It might be a little early for it, but it seems as if Jalopnik’s Matt Hardigree has already had a spring fling. A bittersweet five hours behind the wheel of an Aston Martin Vanquish.
Hardigree is swept off his feet by the car’s looks and the sound and acceleration from its 565-horsepower V12, but his affair begins in the harsh confines of New York City, which is constantly trying to harm his new love and grope its big…wheels. Even when he runs off with the Vanquish to Long Island to stretch its shapely legs, he soon finds himself having to avoid cabdrivers trying to cut him off, “the ambulances darting in and out of traffic, and the pedestrians just begging to become an expensive hood ornament.” Not even the cops who stop him only to take a look at his 401k-threatening new flame allow him to enjoy his relationship. The Jalopnik scribe is too worried about their cruiser smacking the Vanquish’s booty.
Despite all of this, when his time with the Vanquish ends and it drives off with another man, Hardigree feels pangs of regret and jealousy. I’m sorry, Matt. Maybe one of these days you two will meet again under better circumstances and get another chance to make a go of things.
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.
