When you hear the term “village idiot,” you probably picture the town buffoon, whose failures and embarrassments are well known throughout a community. One of Corvette Forum‘s members goes by the name village idiot and we know what he does with his C7 Corvette – and how ironic his screen name is.
That’s because he’s a smart and successful guy when it comes to making his Stingray look even better than it already did. He added a few cosmetic bits and pieces to it, which include:
-A fiberglass splitter
-Carbon side skirts
-A black powder coating on his wheels
-Body-color Plasti Dip-ed reflectors, front and back
and
-A Z06 grille. village idiot calls it “by far the best (and cheapest) upgrade.”
village idiot has done a great job of simultaneously contrasting and coordinating parts with his car. The black wheels look great under the white body while the splitter follows the lines of the front end. The side skirts make his C7 look even more hunkered down to the road.
He’s not done yet, though. Next on the list? Black emblems or maybe none at all. village idiot doesn’t like chrome on his sports cars. Then carbon fiber interior trim. Further down the road, he’ll probably throw on some wider wheels.
We’ve heard of “sleeper” cars, but village idiot has a “sleeper” name. He knows exactly what he’s doing with his Corvette.
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.
