You know what I was thinking as I was watching the following video of a Jeep Wagoneer tackling an incline at the Morris Mountain ORV Park in Alabama?
No, not that its 360-cubic-inch V8 sounded like a beast as it revved in an attempt to pull the classic rig into the upper reaches of the off-road real estate. (It did, though.)
I wasn’t even thinking about the powers of patience or determination…or even Jeeps.
I was thinking, If I won the lottery and didn’t have to work, this would be one of the things I’d do with my money and time more often. I’d go out and buy one of these beautiful boxes, put some money into some updates/upgrades, then spend days wheeling around a place like Morris Mountain.
Don’t get me wrong. There’s something to be said about pristine supercars and luxury vehicles that look like they just rolled off the showroom floor. Those are definitely the things of fantasies as well. However, tearing it up outdoors behind the wheel of a Jeep is a fantasy most of us can live out. If only we could do it more often…
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.
