Old people have a reputation for yelling at youngsters who step on their lawns and scratching their heads when faced with new gadgets. The DM Blade is a reason why senior citizens should be shaking their fists at technology.
Back in the old days, people such as Enzo Ferrari and Ferruccio Lamborghini had to make cars the old way. They couldn’t just use a printer to pump out parts.
Those men have been gone for a while, which means they haven’t been able to see the way automotive components can be made in this century. Divergent Microfactories, a San Francisco Bay Area startup, and its CEO Kevin Czinger would probably love to show them, if that were possible.
According to Motor Trend, the company’s Blade supercar features 3D-printed aluminum “Node” pieces that connect carbon fiber tubes to form a chassis. DM states it only weighs 100 pounds.
Over that goes a swoopy, lightweight composite body out of which a pair of butterfly doors lift up. DM claims the prototype tandem-style two-seater weighs 1,400 pounds, is powered by a 700-horsepower turbo four (which can run on gasoline or compressed natural gas), and is capable of hitting 60 mph in two seconds.
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.
