Derek Shiekhi

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, H-D Forums, The Mustang Source, Mustang Forums, LS1Tech, HondaTech, Jaguar Forums, YotaTech, and Ford Truck Enthusiasts. Derek also started There Will Be Cars on Instagram, Facebook, and YouTube.

The Callaway Supernatural 400 Corvette is Freaky Fast

Despite its dramatic name, the 1993 Supernatural 400 Corvette was given the ability to develop 403 horsepower and 376 pound-feet of torque with rather normal parts. Callaway fitted it with a different cam, reshaped combustion chambers, ported and polished intake manifolds and a special exhaust system. All of that added up to a 0-60 time […] More »

By: Derek Shiekhi | August 20, 2014

Watch a 1969 L88 Corvette Smoke a Chevelle

The 2015 Dodge Challenger Hellcat is getting a lot of press these days – for good reason. It has the power of 707 horses and can claw its way through the quarter mile in 11.2 seconds at 125 mph on street tires. It took that Mopar maniac and its staggering figures to show me what […] More »

By: Derek Shiekhi | August 19, 2014

Raybestos Presents: 2001 Camaro SS is a Great Start

Member BiGcamo joined our forum on Wednesday. Given that he’s the new owner of a 2001 Camaro SS, I think he’ll fit in here just fine. Right now, his “first F body LS1” has such goodies as an SLP intake and lid, an underdrive pulley, PaceSetter Long Tube Headers, MagnaFlow exhaust and 3.90 gears in […] More »

By: Derek Shiekhi | August 15, 2014

Watch a Camaro Blast Through the Rules of Mathematics

This F-body is so f-in’ fast it makes one plus 1,200 equal eight. In other words, this one car, named 347Fairless, has 1,200 horsepower at its rear wheels… …and can knock off an eight-second quarter mile. That’s made possible by some serious hardware with its own impressive figures, such as a 602-cubic-inch big block and […] More »

By: Derek Shiekhi | August 11, 2014

Raybestos Presents: A Beautiful Sunset On Wheels

A gorgeous woman, a moving act of kindness – seeing either one is enough to render you speechless. A beautiful sunset can have the same effect. Even when it’s in the form of an automotive paint job. Forum member lbls1‘s 2002 Camaro SS doesn’t require an open mouth to be enjoyed. All you have to […] More »

By: Derek Shiekhi | August 8, 2014

Say What? Watch a Humvee Climb a Six-Foot Wall (Video)

I know a Humvee is not a Hummer, a vehicle from the eponymous brand of civilian SUVs which died in 2010, but don’t let that stop you from watching the clip at the end of this post. You have to see it. The Hummer Ohio Extreme Squad proved that the High Mobility Multipurpose Wheeled Vehicle […] More »

By: Derek Shiekhi | August 4, 2014

Raybestos Presents: Gah-Gah for a Guzzling Goat GTO (Video)

Love requires certain sacrifices, such as moving across the country or holding your tongue during arguments. Forum member FFFASTGTO’s love of his 2004 Pontiac GTO required him to give up a significant number of mpgs. His fuel economy figures are now in the low double digits. However, something tells me he doesn’t mind… After his […] More »

By: Derek Shiekhi | August 1, 2014