Jay Leno has enough money to purchase any car and put it in his garage. He has enough connections to drive prototype cars that no one can buy.
One of those connections is with Aston Martin. In the following video, not only does Leno get an up-close look at a pre-production version of the twin-turbo V12 Aston Martin DB11, but he has an opportunity to drive the 600-horsepower next-generation GT at Willow Springs Raceway with another automotive celebrity in his rearview mirror. Ben “The Stig” Collins of Top Gear fame trails him in a 2017 Aston Martin Vantage S.
Leno has to take it easy on the DB11, but Collins gives the Vantage S plenty of throttle and takes just as much rubber off of its tires, thanks to its 568-horsepower naturally aspirated V12. Although the little Aston looks like more fun, don’t be surprised if its big brother, a visual descendent of the DB10 used in the 2015 James Bond movie “Spectre,” shows up in the next installment in the 007 franchise.
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.
