Money can enrage you, whether you have too little or a lot of it. If you’re broke, you’re angry about all of the luxuries you can’t afford. Even if you have a ton of it, such as enough to buy a hand-built automobile, you might not be able to use it to get what you want, anyway. For instance, take the new Lagonda Taraf (Arabic for “ultimate luxury”) from Aston Martin. Right now, the carbon fiber-bodied sedan is only available to well-heeled clients, who must be invited to purchase it, in Middle East markets.
That might change, though.
“It is clear from the initial reaction to the car that interest from around the world is extremely high and I can confirm today that we are also evaluating the opportunity to offer this Lagonda in other markets,” Aston Martin CEO Andy Palmer recently said in Dubai at the official naming ceremony for the car visually influenced by William Towns’ 1976 Lagonda design. There’s a possibility it will be renamed if it’s sold outside of the Middle East.
Q by Aston Martin, which built the insane One-77, also manufactured the Taraf. CAR estimated in early October that its 5.9-liter V12 puts out 600 bhp. Hot weather testers have gotten the four-door up to 175 mph. However, given the car’s exclusive nature, exact pricing is unknown at this time. Deliveries will start rolling out in the first quarter of next year.
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.
