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.
“Finally! I’ve made it. I’ve got a sweet red Ferrari. No more waiting in stupid lines for this guy. I’m a Ferrari owner, now. I’ve achieved true boss status. At long last, my life is perfect. Wait… It won’t shift out of neutral? I can’t even get it towed? I have to fix the problem […] More »
When I was a teenager, I collected the books of Garfield comic strips. One day, I came home from school to discover that Bear, my family’s Rhodesian Ridgeback dog, had eaten one of my beloved volumes. I was angry. Not as steamed as Royston Grimstead must have been, though. His border collie/spaniel Luce treated the […] More »
/DRIVE’s Mike Musto has it rough. Recently, his grueling job made him go out to the Chuckwalla Valley Raceway in sunny Southern California to zip around in the 2014 Ford Fiesta ST. Poor guy. A Fiesta? Aren’t those the cars that pizza delivery guys used to drive in the ’90s? Perhaps, but they’ve come a […] More »
Kids can be expensive. Food, medical care, school supplies, $27,000 miniature Aston Martins. You know, the usual. London dealership Nicholas Mee & Co. is offering the DB Junior, a pint-sized convertible (Volante?) with a 110cc four-stroke engine, Brembo disc brake hardware and a 3-speed semi-automatic transmission. It even features functional headlamps and indicators. A variety […] More »
If the 1,200 brake horsepower from the Bugatti Veyron Super Sport is not enough for you, then I’ve got bad news for you. Dr Wolfgang Schreiber, president of the hypercar company, told Top Gear, “We will not produce a ‘SuperVeyron’ or Veyron Plus, definitely. There will be no more power. 1200PS is enough for the […] More »
I’ve always thought of the jaguar as a regal cat of the wild. These days, the English car company of the same name is bringing out the feral, aggressive side of the creature. Not only is the automaker breeding beasts with 550 horsepower, such as the F-TYPE R Coupe and the XKR-S, it’s gnashing its […] More »
Have you ever come across one of your old journals and read your 15-year-old self’s life goals? “Become a famous actor. Work with Al Pacino. Win an Oscar.” If you have, you probably didn’t share it with the public. Not even your friends. But the company that makes the only quad-turbo W16-powered car on the […] More »