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.

Autocar: The Corvette Stingray vs. Europe’s All Stars

Top Gear’s Richard Hammond has been called a “secret American” for his love of U.S.-made performance vehicles, such as the Ford Mustang. In a recent video, the Autocar crew makes no attempt to hide its fondness for the stars and stripes. It openly hoons (and gets airtime) in a Corvette Stingray. But not just that. […] More »

By: Derek Shiekhi | February 12, 2014

Vice President Biden Just Loves the Corvette

A lot of politicians come across as boring, bland, suit-wearing puppets scrubbed of any personality by nervous public relations experts. For better or worse, Vice President Joe Biden is known for being colorful and outspoken. At a recent United Auto Workers conference, he was more than happy to express his praise for Corvettes, new and […] More »

By: Derek Shiekhi | February 6, 2014

Black Widow’s Murdered-Out Corvette to be Featured in Next Captain America Movie

If you go see “Captain America: The Winter Soldier” on April 4, good luck to you. You’re going to have to figure out which is hotter: Scarlett Johansson as Black Widow or her all-black Corvette Stingray. No matter which one wins, you will, too. Johannson is a two-time winner of Esquire’s Sexiest Woman Alive award […] More »

By: Derek Shiekhi | February 6, 2014

Sold! First Production 2014 Camaro Z/28 Drives $650K into a Charity

We recently announced Chevy’s official pricing of the new road-course-carving Camaro Z/28 and a lot of you said $75,000 is WAY too expensive. Even if it does buy a hand-crafted 7.0-liter V8 with 505 horsepower and 481 foot-pounds of twist. Rick Hendrick, however, did not share that sentiment. The automobile dealership mogul and NASCAR team owner plunked […] More »

By: Derek Shiekhi | January 20, 2014

The Corvette Stingray is the North American Car of the Year

Ah… The perfect day. That beautiful girl at the bank gives you her number, traffic on the way home is nonexistent and your buddy buys the next round of beers. Chevrolet is having the car maker equivalent of such a string of events, and it started with last year’s Stingray. The seventh-generation Corvette has been […] More »

By: Derek Shiekhi | January 15, 2014

Meet the 2015 Corvette Z06 and C7.R

Chevrolet’s 2015 Corvette Z06 is a very important vehicle for the company. It needs to be one helluva follow-up to the bow tie gang’s Stingray, the North American Car of the Year. The 50 ‘Vette convoy in which the new Z06 traveled to Detroit’s Cobo Center made the car look as if it was the […] More »

By: Derek Shiekhi | January 13, 2014

Z06 and C7.R Corvettes to be Revealed In a Few Days

The new 460-horsepower Corvette Stingray has been well-received by the automotive press. In case you don’t know which car mags have fallen in love with it, Chevrolet will be happy to tell you. It’s already been named the Performance Car of the Year by Road & Track, the 2014 Yahoo Autos Car of the […] More »

By: Derek Shiekhi | January 11, 2014