Shmee, a popular car enthusiast who has a huge presence in social media, has his own McLaren 675LT, Ferrari FF, and Porsche Cayman GT4. You’d think with the kind of money it takes to afford that diverse an arsenal of road rockets that he’d retire right now and just live the rest of his life driving his European toys.
Then again, why would he when his line of work gives him the opportunity to travel all over the world and drive cars such as the Koenigsegg Regera? It’s hard to imagine that getting behind the wheel of the brand’s “luxury Megacar alternative to … [its] traditional extreme, light weight, race-like road cars” and enjoying its nine-inch infotainment system, 3G and Wi-Fi connectivity, and multi-camera system for capturing road and track high jinks feels like work.
On the other hand, unleashing the 1,500 total horsepower generated by the Regera’s combination of a dry-sump twin-turbo 5.0-liter V8 and 520-kW electric drive setup without having to change his underwear afterward sounds like it would be one helluva job.
As you can see from the pictures here, Shmee made sure to document his experience with the Regera. Scroll down to see footage of his time with the Swedish beast.
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.
