- Nichols grew up following her father to junkyards, learning to weld and helping to work on his vintage cars. "I just grew up not knowing that girls weren't supposed to like to do those kinds of things"
- From 1966 to 1969, Nichols held the women's world record for quarter-mile drag boat racing.
- Nichols [...] single-handedly converted a Ford Pinto station wagon to run on methanol. A year later, a Ford official learned of her work and hired her.
- Nichols was the first woman chosen as a fellow by the Society of Automotive Engineers -- one of about 270 fellows among the organization's 80,000 members worldwide.