Derek Shiekhi

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.

In addition to writing for a variety of Internet Brands sites, including JK Forum, H-D Forums, The Mustang Source, Mustang Forums, LS1Tech, HondaTech, Jaguar Forums, YotaTech, and Ford Truck Enthusiasts. Derek also started There Will Be Cars on Instagram, Facebook, and YouTube.

Car Porn: The 2013 “Italian Happening”

Tip: Buy a ticket to Plymouth, Michigan. You’re welcome. You’ve just been given the heads-up on a chance to experience The Italian Happening, a car and motorbike show which was most recently hosted by the Alfa Romeo Owners Club of Detroit. The only scary thing about this happening is how jacked your adrenaline will be […] More »

By: Derek Shiekhi | January 23, 2014

/DRIVE Reviews the Porsche Panamera GTS

Just as Matt Farah did recently, /DRIVE’s Mike Musto got behind the wheel of an (until a few years ago) unusual Porsche – the four-door Panamera GTS. Whereas Farah knocked the Cayenne Diesel for its poor value and preferred two of its competitors, Musto was perfectly content with the Stuttgart company’s humpback human hauler. As […] More »

By: Derek Shiekhi | January 22, 2014

Jerry Seinfeld and Patton Oswalt in a DeLorean DMC-12

In the latest episode of Jerry Seinfeld’s web series, “Comedians in Cars Getting Coffee,” the legendary comic decides to go back to the…uh…well…past…with fellow joke-teller Patton Oswalt. (The nerd humorist got his start in television on Seinfeld’s eponymous hit ’90s show.) And what better vehicle in which to time travel than a 1981 DeLorean DMC-12? […] More »

By: Derek Shiekhi | January 20, 2014

/DRIVE’s Matt Farah Reviews the Porsche Cayenne Diesel

It’s safe to say that pretty much every person that goes into automotive journalism does so because they want to drive exotic cars such as Lamborghinis and Koenigseggs. Matt Farah recently got the chance to do just that with… …the Porsche Cayenne Diesel. Think of the vehicle this way: It’s a diesel SUV sold in […] More »

By: Derek Shiekhi | January 17, 2014

Marchettino Catches a Hamann Volcano on the Street…and in Dormancy

One of the best parts of writing for a site like 6SpeedOnline is the ability to justify watching clips of awesome vehicles on YouTube. (“I’m not goofing off. I’m working!”) A great source of automotive footage is Marchettino, who always seems to be around exotics with a video camera in hand. The car porn paparazzo […] More »

By: Derek Shiekhi | January 10, 2014

More Info About the 2015 Porsche Macan Turbo From AutoBlog

The crew at AutoBlog recently got the chance to travel to Germany to take a Porsche-hosted look at the company’s new Macan CUV. Lucky ducks. They did have their work cut out for them, though: showing that the new Porsche rig is not just a glorified Audi Q5, despite the past rumors of how alike […] More »

By: Derek Shiekhi | January 8, 2014

Bulls On Parade: Lamborghini Celebrates 50th Anniversary in Dubai

If you’ve ever driven by your local Applebee’s on a Saturday night, you’ve probably seen their parking lot full of guys standing around their Mustangs, Camaros or 350Zs at least onse. Beneath the glow of streetlamps, gearheads talk rolling-start street race victories and recent engine mods before going inside to order pitchers of beer and […] More »

By: Derek Shiekhi | January 6, 2014