That Took Guts: How A Funky Little Datsun Won The World's Cruelest Rally
It was known as “The World’s Cruelest Rally:” The Mobilgas Trial, 10,000 miles all around Australia. In 1958, there were two entries, regarded as a joke by the burly Aussies: A pair of tiny Datsun 210s, named “Fuji” and “Sakura”.
The suicidal idea was had by marketing manager Yutaka Katayama. Aged 102 years, he is still alive to tell the story:
“Fuji” and “Sakura” rounded Australia for 19 days. Only 36 out of 67 cars managed to complete the rally. Surprisingly, the two Datsuns were amongst the survivors.
Even more surprisingly “Fuji” won its class title. “Sakura” finished fourth.
Back home in Japan, the cars had to hit the road again. This time on a celebratory tour around Japan. The unexpected win helped pave the way for Nissan’s exports to the United States, led by Katayama as president of Nissan Motor Corp U.S.A.
Bertel Schmitt comes back to journalism after taking a 35 year break in advertising and marketing. He ran and owned advertising agencies in Duesseldorf, Germany, and New York City. Volkswagen A.G. was Bertel's most important corporate account. Schmitt's advertising and marketing career touched many corners of the industry with a special focus on automotive products and services. Since 2004, he lives in Japan and China with his wife <a href="http://www.tomokoandbertel.com"> Tomoko </a>. Bertel Schmitt is a founding board member of the <a href="http://www.offshoresuperseries.com"> Offshore Super Series </a>, an American offshore powerboat racing organization. He is co-owner of the racing team Typhoon.
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Great you liked it. I am working on more history pieces on Japanese cars. The company that gives me access first will get first dibs.
Bit misleading this one. The Datsuns didn't win at all - they came 25th and 34th (last). The lead car beat a pair of Morris Minors that's all. The rally did however prove the mettle of VW and Peugeot products as well as the local Holdens. Also there is no evidence to suggest that they were regarded as a joke. The exploits of "Gelignite-Jack' Murray who competed in this event might have provided a more compelling story.