Richard McCutcheon
Navy vet buys first Datsun pickup in U.S.
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If they could take that kind of pounding, he reasoned, how durable would they be on better U.S. roads?
McCutcheon would find out in 1958. The U.S. Navy veteran bought the first Datsun pickup sold in the United States. He persuaded dealer Ray Lemke of San Diego Datsun to sell him the first truck after following a hauler to the dealership.
Role: Bought first Datsun pickup sold in the United States
Key influence: McCutcheon, a classic early-adopter, bought his pickup from a dealer in San Diego. He was the first in a wave of American buyers to discover the advantages of an inexpensive and durable Nissan pickup.
McCutcheon's reasoning: “I had been over in Japan and I knew how rough their roads were and it figured if the trucks could take that kind of a beating, they must be something.”
McCutcheon paid $1,647 for the pickup. He drove it for seven years, sold it for $600 and bought another Datsun pickup. The only repairs to the first pickup: new radiator and heater hoses.
You can reach David Barkholz at dbarkholz@crain.com. -- Follow David on 
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