For the newer folks - Meet the Founder of NICO.

A General Discussion forum for cars and other topics, and a great place to introduce yourself if you are new to NICO!
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AZhitman
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A couple weekends ago, I had the distinct honor and pleasure of spending a day with the Founder of NICO, Dr. Rex Birkmire.

For those of you who don't know it, Rex is a true Datsun and Nissan fanatic. He can cite early Datsun history like nobody's business, and owns no less than seven cool Nissan/Datsun products, including this rare gem:



Rex is a psychiatrist who runs a behavioral health network in Central Florida, and he is a well-renowned speaker in the field. He spends a great deal of time traveling the country speaking on mental health treatment modalities.

Many people don't know that he actually attended school AND taught at Harvard University.

Here's another one of Rex's rides, his daily driver: A 1992 Infiniti M30 droptop, with a little surprise for the unsuspecting ricers in and around Orlando - it's turbo'ed. :D



As if those weren't enough, Rex has a thing for vintage Datsun iron. Here's his most recent acquisition, an early 70's Zcar with only 30K ORIGINAL miles on it! Needless to say, this one will need very little to be show-car material, and Rex says it runs awesome.



More Datsun vintage stuff - Thisone is a 1969 Datsun 1600 Roadster, in spectacular original unrestored condition. It has been returned to "like-new" condition mechanically, and we spent quite a bit of time zipping around Orland in it. What a great little car (Datsun was WAY ahead of it's time with the Roadsters).



Here's the beast that lurks within - The envy of all NICOnauts and the ULTIMATE NICO RIDE, the R33. Not just any R33, though. This one has a few tricks up its sleeves. :)



Check the goodies! At the time I was there, the front shaft was still removed from an earlier dyno session. The Skyline is being prepped for 4-digit hp figures.



I was thoroughly impressed with how smooth and comfortable the car was, despite the brute horsepower it puts down. What a thrill blasting through the tree-lined backroads of Central Florida in a tuned Skyline!

Can't spend time with the Official NICOmobile without the obligatory picture, so, here's "yours truly" with the R33.



More pics of the behemoth Skyline - It's got quite a reputation in Florida. The front bumper was removed to make way for the massive custom-made intercooler (which is a work of art!). The 4" exhaust by BRM is spectacular as well.



A better view of the intercooler:



Gotta REPRESENT!



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Bunta240
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Wow, I thought you, Fred, and Torry co-owned or something. Does Dr. Birkmire ever post? Dang, my world is flipping in all strange ways...

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AZhitman
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Dr. B is "speeddoctor" on the NICO boards, but he's a busy guy, and rarely has time to venture into the world he created.

We all owe him big time! :)

SeVa-S13
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OMGHI2U, Doc.

(Oh, and it's an R33. ;))

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Tino
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And meet the Nico BackBone... me!

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Hijacker
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thanks blake! i was about to comment on the GT-R. doesn't matter if it's a 34 or a 33. I'm still envious!

SeVa-S13
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Well, yeah. Skylines > Me.(But I'll be getting one of their engines soon so I can try to fix that. :))

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-HyJynX-
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Wow, so thats him huh? I love his little Datsun collection <3

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Mr1der
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damnit hitman! M30 not G20!

I'm gonna have to tell Fred about this aren't I?

still some super cool cars though, he's not gonna be at the Big Spring Meet by chance is he? That'd be cool, he could tell me about my obvious mental issues:D

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AZhitman
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Gah! Good catch, James....

Can you tell I was sleepy when I was putting that post together?

SeVa-S13
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Jesus, a pristine old school Z, a 1600 Roadster, a feakin' Turbo M30 AND an R33 GT-R?!?!?! :eek:

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PalmerWMD
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Mr1der wrote:damnit hitman! M30 not G20!

I'm gonna have to tell Fred about this aren't I?


Hmm, Do I sense some editing has gone on?

Either way, great write-up Greg!

Fred...:thumbup

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PalmerWMD
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SeVa-S13 wrote:Jesus, a pristine old school Z, a 1600 Roadster, a feakin' Turbo M30 AND an R33 GT-R?!?!?! :eek:


He used to have not one, but 2 Q45's in addtion to those.I am driving one of his "old" Q's right now, which I bought from him a year ago.

Fred...:)

SeVa-S13
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Ahh, to be rich.... :(

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PalmerWMD
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SeVa-S13 wrote:Ahh, to be rich.... :(


Dont forget:

The man has worked 12 to 14 hour days, for the last 20 years..I know cuz he's so hard to het a hold of Once I visited and he worked from 0730 to 2100 ( 9pm)

Fred..:)

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AZhitman
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Car: 58 L210, 63 Bluebird RHD, 64 NL320, 65 SPL310, 66 411 RHD, 67 WRL411, 68 510 SR20, 75 280Z RB25, 77 620 SR20, 79 B310, 90 Z32, 91 GTi-R, 92 Silvia Qs, 98 S14, 23 Z.
Location: Surprise, Arizona
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SeVa-S13 wrote:a pristine old school Z, a 1600 Roadster, a feakin' Turbo M30 AND an R33 GT-R?!?!?! :eek:


Don't forget the two Quest minivans, the Q45 (supercharged), and the pristine 60's-era Datsun pickup.

One of the most awesome things about Rex is his family. He's married to a lovely lady named Ann (who makes a MEAN pot of spaghetti:)), and they have four beautiful children. His oldest is 12, and knows more about sport compacts than most adult enthusiasts. He's VERY dedicated to his family, and they were great to hang out with.

SeVa-S13
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He should adopt me. I'll make sure none of his vehicles gather dust. :D

Altiman94
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I met the man himself at the june Indy meet last year. He was one of hte nicest down to earth guys i've met. He was truly a great person and I enjoyed talking to him.

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OH YEA!!!! He is sportin the same rims on the r33 as I am on the 240. Well, at least on the back he is. What a cool guy ;)

I have met Rex personally as well and wow, he is truly an amazing individual. I did not know he had so many Nissan/Datsun/Infiniti's though. I didn't know you had met him Greg. Awesome pics. Last time I talked to Rex (June meet in Indianapolis last year) he had the skyline basically stock. Looks like lots of work has been done, and it is truly great to see it!

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AZhitman
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Yep, I had a blast hanging out with him, and it had nothing to do with the cars. He's one of those people that draws you in and makes you comfortable.

It was a good time. :)

UncleBen
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Just from talking with him for a few hours in Indy got me wanting to know more and more about the man. Such a brilliant guy, I envy him much for all his hard work. It has obviously paid off very well so far. I REALLY wish he could make the NICO National Convention. He made it to Indy last year, so why not make it to Lexington this year!! Oh well, I will meet him again someday. Hopefully with one of his rides this time.

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fiznat
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man oh man, thats really cool! I didnt know he did behavioral medicine either, I'm taking a class in it this semester and I'd like to pick his brain about a couple things. Maybe I'll shoot him an email.

Nice post AZ.

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AZhitman
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Car: 58 L210, 63 Bluebird RHD, 64 NL320, 65 SPL310, 66 411 RHD, 67 WRL411, 68 510 SR20, 75 280Z RB25, 77 620 SR20, 79 B310, 90 Z32, 91 GTi-R, 92 Silvia Qs, 98 S14, 23 Z.
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Thanks brotha.

Don't expect a reply anytime this semester - The man is bizzzzy! :)

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JohnI3laze
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OMG that is a cooler garage than i've ever seen on Cribs. I'm not gay but if Dr B wanted me he could have me. Hitman you should create a new post if he ever tells you he's going to one of the meets.. i would love to meet that guy. That Z is soo nice.. and a 1000+ HP skyline, i have a new idol.

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hatebobbarker
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im into the 1600 roadster, i saw one at west coast z nationals, it ruled

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AZhitman
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Car: 58 L210, 63 Bluebird RHD, 64 NL320, 65 SPL310, 66 411 RHD, 67 WRL411, 68 510 SR20, 75 280Z RB25, 77 620 SR20, 79 B310, 90 Z32, 91 GTi-R, 92 Silvia Qs, 98 S14, 23 Z.
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Yep - I'm having a hard time deciding what my next toy will be - a '69 roadster with a 2000 swap or a swapped droptop 240sx....

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hatebobbarker
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ive gotta go with the GT-R if you want my inputheheheh

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hatebobbarker
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i dont know your financial situation, but i bet you can afford an r32 without a problem

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AZhitman
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Car: 58 L210, 63 Bluebird RHD, 64 NL320, 65 SPL310, 66 411 RHD, 67 WRL411, 68 510 SR20, 75 280Z RB25, 77 620 SR20, 79 B310, 90 Z32, 91 GTi-R, 92 Silvia Qs, 98 S14, 23 Z.
Location: Surprise, Arizona
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LOL - If only you knew... I'm a broke bloke. :)

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hatebobbarker
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you can pick up an r32 gtr legal for the price of the 350z :)


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