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.
In addition to writing for a variety of Internet Brands sites, including JK Forum and Ford Truck Enthusiasts, Derek also contributes to other outlets. He started There Will Be Cars on Instagram, Facebook, and YouTube to get even more automotive content out to fellow enthusiasts.
He can be reached at autoeditors@internetbrands.com.
I like my car and all, but if pressed, I wouldn’t be able to think of 25 things that make it great. Then again, I didn’t make it. I’m sure Toyota would be happy to give you a list of the LS’s positive characteristics. In fact, they have.
“Cubicle work” takes on a whole new meaning at the Lexus Design Center. According to Lexus, “One enters the [‘Virtual Reality Cube’] … , sits in a ‘driver’s seat’ and dons a pair of 3D glasses.
The Lexus GX has it’s work cut out for it, living in the shadow of the LX 570. I got acquainted with the mid-size offering over the course of a week. In some ways, it made a good name for itself on its own. In others, it was out-shined by its patriarch.
March 2011’s earthquake and tsunami shook up the Japanese automotive industry as a whole and Lexus in particular. Now, the luxury vehicle manufacturer is doing some shaking up of its own.
General Motors might be in recall Hell these days, but they’re not the only automaker sending recall notices. Lexus recently announced their plans to conduct a voluntary recall of 10,500 of its 2013 GS sedans.
Buyers looking for a luxury SUV from Lexus have three choices. They can go with the smallest member of the family, the RX. If they desire V8 power, customers can get behind the wheel of the larger GX. The LX 570 is available for those who want the big daddy of the range.
Someone took the mild-mannered Lexus IS300 sedan from the early 2000s and shoehorned a 5.3-liter LS V8 into its empty engine bay, which originally housed a 3.0-liter I6. Two turbos provide even more oomph.
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