Derek Shiekhi's father raised him on cars. As a boy, Derek accompanied his dad as he bought classics such as post-WWII GM trucks and early Ford Mustang convertibles.
After loving cars for years and getting a bachelor's degree in Business Management, Derek decided to get an associate degree in journalism. His networking put him in contact with the editor of the Austin-American Statesman newspaper, who hired him to write freelance about automotive culture and events in Austin, Texas in 2013. One particular story led to him getting a certificate for learning the foundations of road racing.
While watching TV with his parents one fateful evening, he saw a commercial that changed his life. In it, Jeep touted the Wrangler as the Texas Auto Writers Association's "SUV of Texas." Derek knew he had to join the organization if he was going to advance as an automotive writer. He joined the Texas Auto Writers Association (TAWA) in 2014 and was fortunate to meet several nice people who connected him to the representatives of several automakers and the people who could give him access to press vehicles (the first one he ever got the keys to was a Lexus LX 570). He's now a regular at TAWA's two main events: the Texas Auto Roundup in the spring and the Texas Truck Rodeo in the fall.
Over the past several years, Derek has learned how to drive off-road in various four-wheel-drive SUVs (he even camped out for two nights in a Land Rover), and driven around various tracks in hot hatches, muscle cars, and exotics. Several of his pieces, including his article about the 2015 Ford F-150 being crowned TAWA's 2014 "Truck of Texas" and his review of the Alfa Romeo 4C Spider, have won awards in TAWA's annual Excellence in Craft Competition. Last year, his JK Forum profile of Wagonmaster, a business that restores Jeep Wagoneers, won prizes in TAWA’s signature writing contest and its pickup- and SUV-focused Texas Truck Invitational.
Back in the days of Reagan, the Ferrari Testarossa was not only on top in terms of the fantasies of men and boys alike, but it was also on the side – on bedroom walls, to be exact. If the following video is any indication, the Ferrari 488 Spider has taken the same places in the 21st century.
You might think when Maserati fell on hard financial times that Ferrari would’ve done nothing to cushion its Italian competitor’s landing and let it shatter from the impact. It didn’t.
Be Extraordinary. If you pay attention to Bentley’s social media presence these days, you’ll often see that phrase associated with its newest model, the 2017 Bentayga SUV.
To identify its fastest, most performance-focused Range Rover Sport yet, Land Rover attaches three-letter badges to it that read SVR. There’s nothing wrong with calling it a more familiar name: SUV.
The Gran Turismo video game franchise has brought realistic graphics to a whole new level for automotive enthusiasts. These days, the line between virtual reality and real life is blurred even more by vehicle manufacturers choosing to make physical 1:1-scale show cars inspired by the GT games.