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.
I have good news and I have bad news. The good news is that there will be a new Barracuda. The bad news is that it won’t be based on the Dodge Challenger. Think smaller, and … uh … pointier.
It’s a good thing Ram received more than 8,000 orders in four days back in February for its 1500 model with the new EcoDiesel V6. That means the bet it took on an oil-burning, light-duty truck – one on which competitors such as Ford, General Motors and Toyota declined to wager – paid off.
When we last left you, the Hennessey Performance twin-turbo Viper was having technical difficulties in achieving 230 miles per hour down the Maxton Mile. First it was the transmission causing problems, then it was the engine computer. With those hurdles cleared, it’s time for the sprint, and the HP gang is not messing around.
Hennessey Performance recently grabbed a lot of headlines for hitting 270.49 miles per hour with its 1,244-bhp Venom GT.
But reaching such insane speeds hasn’t always been so easy for the Sealy, TX tuner. Back in 2008, it juiced up a Dodge Viper Competition Coupe with twin turbos and a slew of other hi-po goodies in an attempt to go 230 mph over the course of the Maxton Mile.
Power from the 5.7-liter HEMI V8 should be north of 375 horsepower. I met a celebrity at the Dallas Auto Show. He was young, handsome, wearing a three-piece suit and standing in front of a fast car. That man’s name was Richard Cox, a leading man in the gearhead world. And that car was his […] More »
