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.

Spy Shots: The C450 Sport AMG

Mercedes has found a gap to fill between the 333-horsepower C400 and the 450+/- horsepower C63. The undisguised C450 Sport AMG we spotted, and its 367-horsepower twin-turbo 3.0L V6 should fit within the wheel wells nicely.

By: Derek Shiekhi | May 27, 2014

Upcoming Mercedes MLC/ML Coupe Already Getting the AMG Treatment

That didn’t take long. It was only April when we spotted a development mule version of the Mercedes-Benz MLC/ML Coupe. The crew at AMG quickly got its wrench-turning hands on it and created what you see in the spy shots: the MLC63/ML63 AMG Coupe.

By: Derek Shiekhi | May 20, 2014

Brabus + E63 AMG = 850 Horsepower

Brabus is like that father you see in movies that is never satisfied with with his son’s accomplishments. Mercedes-Benz plays the part of the hapless adopted child. “Look! I made the new E63 AMG. It cranks out 550 horsepower in regular trim and 577 in S-Model spec.” Without looking up from its newspaper, Brabus responds with, “Heh, it could make more.”

By: Derek Shiekhi | May 15, 2014

E55 AMG Mows Down a Nissan 350Z

Oh, (John) Deere. This isn’t even fair. A family four-door towing a trailer and a lawn tractor versus a sports car in a drag race. That poor Nissan 350Z owner.

By: Derek Shiekhi | May 12, 2014

Shmee Spots a Brabus 700

Talk about being in the right place at the right time. Youtuber Shmee recently came across a Brabus 700, a tuned version of the Mercedes-Benz G63 AMG 6X6, in front of a London dealership. The one in the clip below is literally all wrapped up for a launch event in England before it’s shipped off to Miami to embark on the Gumball 3000 rally.

By: Derek Shiekhi | May 5, 2014

Meet the Mercedes-Benz Concept Coupé SUV

Mercedes broke new ground several years ago by introducing the CLS-Class four-door coupe. The company’s German competitors responded with the 6 Series Gran Coupe and the A7. BMW then couped-up the traditional sport utility vehicle with its X6 and X4 models. They probably won’t be alone for long, though. The house of the three-pointed star […] More »

By: Derek Shiekhi | April 24, 2014

Watch the CLA45 AMG Run the Standing Mile

Remind me to never watch the clip below in my car. Doing so will only make it jealous and me sick at the thought of how much cooler the Mercedes-Benz CLA45 AMG is than my daily driver. I have a small sedan, but it’s not nearly as attractive or as fast as the German pint-size […] More »

By: Derek Shiekhi | April 24, 2014