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.
When it comes to cars, the typical logic is that they’re bad investments. “They start depreciating the second you drive them off the lot” is a phrase we’ve all either heard or experienced at least once in our lives. According to Youtuber Doug DeMuro’s research, the Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG is largely an exception to that rule.
When you look at the new Mercedes-Maybach G 650 Landaulet, you probably have a lot of questions. What…is it? Is it an SUV? A hot rod? A limo? A convertible?
What you see here is the automotive equivalent of pizza-flavored ice cream cake…with bacon sprinkles on top. Someone loved Mercedes-Benz vehicles enough that they combined a bunch of their favorite design elements into one eye-catching oddity.
The Detroit Auto Show doesn’t take place until January, but Mercedes-Benz is giving us a look at its 2018 E-Class Coupe it plans on showing there right now.