I’m offended Road & Track never gave me a call. I would have been happy to tell them whether people would rather have a Corvette Stingray or the upcoming Camaro Z/28. LS1Tech.com readers enthusiastically voiced their opinions when we spread the word about the latter Chevy, here.
But Road & Track is a professional outfit, so it conducted its own poll. The mag pitted the Corvette with the 3LT trim, Z51 Performance Package, Magnetic Ride Control, sport seats and a nearly $70 grand price tag against the $75,000 Camaro Z/28, which can only be equipped with air conditioning for another $1,150.
The query results were largely similar to the feedback we received for the above article. However, in the comments section, a few rogues did their own thing and picked completely unrelated vehicles (surprise, surprise, one was a GT-R). Even the seemingly forgotten ZL1 got some love. One guy took a brave stand and told his fellow site visitors how much of a bargain the Z/28 is for a dedicated road course machine.
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.
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