Shifts from the eight-speed automatic were authoritative bordering on forceful. It had no interest in wasting time. It had to deliver the Callaway-enhanced V8’s massive amounts of power as soon as possible and it was not going to be shy about it. The fortified LT4 in front of me demanded the same level of assertiveness. The horsepower and torque figures might as well have been infinite. They were effectively limitless. The only things that were clearly quantified were the amount of open road in front of me at a given time and the number of seconds I was willing to keep my right foot down. The engine didn’t just tempt me to open it up. It dared me.
It was fitting that I was in an arrest-me-red Corvette with 757 horsepower because I was looking for openings in the cars in front of me like someone trying to outrun the cops. I was in search of emptiness so I could fill it with a red streak. A quick glance at the rearview mirror revealed a surprising amount of rearward visibility (and, thankfully, no flashing blue and red lights). The AeroWagen’s back window allowed for a decently-sized view of the cars behind me and the small side windows increased my range of vision even more.
Some cars deliver their power in waves. Others let it out like a bottle rocket. The Callaway SC757 Corvette Z06 AeroWagen shoved it out in giant ingots. I had to handle each one as it came. As I stacked them up, they built toward a daunting and delightful summit. If only I’d had the road and time (and radar detector) to reach it.
Did I want to? There you have it right there. That’s a dumb question.
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.
