Time’s a real bitch, but an impartial one. It doesn’t care if you’re waiting on a cup of coffee to be ready, or your Pagani Huayra to finally roll out of the factory after more than a year of anticipation. You just have to stand there and let it pass.
However, when it eventually does, it’s usually worth the previous frustration. Just ask Kris Singh. After being teased with shots of his Italian hypercar throughout its production process, he recently took delivery of it … excuse me … her: La Monza Lisa.
What a looker. You could say she’s a real work of art. I certainly will. Like every other Huayra, she’s got graceful, flowing lines. In custom-ordering his car, Singh kept things tasteful: no chrome wrap, garish colors or hideous aftermarket wheels. Just clear-coated carbon fiber and Tricolore stripes, one of which – the one running along the spine of La Monza Lisa – is similar in style to that which goes down the middle of the Zonda Revolucione.
Time’s a bitch in another way. The minutes Singh spends driving his new baby are minutes he’s not driving his Lamborghini Veneno or Aventador Roadster.
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.
