Right now, the floor of the Las Vegas Convention Center is covered with displays of new and useful aftermarket automotive parts and accessories and scores of highly modified vehicles.
Ford is the largest OEM presence at the event with 28 modified cars, trucks, and SUVs, including six Focus and Fiesta STs, seven SUVs (Edge and Explorer Sports), eight Mustangs, and seven F-150s. According to the manufacturer, “More Mustang, Focus and F-Series vehicles are on display than any other car or truck.” That popularity with SEMA’s members translates to a trio of awards:
-Hottest Sport-Compact: Ford Focus. This is a first for the pocket rocket.
-Hottest Car: Ford Mustang. America’s pony car has been here before.
-Hottest Truck: Ford F-150. The same goes for the aluminum-bodied workhorse.
Ford receiving the above titles makes this year the first time an OEM has received three of those prizes.
We know you all have made plenty of changes to your new F-150s. Feel free to share them with us.
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.
