Teenagers get a bad rap. Their sensitivity, curiosity about the opposite sex, and sometimes rebellious nature has a tendency to make adults think they aren’t capable of doing great things. That’s unfortunate – and untrue.
According to Charles Morgan, former managing director of the Morgan Motor Company, a 17-year-old designer at Bertone penned the lines of the compact and eye-catching Alfa Romeo Giulia Sprint. His name? Giorgetto Giugiaro, the man who went on to create the iconic looks of the Lotus Esprit S1 and the DeLorean DMC-12.
Two brothers with the same addiction got their hands on this particular Giulia Sprint – or at least the car this machine used to be. The Alfa-loving siblings who head the shop Alfaholics turned this Giulia Sprint into their ideal version of the model. They created the GTA-R 290 by stripping down the original vehicle, modernizing and upgrading a variety of areas such as the suspension and brakes, swapping various panels out for bonded carbon pieces, and installing a limited-slip differential and full roll cage. With 290 horsepower per ton, the GTA-R 290 is well-named and proof that youth and addiction can lead to great 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.
