There are a lot of stats in the following video Automobile magazine shot of the new McLaren 570S and let’s face it – they’re one of the main reasons you come to a car site like 6SpeedOnline. As a small thank you for being a loyal supporter of this blog, I’ve put the figures below:
-1 – The position the 570S occupies in McLaren’s new Sports Series. It’s the first of the line. -3.8/2/8 – The number of liters the 570S’s engine displaces/the number of turbos it has/the number of cylinders it contains. -7/2 – How many gears/clutches its transmission has. -562 – The amount of horsepower produced by the 570S’s power plant. -443 – Same as above except this figure applies to pound-feet of torque. -< $265,500 – What the price of the 570S is supposed to be (lower than the starting price of the 650S) in order for it to be more accessible than the 650S.
-3.1 – The number of seconds McLaren thinks it’ll take the 570S to hit 60 mph. -9.5 – How many seconds the car will need to reach 124. -204 – The 570S’s top speed in mph. -176 – How many pounds the mini Mac’s chassis weighs, thanks to plenty of carbon fiber. -2,895 – The 570S’s dry weight in pounds.
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.
