura Kazuo" to set the record straight about the design of the Silvia (CSP311). It would appear that Kimura had as much, if not more, influence on this (A550X) project than Goertz, especially considering his actual time in Japan (Goertz), not to mention his time at Yamaha. If you look at the timeline, Goertz was under contract with Nissan from May 1963 for one year, i.e. until May 1964. The A550X project was started just before the CSP311 project, probably in the early months of 1963, and then stopped (in May) to concentrate on the CSP311 prototype. The A550X project was resumed in the spring of 1964. Either Goertz worked outside his contract until the end of the Nissan/Yamaha partnership in September 1964 (unlikely), or he made some contribution, or he simply completed everything within a limited period before the end of his contract on just one visit to Japan?"

Again, an achievement that he pulled off as a one-man show in a very short space of time.

At this point, it is worth going into a quote about MATSUO that explains the context a little better. (link to source)

"At the time he (MATSUO) took over the sports car styling studio at Nissan, KIMURA Kazuo, who was working with Goertz, had left the company. Nothing was taken over from the Yamaha/Nissan project. How could it? The only contact between the design teams at Nissan and Yamaha can be traced back to YOSHIDA Fumio, who was responsible for the interior of the CSP311 and A550X. Only he visited Yamaha during this work, which was even confirmed by TAMURA Kumeo."

Goertz, on the other hand, is quoted a little later as saying that the individual design teams at Nissan worked separately from each other so as not to mix concepts and ideas. The aim was to encourage individual creativity and develop different design approaches.

So if you still hold on to the idea that Goertz drew the A550X and that the final Z design was based on it, he must have been involved in all these teams in the end. While he was no longer with the company, even though he only saw the 240Z for the first time years later. So that doesn't really fit together.

The story can be told in the following way, if you take a closer look at Ian Patmore's research:

Namely, we have to travel a little further back in time here and tell a little more of Yamaha. Yamaha was (and is), as we know, a manufacturer of motorcycles and successfully participated in satisfying the booming demand for motorcycles.
In the late 1950s, Yamaha tried to apply this knowledge to the construction of cars and wanted to gain a foothold in the newly created K-Class (Kei Cars were cars up to 360 cc or less at that time, for which very favorable tax and registration conditions applied). To gain a foothold. However, the market was flooded by much more experienced competitors. Yamaha withdrew and occupied itself with finding its own niche.

The Yamaha Technology Institute was founded from within Yamaha. ONO Shun and YASUKAWA Tsutomu, who gathered knowledge and inspiration on a trip through America and Europe, were in charge of this. They realized that the sports and GT cars were still mostly custom-made and hand-built and not mass-produced, as was already the case with other vehicles.

From then on, Yamaha specialized in the development of stable sports engines and bodies for prototype construction.

Somewhat later, however, a serious slump in scooter and motorcycle sales in Japan forced Yamaha to cut running costs and discontinue all development work.

The "forced partnership" with Nissan was certainly also due to the financial emergency, but this subsequently led to many an amazing project.
The convertible top of the roadster and the YX80 engine previously developed by Yamaha, which went into the Nissan Cedric, are just two of these results.

Inspired by the Hino Contessa 900 Sprint, a joint car was now to be developed (the successor to the Fairlady Roadster, see above), which was also to be fitted with the YX80 engine - and which can be seen as the primordial soup of the A550X.

The team included KIMURA, who provided a design for it, YOSHIDA Fumia, who concentrated on the interior, and HISATERU Ogura, who was subordinate to both as an assistant. Also on the team was HANAKAWA Hitoshi, who also worked on the exterior design on the Yamaha side. Just like the Silvia before it, this was also a team effort.

After Yamaha no longer needed to devote resources to manufacturing the Silvia production model and this had gone to Nissan, they were able to continue work on the A550X prototype in the spring of 1964. With the help of Nissan, they built a functional vehicle equipped with the YX80 engine described above.

During this time, 3 design lines were created. A slightly more pointed version with a metal body, a successor that was significantly rounder, and a second version of the 2nd design with a fiberglass body.
This new variant was designed by GK Design and KOIKE Iwataro.

An exciting detail is a quote from YOSHIKAWA Shin (chronicler of the Toyota 2000GT), in which he describes that he firmly believes that this 3rd car was created by GK Design. But not during the Nissan/Yamaha project.

However, after the project failed to gain any further support from Nissan and both companies - Yamaha and Nissan - had "grown apart" somewhat, nothing happened with the so-called Nissan 2000GT project for a while.

But then Toyota came into play.
This was because the management team was in the midst of a furor, and they wanted to develop their own exclusive GT project at full speed. They wanted to move away from mass-produced cars and towards something special.

In the summer of 1964, Toyota selected factory racing manager KAWANO Jiro to lead a small development group (initially 5 people) to develop the Toyota 280A project.
At the same time, Yamaha also decided to build a luxury sports car.
Yamaha and Toyota executives agreed to pool their resources and began working together to create the basis of the future Toyota 2000GT.

During this collaboration, Yamaha showed off work on the A550X project to showcase their skills - where design elements of the future Toyota apparently originated.

And all this without the input of Count Goertz, who also writes nothing about it in his book.

Addition: In his portfolio book "GOERTZ INDUSTRIAL DESIGN" there is also only one photo of the "NISSAN (DATSUN) 1965" (Silvia). Next to a photo of the BMW 507.
Without any indication of what describes his work on both vehicles. Without a photo of the Datsun 240Z.

„The 240Z originated in 1964 as an open-top concept car conceived by German design guru Albrecht Goertz. It was shelved until 1966 when Nissan’s own design studio revived the project – renamed S30 – as a long-nosed coupe with two seats.“
Unique Cars, May 2022

"Count Goertz and the manufacturer argued for years about what part the designer had in the design of the production model, because Goertz had designed a study for the sports car."
Manager Magazin, 01.02.2011

"No coincidence, as Nissan had asked none other than Albrecht Graf von Goertz to the drawing board. (...) It now seems to have arrived in Germany too, this beautiful mixture that the count once created." Oldtimer Markt, December 2019

"The Datsun 240, produced between 1969 and 1973, was designed by Albrecht Graf von Goertz, who had also designed the BMW 507."
Berliner Zeitung, 2007

"The designers at Datsun used Albrecht Graf Goertz's stylistic ideas to create a harmonious result."
Oldtimer Praxis, September 1998

"No wonder, because the design was a further development of the Nissan 2000 GT project created by the legendary designer Graf Albrecht von Goertz."
AutoClassic, March 2022

"Meanwhile, Graf Goertz was already working on a two-seater sports car: half-heartedly on a convertible, full of enthusiasm on a coupe. Based entirely on American tastes, his idea was to combine the shape of a Jaguar E with the dimensions of a Porsche 911."
Markt - Klassische Automobile und Motorräder, December 1992

"Also at the drawing board: the German Albrecht Graf Goertz, creator of the legendary BMW 507. His first work for the Nissan Group: the Silvia Coupé from 1964, a pretty, albeit well-behaved notchback two-door based on the Fairlady, of which only 554 were built. Only 357 units were produced of another Japanese sports car in which the great aristocrat with the hooked nose had his drawing fingers in the pie: the Toyota 2000 GT."
Alles Auto, July 2021

"Albrecht Graf Goertz, the man who had created the best conceivable reference with the BMW 507, which he also styled, was responsible for the design of the pure two-seater body."
Markt Sonderheft, 1987/1988

"The breathtaking lines can be traced back to the German designer Albrecht Graf Goertz."
Youngtimerscene, March 2010

"Examples of Goertz design: BMW 503 and BMW 507; Agfa camera; (...) Datsun Silvia, Datsun 240Z; Fuji film camera, film projector; Bicicletas Monark bicycle; school furniture (...) and accessories."
BMW Group, press release, 03.11.2006

"The sensational design was created by none other than Albrecht Graf Goertz, who had cast the incredible BMW 507 in metal and delivered a steep template for the new Datsun with the Silvia Coupe."
Träume Wagen, May 2016

"Its inimitable lines were actually a co-production. It was based on the ideas of Albrecht Graf von Goertz, the father of the iconic BMW 507, and a specific design by Japanese designer Yutaka Katayama. The prestige project Z was once primarily intended to sustainably improve Datsun's brand image."
Träume Wagen, March 2017

"Nissan Motor from Tokyo only ventured into Germany around four years after the first presentation of the Z. Contrary to widespread misinformation, the sports car was not designed by BMW 507 designer Graf Goertz."
Motor Klassik, July 1985

"It (the CSP311) was styled with the help of German designer Albrech Goertz, whou would later shape the first Z-Car"
Comsumer Guide, Datsun Z-Cars, August 1981

The count and the Z. His masterpiece. Inseparable. There is hardly a Z article that does not mention the name of the noble German. But has it always been like this? When did it start, and shouldn't this mention have been a driving force behind the sale of the Z?

At least that's what you would think. But that wasn't the case. Because the mention of the count in connection with the Z started prominently in the USA in 1978. In an interview in the American Car and Driver magazine. It appeared in the November 1978 issue, just in time for the release of the Nissan 280ZX, which was titled outside Japan. Interesting, isn't it? At a time when the Z was no longer available to buy and everyone was looking for something new.

"Considering the population density of the island of Manhattan, there are maybe only a thousand people who live four blocks up and just around the corner from Car and Driver Park Avenue office. But as coincidence would have it, one of them just happens to be Albrecht Goertz, the man who, as a consultant to Nissan, designed the original Datsun 240-Z. Because he can be counted upon for strong opinions on automobiles and a fair dose of personal charm besides - we couldn't resist inviting him around for coffee, opening up our file of still-secret 280-ZX photos, and asking him what he thought. Our neighbor goes back a ways in the history of automotive design. He was born Count Albrecht Goertz in Brunkensen, Germany, in 1914, but since the royalty business is usually a bit slow for the second son, he came to the U.S. just before WWII. After various jobs and some design study, he joined Raymond Loewy to work on the 1950-through-1953 Studebakers. But his most notable project by far, prior to the 240. Z. was the beautiful BMW 507 sports car, an open two-seater that stands today as a high point of Fifties design. The 240-Z was actually the second car Goertz did for Nissan. The first (not exported to the U.S.) was the Sylvia coupe, smooth, well-organized shape not unlike the Opel Manta of the early Seventies. «When that was finished, they wanted to do something different, maybe a sports car. They really didn't know what," Goertz says. "And because they didn't know what, I had a free hand. The two-seater concept wasn't really my idea, but I liked it. I had just finished a stint at Porsche. If you look closely, you'll see that the dimensions of the original 240-Z and the Porsche 911 are about the same. Designs have to start somewhere and the Porsche seemed right."
Car and Driver, November 1978

In Germany, by the way, it was already an aristocratic affair to mention the count four years earlier. Namely, in the January 1974 issue of "auto motor und sport".

It said:
"Bodywork: line from the count. Count Goertz is responsible for the styling of the 240 Z - the hook-nosed aristocrat who designed the BMW 507 in the 1950s and thus created an automotive monument for himself."

This publication therefore somewhat undermines the US portrayal of many chroniclers and represents an important document.

Shortly afterwards, in "rallye racing" from February 1974, it also states:
"The creator of this utterly un-Japanese-looking car is the German Albrecht Graf Goertz, an industrial designer."
(link to source)

But what is this "un-Japanese" design? And what exactly is "Japanese" design? Is there a clear definition? Or can we even speak of subliminal racism and the denial of Japanese design talent?

However, it sounds much more like an obvious justification for why the car clearly had to be designed by Goertz.

Let's dig even deeper into history and look under every little stone. Then, at some point in England, we stumble across CAR magazine from March 1970, in which we see the very early European exhibition appearance of the 240Z at the British International Motor Show.
It shows a car with Australian specification, recognizable by the mirrors.

However, the following can be read:
"All of which reminds us that there are echoes of the 240Z's design, which incidentally is by Albrecht Goertz, the world-famous German-born industrial designer who is remembered for a previous Datsun Silvia coupé and also for the immortal BMW 507 V8 sports car"

The origin of this legend was certainly Goertz himself, who, as can be seen in the picture below from the Japanese publication of CAR GRAPHIC magazine, visited the New York Automobile Show in 1970 and told the press about his work.

The show in question in the photos was in April 1970, i.e. after the publication of the British CAR magazine.

A role backwards? Not necessarily. Because before that, there were various other trade fairs where Goertz could get up to mischief. For example, the Z was already on display in Canada and the USA at the end of 1969.

And let's read the subtitle on the right-hand picture carefully. It says translated: "a consultend designer for Nissan" - Oops! Yes, even Japanese reporters at the time didn't always take everything very seriously, Goertz was never actually employed as a "designer".

In an interview about the 125th Anniversary Limited Edition Grand Piano by Steinway & Sons in 2005, shortly before his death, Goertz said in German language:
"The most successful design was for Datsun. The 240Z."

In the English subtitle, however, we find a slight reinterpretation of the facts, which is typical of the myth. It reads here:
"My most successful design was for Datsun. The 240Z."

He continues:
"In Japan, at the time I was at Datsun (...) I was the first Westerner to come to Japan and say I'd like to design something for you guys."
(Note: The company was called NISSAN at the time.)

During the interview, the 92-year-old Goertz is asked which was the most difficult design. BMW or Datsun. He is evasive. He replies that the most difficult design for which he was commissioned was a fountain pen.

So is he himself talking about what he is supposed to have done? No. Are there any pictures of his designs? No. Not even that.

But back to Japan. Let's take a closer look at the process:

After all, it's not just MATSUO Yoshihiko as head of the design team that needs to be mentioned in this story, much more so at this point is TAMURA Kumeo as the person in charge who was based in the styling team under MATSUO. All body parts and bumpers can be traced back to him. Interestingly, he also never adorns himself with his work, as would generally be unusual in Japan. Only the performance of the entire team counts.

Although his concept drawings can be seen very clearly in some documents and, above all, you can clearly see how "mathematically" the shapes were derived.

Fundamentally, you always have to keep in mind how the design process took place at Nissan at that time. There were always several design strands running simultaneously and they tried to go different ways with different teams. Starting with Plan A, which was a roadster and was intended to be more along the lines of the SP/SR311. Plan A was already very much in favor of the distinctive headlight shape that was later also to be found on the finished Z.

Plan B, on the other hand, was based on the Silvia and used its platform as the basis for the new car.

Plan C, on the other hand, was a concept by and with YOSHIDA Fumio, from which many elements of the later side line emerged. In summary, this means that the styling of the S30 is based on a mixture of Plan A front section and Plan C side and rear sections, which was already the case in early 1967 when Pan AC began to take shape. The complete development phase can be read here.

Here you can see the AC-2, AC-3 and AC-4 plan from May to October 1967.

Looking at this process, it is difficult to name MATSUO as the only real designer, as some articles do when it comes to leaving the count out of the equation.

"Its true designer, Yoshihiko Matsuo, died in 2020 at the age of 86 - unknown." Autobild Klassik, 03/2023

Instead, he was the head of the new sports car project and brought together the "best" elements of the individual design types. He also had negotiations with other departments, internal presentations, etc. on his desk, which left little time to work on the clay model, as was the case in the early days. Especially in the early days, TAMURA Kumeo joined the team and took over almost every aspect of the car's design language. He had the ambition to make every part he touched better and better. This process took almost a year. (link to source)

Later on in the project, extensive changes had to be made to the model in order to fit the L20, L24 and S20 engines under the hood. In addition, not only the engine, but also the independent suspension including a wider track width and space for snow chains had to be created without changing the actual proportions.

During all this time, Goertz only visited Japan and Nissan for two weeks every three months between mid-1963 and 194, during which time he established new methods of clay modeling, as explained above. His work on the S30 can therefore not be documented or traced at any point. However, this important "detail" should not be swept under the carpet too much, as the introduction of 1:1 clay models radically changed the entire process of car design at the Nissan factories.

In addition, you have to distinguish between the different attitudes towards a design process. For Goertz, it is similar to painting a picture. There is only one artist. Regardless of whether you are wielding a paintbrush or designing a car. For MATSUO, on the other hand, this is the achievement of a team and no individual is singled out.

Datsun fan Carl Beck, considered by many in the scene to be an automotive author, wrote the following passage on November 9, 2006, shortly after the death of Albrecht Graf von Schlitz called von Goertz and von Wrisberg (October 27, 2006) in the forum of the Classic Z Car Club. (link to source):

"I will say that you can not follow the life of Mr. Goertz without developing some level of admiration for him in many regards. In a very real sense, he represented the "Great American Success Story". A Jewish Emigrant from Germany just prior to WW-II he came to America with a somewhat substandard formal education and no real assets other than having a Father that was a German Count. A title he much later inherited, upon the death of his older brother. While the media like to refer to him as a "German Count"... being German myself and the great grandson of German Emigrants... I say that Mr. Goertz was indeed an "American"... he became an American Citizen, spent his lifes work here and served in the US Army during WW-II. He also openly expressed his love and admiration for America, the freedoms we enjoy and the great opportunities we offer all our citizens."

Just whether that's enough to forgive the self-made Goertz marketing machine for his handling of the cuddly soft lies of the press?

Incidentally, the first known connection with Goertz and Nissan can be found in the article "A Designer Decries the Sameness in 66" from Automobile Quarterly Issue IV, Number 3 1966.

Here it states (link to source):

"A consultant points out the possible direction a design might take"; Goertz explained. "A staff designer must then work out the final concept based on what is selected and what modifications are to be made. The consultant has one great advantage in not being a regularly employed staff designer. He can say to the president of the company, "you are wrong", and not worry abou losing his place in the company chart. A staff designer would be required to submit a proposal to his chief, who might then discuss it with a second vice-president, who would in turn consult with a first vice-president, until it finally reached the top - completely different from what it was originally."

Even though Goertz understood the role of advisor and/or critic quite well, he saw himself primarily as a designer. Goertz emphasized that while an external designer (which is exactly what he was not at Nissan) is not given permission to pursue and build the design he has created, his ideals and suggestions can certainly influence the style and design of future designs. A complete contradiction with everything that is reported later.

In the end, Goertz failed to revise the false claims during his lifetime. Just like the newspaper articles, books and reports, he got bogged down in unraveling the web of stories and allegations and refutes these claims in his own autobiography "You've got to be lucky", presumably without knowing it himself. In just under 7 pages, he shows sketches, drafts and pictures of clay models of his work on the BMW 507. He also publishes his original sketches of his unsolicited and rejected Porsche design from 1958 as well as sketches of a later proposal to BMW. However, when it comes to showing pictures and illustrations of the design of the Nissan vehicles, nothing happens. Instead, he only shows the Datsun 240Z, photographed years after its return from Japan.

So where has it gone, the pride and the puffy chest that he used to like to peddle?

Admittedly, there are some fans of him and his work. His influence is said to have ensured that the Z has become what it is to this day. An icon and not a boring bread-and-butter car.

What books and photos show is less important. It's about a feeling and the fact that you can't trust books and photos of the evidence of other opinions.

Without Goertz there is no Z and without Z there is no fun in this topic.

But what is the basis for this attitude and the fandom of this man?
Many of his followers refer to a personal meeting with him at various US events. They describe a nice man who curiously looks at the fans' Zs and signs autograph cards.
A man of the fans and pressed into a role that he himself could not leave.

But evidence, documents and photos? Still nowhere to be seen.

The only evidence of Goert's involvement is a letter from Nissan following legal disputes.

This letter was in response to a dispute that arose based on Patrick Bedard's article in Car and Driver in the late summer of 1978.

Shortly afterwards, Nissan responded in the American automotive journal "Automotive News" that Goert had nothing to do with the design of the 240Z.
The design was solely the work of the designers in Japan. But nothing happened after that.

According to rumors, Goertz received some money for his silence and the rest is the achievement of hard-working journalists and book writers.

Finally, a quote from MATSUO Yoshihiko can be found in the book "DATSUN Fairlady Z Story Limited Edition" from 1999, which I have translated here from Japanese:

"At that time, the sports car business was completely abandoned, and we had to start from scratch. Some magazines and other sources have written about the joint development project with Yamaha that Kimura and his team were working on, and the accompanying project by consultant Goertz, as if it was related to the later two projects, but this is completely false (…) In the US, Mr. Goertz reported to a local magazine that he was the original designer of Z, and for a time this was the perception in the US. However, this was completely untrue and was categorically denied by Mr. Katayama."