There are many ways to describe the Mustang-ish creation you see here. You can say it’s odd. You can call it graceless. I deem it a defiance of mathematics.
Someone decided they would combine the front end of an S197 Mustang with the middle of a fourth-generation Camaro and the rear end of a C5 Corvette. They finished the combination off with a crossed flags ‘Vette badge – on the nose, visually unavoidable five-spoke chrome wheels wrapped in rubber band tires, and an equally noticeable rear wing.
In math, three thirds add up to one. However, that logic does not apply in this case. Three thirds of different cars equal less than a whole vehicle. Its identity is fractured and conflicts with itself. The exterior is completely incomplete. The line leading from the top of the front fenders does not flow into the back end. Theoretically, it can please Mustang, Camaro, and Corvette fans, but (if any logic at all applies) it only satisfies one person…maybe. The entire car is a mismatched mishmash.
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.
