Aurel Niculescu
9,660 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.
"Survivor" 1966 Ford F-250 Is Getting Ready for a 2020 GT500 Engine and DCT Swap
25 Jan 2021, 11:01 UTC · By: Aurel Niculescu / We have seen our fair share of crazy engineering achievements involving Ford’s ubiquitous F-Series of pickup trucks. With fourteen generations of wonders and countless versions, the F-Series certainly has many custom projects going for it. ...
Ford Bronco Fans Have a Special Card From Visa to Earn Their Blue Oval Rewards
25 Jan 2021, 10:06 UTC · By: Aurel Niculescu / The automotive sector and the financing industry have gone hand in hand for decades, and today there are numerous credit cards out there celebrating the connection. Since late last year, there’s also one that specifically caters to the Blue O...
Ford Edge and Fusion Are Unlikely Contenders to Night-Time Quarter-Mile Glory
25 Jan 2021, 09:16 UTC · By: Aurel Niculescu / A crossover SUV and a midsize sedan are something you would usually expect to see at a family picnic or in a corporation’s parking lot. But the sticky nature of the drag strip allows for marvelous things to happen, including a shot at memorab...
2022 Kia Sportage Render Takes Bold Approach Up Front, Rear End Is a Lot Tamer
25 Jan 2021, 08:11 UTC · By: Aurel Niculescu / With the 2021 Hyundai Tucson already out and about at home, in Europe, or the U.S., the attention has naturally turned towards its architecture sibling, the 2022 Kia Sportage. And the South Korean automaker probably has equally wonderful things to ...
UK Buyers of Limited-Edition DS 7 Crossback Louvre Will Get Free Museum Access
24 Jan 2021, 09:35 UTC · By: Aurel Niculescu / “Musée du Louvre” (a.k.a. the Louvre Museum) is not only the world’s largest museum or a globally renowned historical monument of Paris, France. It turns out the folks running this landmark of the French capital are also ke...
Care For a C6 Chevy Corvette Alternative? Here's a Low-Mileage 2006 Cadillac XLR
24 Jan 2021, 08:35 UTC · By: Aurel Niculescu / Produced as a single generation from 2003 to 2009, the Cadillac XLR was a classic premium roadster with a massive Northstar V8 up front, rear-wheel drive, and a retractable hardtop. Notable for a few quirks, such as the Bulgari-designed instrumenta...
One-Off VW Polo Harlekin Arrives From The Netherlands to Signal It's 1995 Again
23 Jan 2021, 09:35 UTC · By: Aurel Niculescu / Anyone who doesn’t agree that Volkswagen’s range of cars could benefit from a bit of spicing up is probably a die-hard fan of the decidedly traditionalist company. Just look at the uncanny resemblance between the classic from 1995 and i...
Weathered Mercedes-Benz W196 Monoposto Scale Model Costs as Much as a Real Car
23 Jan 2021, 08:35 UTC · By: Aurel Niculescu / Amalgam Collection is to the scale model world what fine makers like Richard Mille are to the timekeeping industry. A true creator of “masterpieces of model-making art with enduring value,” the brand has given us another measure of its ...
“Red White Blue” Collection Totaled $423k for Three 1963 Chevy Corvette Coupes
23 Jan 2021, 07:35 UTC · By: Aurel Niculescu / We rarely bundle up auction listings, but this time around, Mecum’s recent event in Kissimmee featured a trio that just had to be shared together. Aptly named the “Red White Blue Collection,” it included just three 1963 Chevrolet ...
Ford Reportedly Confirms a Green Shade Will Join the 2022 Bronco Color Palette
22 Jan 2021, 14:55 UTC · By: Aurel Niculescu / Such is the hype surrounding the reinvented Ford Bronco family that we haven’t even seen the first deliveries of the 2-Door and 4-Door models for the 2021 model year, and already the rumor mill runs rampant about the 2022 Bronco. Accordi...
AWE Teases “Best Sounding” Exhausts for JK/JL Jeep Wrangler and Gladiator Truck
22 Jan 2021, 13:53 UTC · By: Aurel Niculescu / The third- and fourth-generation Jeep Wranglers are clear symbols of the company's modern approach to one of its most iconic models. But the JK and JL's 15-year-old stint at the top of the rock-crawling adventure segment is now jeopardize...
1970 Ford Torino Cobra Isn't Entirely Original Because of Tasteful Upgrades
22 Jan 2021, 13:00 UTC · By: Aurel Niculescu / With its cult following status, the Blue Oval’s Torino series is usually a big hit with collectors. Highly popular models mostly involve the Gran Torinos appearing in successful blockbusters (remember the green 1972 Ford Gran Torino Sport fro...
Supercharged Coyote Ford F-100 Probably Doesn't Care About Background Burnouts
22 Jan 2021, 12:16 UTC · By: Aurel Niculescu / First hitting the road during the late 1940s, the Ford F-Series has been a staple of the Blue Oval range for no fewer than fourteen generations. Just about every iteration has been selling like hot cakes, so it’s no wonder there’s an en...
Barrett-Jackson Will Sell the Very First 2021 Ram 1500 TRX at No Reserve
22 Jan 2021, 11:04 UTC · By: Aurel Niculescu / Stellantis, the new automaker formed through the merger of PSA and FCA, has a few star models making a splash onto the U.S. market right now. Among them, the most powerful SUVs and trucks in America – the Dodge Durango SRT Hellcat and the Ram...
Track Visit Proves Cadillac's CTS-V Isn't Obsolete Yet in Hennessey HPE1000 Form
22 Jan 2021, 09:52 UTC · By: Aurel Niculescu / After a seemingly never-ending teasing campaign, Cadillac is just about ready to finally present its 2022 CT4-V and CT5-V to the world in even higher-performance Blackwing format. Before that happens on February 1st, there’s still time to pon...
2021 Buick Envision Costs $33k, Offers New Avenir and Sport Touring Personas
22 Jan 2021, 09:02 UTC · By: Aurel Niculescu / With sedans biting the dust left and right in North America, Buick is already sporting an adventurous, crossover-laden model range. But consumer interest is only maintained through hard work, and the all-new, second-generation 2021 Envision might j...
2022 Buick Enclave Sneak Peek Reveals the Design But Not the Specifications
22 Jan 2021, 08:13 UTC · By: Aurel Niculescu / In an automotive world that’s constantly abandoning passenger cars, Buick’s home market lineup is a clear example of U.S. customers' tendency to mostly choose crossovers, SUVs, and pickup trucks. Naturally, the brand’s flagsh...
2011 Ford Mustang Shelby GT350 With a Unique Quirk Hasn't Aged One Bit
21 Jan 2021, 14:56 UTC · By: Aurel Niculescu / Back in 2010, the Blue Oval was celebrating the 45th anniversary of the original 1965 Ford Mustang Shelby GT350 the only way it was supposed to – by announcing the revival of the high-performance variant. This 2011 example basically takes us ...
Ares Design's Latest Commission Is a Stunning Tesla Model S Convertible
21 Jan 2021, 14:07 UTC · By: Aurel Niculescu / Back in the day when Tesla only had the Model S to show for, it was only logical for other companies to attempt to satisfy popular demand for more body styles. Now, asking for a Tesla Model S Convertible seems like a big whim, one that should be ap...
Ford Acts Selfless, Will Share Connected Car Safety Data With Other Automakers
21 Jan 2021, 13:11 UTC · By: Aurel Niculescu / With the advent of connected and autonomous cars, many experts and interested automakers hope to increase road safety beyond our wildest imagination. But we all know that it’s probably impossible to get there in a single, giant leap. So, baby...