Aurel Niculescu
9,661 ARTICLES
There he understood anything is possible if you work hard and passionately strive to follow your imagination. This is how at the age of 16 he managed to fulfill the first dream – flying alone in a glider plane. He was no Tom Cruise, of course, so young adulthood brought him back to reality.
With every kick in the familiar *utt comes a chance to step forward, so a seemingly unimportant ad in one of his favorite automotive magazines brought a dilemma - follow through with the current job or dare to achieve greatness by deploying (previously) unknown literary skills.
Since 2006, he’s been perfecting them at Automondial, Supercar, Cox, Autoshow, Autopro, Auto Motor & Sport, and more magazines plus their online versions. After driving some of the best and worst cars in Europe and around the world, he’s part of the autoevolution team, where he aims to develop his best-ever form.
1970 Ford Bronco Pickup Hides Many Performance Enhancements Inside Little Body
19 Feb 2021, 12:18 UTC · By: Aurel Niculescu / Ford Bronco’s original generation was also the only one available with a 2-Door body and a pickup bed out in the back. And, before the Blue Oval eventually decides if it’s worthwhile trying to compete with the modern Jeep Gladiator, it ...
Kia Stinger GT Is Back for More Drag Action With C6 'Vette, Dodges, and BMW 235i
19 Feb 2021, 10:57 UTC · By: Aurel Niculescu / Every now and then, odd drag racing pairings bring interesting surprises, as was the case with an unassuming Honda Accord that delivered a remarkably close quarter-mile lesson to a Dodge Challenger. This dark Kia Stinger GT isn’t in that post...
2021 Ford Ranger Gets Dressed Up in Roush Performance Attire for $12,750
19 Feb 2021, 09:56 UTC · By: Aurel Niculescu / The Livonia, Michigan-based aftermarket specialist is remarkably busy these early days of 2021 as we’re assaulted by a barrage of novelties bearing the Roush Performance mark. Their latest representative to this tuning party is the 2021 Ford ...
Lexus IS Gives up Car Duties, Becomes Twitch-Designed “Ultimate Gaming Space”
19 Feb 2021, 09:21 UTC · By: Aurel Niculescu / To say that gaming has taken flight during this global health crisis is a massive understatement. After all, with so much available time, nowhere to go, and great internet connections, what else is there to do? We can think of a few alternatives, b...
Take a Behind-the-Scenes Close Look at Chevrolet's 2021 Daytona 500 Pace Cars
19 Feb 2021, 08:29 UTC · By: Aurel Niculescu / Chevrolet didn’t win the 2021 edition of the Daytona 500, with Front Row Motorsports' Michael McDowell taking a surprising victory in the #34 Love's Travel Stops Ford for the first time in his NASCAR career. Now, that doesn’t ...
One-of-Four 1957 Chevy Corvette Is the C1 Winter Dream For Upcoming Sunny Days
19 Feb 2021, 08:05 UTC · By: Aurel Niculescu / As far as popularity levels go, the original C1 Chevy Corvette ranks as sky-high as it gets – probably touching the stratosphere. And it’s not just because it’s the first generation of “America’s sports car.” Sup...
Ford F-150 BEV Enjoys Winter Wonderland With a Mach-E, Makes Huge Snow Nimbus
18 Feb 2021, 15:28 UTC · By: Aurel Niculescu / Electric vehicles have their pros and cons, but one significant advantage is the almost instant torque developed by the motors. That makes for great (drag strip) acceleration, jumping from one traffic light to another ahead of everyone else and enj...
Unintended Icy Slide Makes Ford F-150 Owner Seem Like a Totally Badass Drifter
18 Feb 2021, 14:42 UTC · By: Aurel Niculescu / Much of the continental United States has been taken on a wild ride by the terrible winter weather, but that doesn’t mean those living in states that didn’t get drenched in snow actually fare better than the others. One particularly icy...
Gray and Black 1952 Chevy 3100 Is Perfect for Some Neo-Noir Adventures
18 Feb 2021, 13:52 UTC · By: Aurel Niculescu / Chevrolet’s Advance-Design truck series existed for a brief moment in the grand pickup scheme of things, entering production in 1947 and completing its new-vehicle stint right before the equally short-lived Task Force appeared in 1955. But th...
Kia Stinger GT Is Looking to Catch Challenger, GT500, and Chevy SS Unprepared
18 Feb 2021, 13:00 UTC · By: Aurel Niculescu / A lot of things can happen within the sticky confines of the drag racing realm, but surprises usually don’t last long. After all, if the odd pairing brings something unexpected, there’s also the big chance that even the very next race w...
1967 Chevrolet C10 Hides a Big-Block Surprise Under the Candy Apple Red Shimmer
18 Feb 2021, 12:12 UTC · By: Aurel Niculescu / When it was time for Chevrolet’s C/K series to start its life as a second generation, General Motors made sure the pickup truck would entice all sorts of customers with its variations and engine options that went all the way up to a 402ci (6....
All-New 2021 Nissan Qashqai Is Here, Might as Well Call It the 2022 Rogue Sport
18 Feb 2021, 10:56 UTC · By: Aurel Niculescu / Around fifteen years ago, Nissan broke new ground in the compact crossover segment with the introduction of the first-generation Qashqai. More than three million sold units later, the third iteration hopes to emulate the historic success in Europe....
Check Out a $800 C4 Chevy Corvette Holding Its Own Against a $30k 2017 Mustang
18 Feb 2021, 10:02 UTC · By: Aurel Niculescu / Does anyone think that pitting a 1986 Chevy Corvette from the fourth generation against a relatively modern 2017 Mustang V6 is going to bring any revelations? It kind of does, because although the encounter was a friendly one, there are some intere...
2022 McLaren Artura Gets Virtual Spider Version Mere Hours After Official Launch
18 Feb 2021, 08:34 UTC · By: Aurel Niculescu / The British automaker has revealed the Artura supercar as a way of stepping into the future. The model is not only the company’s first car equipped with the High-Performance Hybrid (HPH) powertrain but also the first-ever model using the new ...
JDM-Spec Honda Vezel Shows the All-New Way Forward for Global 2022 HR-V
18 Feb 2021, 08:13 UTC · By: Aurel Niculescu / Sold at home and in China as the Honda Vezel, the company’s third generation of the HR-V subcompact crossover just made its gala debut in JDM specification. Global markets, including North America, are expected to receive a new version of the...
Bellowing Hennessey Maximus Jeep Gladiator Shows It Can Also Enjoy the Tarmac
17 Feb 2021, 14:43 UTC · By: Aurel Niculescu / Back in 2019, we found out that Hennessey Performance once again performed a little bit of 1,000-horsepower magic and turned the unassuming V6-powered Jeep Gladiator into the 6.2-liter Hellcat V8-touting Maximus. But, ever since, we have only seen ...
Mercedes-Benz Expands EQC Range to the Extremes, AMG Line Costs More Than €73k
17 Feb 2021, 14:02 UTC · By: Aurel Niculescu / Electrification efforts are in full swing over at Mercedes-EQ, and following the introduction of the EQA, the sub-brand is back with something new for its first electric SUV. The EQC gains two new versions in Europe that cater to a couple of extrem...
1974 Datsun 260Z Isn't Your Average Fairlady Z Thanks to 2.9-Liter Stroked Mill
17 Feb 2021, 13:14 UTC · By: Aurel Niculescu / Nissan’s S30 series, the one that was called both the Nissan Fairlady Z and the Datsun 240Z/260Z/280Z, was the one to kick off the famous Z-letter mania for the Japanese automaker. And, as we patiently wait for the Nissan Z Proto concept to b...
Ford Will Have an EV-Exclusive Passenger Car Range by 2030, But Only in Europe
17 Feb 2021, 12:26 UTC · By: Aurel Niculescu / These first months of 2021 have been a boom for supporters of the electric revolution, as major automakers have announced an upcoming switch to exclusive use of zero emissions powertrains. Ford is among them, though only partially. General Mot...
U.S. Winter Storms Paralyzing Automaker Activity, Could Impact Sales Later On
17 Feb 2021, 11:07 UTC · By: Aurel Niculescu / Much of the continental United States has been covered in a huge blanket of snow these past few days and the winter weather is starting to paralyze economic activities. Many carmakers, including Ford, General Motors, or Toyota, have reported major ...