Over the past several decades, Robert De Niro has had numerous aliases, including Vito Corleone, Travis Bickle, Jake LaMotta, Jimmy Conway, and Max Cady.
Soon, he’ll be going by another one, Enzo Ferrari, in a biopic. Clint Eastwood might even direct it if he likes the script written by two of the three scribes responsible for the screenplay for Oliver Stone’s “Nixon.”
Given that the film is expected to cover the period between 1945 to the 1980s, I’m sure the 71-year-old De Niro will only appear in the latter portion of that time frame. (Fingers crossed that we see an F40 or two.)
The actor told an Italian newspaper, “It is an honour to tell the life of an extraordinary man who revolutionised the world of motor sport. The film will go into production soon, mostly in Italy, and has absolute priority over all my other projects.” I think we all have four words to say in response to that:
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.
