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.
Ever wrung out your new Z06 Corvette and thought, “It’s fast…but it could be faster”? If you have, ProCharger’s got some new goodies that are right up your alley.
CTS. SS. V. All of those letters could fill chapters in the story of Mark Reuss’ career. This weekend, he’ll have more characters to add to his legacy: Z06.
Last week, I told you all about Chevrolet’s $439-million investment into its Bowling Green plant. When I wrote that post, I knew something was a little off – something about the wording of Chevy’s press release.
The good news is that the 2016 Corvette is going to get some new color options and available packages and a new C7.R edition of the Z06. The bad news is that some of the previous colors and packages are going bye-bye.
The C7 looks good in pretty much any color, but the color Chevrolet is concentrating on most with its upcoming $439 million Corvette paint shop is green.
While addressing Yale’s Class of 2015 graduates, Vice President Joe Biden made a statement that will fire people – and engines – up. He confidently asserted that “Corvettes are better than Porsches.”