Nick, however, is far from the typical corporate figurehead. Like the company he works for, he represents the heart of the enthusiast. Scratch that, he is the everyday enthusiast. Need proof? One need not look further than his personal arsenal of whooping sticks: Toyota MR2, Nissan 240SX, Infiniti Q45, and his crown jewel of wooden staffs-a '93 Mazda RX-7.
Co-owned with his wife, Selina, they purchased the FD back in '00. Being "the only white guy with a shaved head buying Japanese magazines at Yaohan [California/New Jersey-area Japanese supermarkets now operated as Mitsuwa] in the mid '90s," Nick was always looking for styling cues outside of his native San Diego. Tired of all the trailered drag or show cars of the time, Nick and Selina decided to "build a streetable show car with the look and style of a Japanese circuit car."
So while the masses purchased knock-off combat kits and painted their cars bright pastel colors that would make a Sour Skittle blush (cringe), Nick went for a more subtle and purpose-built look. A genuine (read: cash consuming) C-West body kit and carbon GT wing was ordered straight from Japan, which Nick commissioned Goldcrest Autobody out in Daygo (local talk for San Diego) to install and spray with two-tone blue and silver. That's right, the exterior is all paint, the only Modern Image vinyl on the RX-7 is the big-bad "619" represented on both doors, along with his sponsor's logos.
Because rotary motors age worse than a middle-aged porn star, Nick sent the tired 13B out to XS Engineering for a complete rebuild with the addition of thicker 3mm apex seals and air-gulping "wild" street port. The refreshed motor combined with a GReddy intake manifold, SX Performance fuel pump and regulator, Kaaz LSD, Exedy clutch and a slew of products rocking the A'PEXi designation (intake, exhaust, blow-off valve, intercooler, Power FC), puts down an impressive 360 hp to the wheels-a pavement crunching power-to-weight ratio considering the sub 2,800 lb curbweight of the third-gen RX-7.
Nick installed a set of Buddy Club coilovers and JIC front and rear strut braces to kick gravity's ass. And in case gravity decides to put up a fight, Nick bolted up a Rotora big brake kit and G-Tech stainless steel brake lines to stop 19-inch-yep, you guessed it-Falken FK-452 stickies mounted on Lexion wheels. With enough spare elbow grease to lube all of San Fernando Valley, Nick installed MOMO seats and shift knob, A'PEXi gauges and a Sparco steering wheel lending the cockpit a racecar feel.