The "Father of the Z" died yesterday at 105.

Mr. K was one of the few in the big automobile corporations, it seems, who got it and got us. He understood the nuances of our passion from the simian thrills of acceleration and braking to the more cerebral appreciation of design and engineering and through sheer force of personality helped plant the seeds of some of our favorite Nissans and Datsuns. Collectors finally seem to be giving Japanese cars their long-deserved due thanks, in no small part, to his efforts half-a-century ago. He will be missed.