All Aston Martins are exclusive, but not all Aston Martins are the GT12 Roadster. It’s beyond exclusive, beyond One-77. It’s almost non-existent; it’s One-1. Q by Aston Martin, the sports car company’s bespoke commission service, only made one for a very special customer and showed it off at the recent Goodwood Festival of Speed.
Underneath the custom paint and trim, carbon fiber body panels (check out those killer hood vents and Lamborghini Murcielago-esque side scoops), and – of course – open sky is a 592-horsepower V12 with magnesium inlet manifolds and revised geometry. That’s connected to a seven-speed Sportshift III paddle-shift gearbox, a magnesium torque tube, and a full-titanium exhaust system. An appropriately unique suspension keeps the GT12 Roadster from becoming completely non-existent.
According to Aston Martin, the GT12 Roadster is “the first time a customer has been able to call upon the full scope of Aston Martin’s design and engineering capabilities as part of the Q by Aston Martin bespoke commission service.” Let’s hope it doesn’t mark the last time. That would make it exclusive in the absolute worst way.
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.
