Supercars from all over the world steal the scene in Hamburg.
Hamburg may not be the biggest city in Germany, but it offers a lot of attractions. You can go by the water and take in the sights at the Landungsbrücken Piers. If you want to be surrounded by greenery, you can walk through botanical gardens or go deep into the forests. And as this awesome Youtube video from Supercars Hamburg shows, you can also just stand on a corner and eventually watch supercars roll by.
Consider it one part of a greatest-hits album of modern supercars. It starts off with a Smurf-blue McLaren grumbling through traffic, as if it’s impatiently awaiting an opportunity to charge down the Autobahn. Ferraris knife their way through the midday air and down the busy streets. Porsche 911s from various decades turn bystanders into by lookers. Guttural roars emanate from the pipes of Mercedes-AMG GTs. At one point, an Aston Martin Vantage appears. The driver of a Lamborghini Aventador SV fills their lane with angular body work and – we’re guessing – the lenses of nearby camera phones with red rarity.
There are a couple of surprises, too. Germany is home to manufacturers such as Mercedes, Porsche, and BMW, making the sight of their cars in Hamburg less than shocking. Italy is not terribly far away, so it’s not completely astounding to see a raging bull or prancing horse here and there. What is a bit odd is seeing the footage of European exotics peppered with a new Ford Mustang and Chevrolet Camaro. Clearly, they don’t just speak German in Hamburg; some people there also know how to speak “American.”
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.
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