I believe that, as car fans, we should be thankful to be alive in 2015. Not only because cars are safer than ever or producing once-unimaginable levels of output, such as the 949-horsepower Ferrari LaFerrari.
We should also be grateful to be living in these times because smartphones and the internet exist. Think about it. Back when the F40 was around, if you wanted to hear multiple sound clips of its 2.9-liter twin-turbo V8 being revved or opened up, you had to either buy a collection of them that someone else took the time to compile and get an earful of it at your house, or be in the right place at the right time every time one made an appearance on a city street or at a local track day.
These days, you can be in the basement of a building in a one-stoplight town and watch listen to the following video full of LaFerraris menacingly growling at low speeds and wailing at race course velocities. No waiting. No rewinding.
I said, “No waiting.” Listen to the mid-engine symphony right now, whether it’s through your wireless headphones or your car’s Bluetooth-connected speakers.
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.
