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.
VW Ends North American Golf Production, Torch Carried Forward by Mk8 GTI and R
21 Jan 2021, 12:32 UTC · By: Aurel Niculescu / Like many other automakers, Volkswagen is trying to follow the trends by moving further away from passenger cars in favor of crossovers and SUVs. A move that has been expected for a while, the dismissal of the standard Golf from localized North Ame...
1965 Ford Cortina GT Came From South Africa As a True Low-Mileage “Diamond”
21 Jan 2021, 11:37 UTC · By: Aurel Niculescu / For anyone unacquainted with the Cortina name, this Ford was created with right-hand drive markets in mind (particularly the British one) as a daily driver designed to compete with the Morris and Vauxhalls of the time. The Cortina GT was the flagsh...
Ford Mustang and Jeep SRT8 Seek America vs. Import Glory, It's Not a Close Call
21 Jan 2021, 10:43 UTC · By: Aurel Niculescu / As far as eclectic drag racing battles go, this one is taking the "let’s check as many body styles as possible" approach. That’s because we’re dealing with an SUV, a couple of sedans, as well as a two-door coupe. An...
Fiat 500e Joins Mini-EV Party for an Atypical Drag Race Against Seven Foes
21 Jan 2021, 09:58 UTC · By: Aurel Niculescu / Here’s a race that has the makings of an epic encounter even though you’re not staring at the usual drag racing suspects. Granted, taken separately, none of these small EVs has what it takes to be called a pocket rocket (save for the MI...
Ford's Upcoming Mondeo/Fusion Evos Crossover Gets the Digital ST Treatment
21 Jan 2021, 09:07 UTC · By: Aurel Niculescu / Anyone who’s been carefully watching the Blue Oval's developments in strategy clearly noticed the U.S. automaker’s decision to gradually break away from passenger cars in favor of crossover, SUV, and pickup truck bodies. And with e...
Porsche Taycan Turbo Silently Fights the Hockenheim, Laps It Faster Than GT500
21 Jan 2021, 08:21 UTC · By: Aurel Niculescu / We have come accustomed to Germany’s Sport Auto being a reliable source of performance testing. The outlet regularly evaluates all sorts of high-performance machines exactly where it’s supposed to – the racetrack. Usually, we...
“Menace II Society” Ford Mustang On Sale From Tyrin Turner, Snoop Dogg Approves
20 Jan 2021, 16:06 UTC · By: Aurel Niculescu / Screened for the first time back in 1993, the critically acclaimed “Menace II Society” (read as Menace to Society) provided an unfiltered look into the world of urban violence and how it shaped the lives of young people. It was also a s...
Celebration Burnouts Fail, Cause Mercedes-AMG C63 to Burst Into Flames
20 Jan 2021, 15:19 UTC · By: Aurel Niculescu / Young, inexperienced drivers and high-performance machines are a dangerous combination. Fortunately, the epic failure we bring you today had the right consequences, as the alleged culprit will have to appear in court to respond to charges of danger...
Andy Wallace and Bugatti Chiron Pur Sport Pair Up on a Curvy Mountain Road
20 Jan 2021, 14:12 UTC · By: Aurel Niculescu / Currently it’s a bit chilly in Molsheim, France, so Bugatti decided to kick off the Chiron Pur Sport festivities with the first customer delivery that took place in the United States and a launch organized somewhere sunny... such as Dubai. Fo...
Next-Gen Ford Mustang Reportedly Coming in Late 2028 Solely With Electric Power
20 Jan 2021, 13:21 UTC · By: Aurel Niculescu / The Blue Oval has just started the first deliveries of the fully electric Mustang Mach-E, and the plans are in motion for the company to ramp up its EV expansion. It will do it with a raft of interesting models, including the battery Transit van or...
Mercedes-Benz EQA Unveiled as the 188-HP Electric Alternative to the GLA
20 Jan 2021, 12:20 UTC · By: Aurel Niculescu / Starting this spring - when the first deliveries are scheduled across Europe and the UK – Mercedes-Benz's most affordable entry into the fully electric EQ family will be the all-new EQA. If it looks familiar to you, it’s because th...
This Pontiac Trans Am SEMA Build Is Actually Capable of Taking Mom For a Ride
20 Jan 2021, 10:38 UTC · By: Aurel Niculescu / Although it may look like many other SEMA projects built just make a unique appearance on the show floor, this Pontiac Firebird Trans Am is a bit different. It comes with two racing seats even though the motor protrudes inside the cabin like an ice...
This Is the 2021 Ford Bronco First Edition Interior Dressed Up in Black Onyx
20 Jan 2021, 09:11 UTC · By: Aurel Niculescu / Ever since it was finally revealed last July – after lots of speculation and teasing – the 2021 Ford Bronco has become one of the most anticipated models across the entire automotive industry. The wait isn’t over just yet, because...
Porsche Finally Launches Standard Taycan, RWD Comes With $24k Price Reduction
20 Jan 2021, 08:22 UTC · By: Aurel Niculescu / Until now, there was always something after the Taycan branding keeping company to Porsche’s first EV. Now, the Turbo S, Turbo, and 4S models are being joined by a fourth version. Previously available only in China, the new variant is simply ...
This 2018 Ford GT '67 Heritage Edition Got Away by a Hair Under $1 Million
19 Jan 2021, 12:18 UTC · By: Aurel Niculescu / After the highly successful arrival of the second-generation GT supercar back in 2016, Ford immediately started tapping into the historical well of racing successes by introducting the vintage-inspired Heritage Editions. As you can imagine, the pot...
Fire-Wrecked C5 Chevy Corvette Is an Example of 120-MPH Street Racing Gone Bad
19 Jan 2021, 11:25 UTC · By: Aurel Niculescu / Temptations usually run rampant whenever high-performance cars meet. Sometimes, owners get down to street racing business to prove who’s better. When that happens, those involved will – consciously or not – gamble with their own l...
Hennessey Teases McLaren 765LT Quickly Hitting 204 MPH During Testing
19 Jan 2021, 10:34 UTC · By: Aurel Niculescu / Showcased for the first time almost a year ago, the McLaren 765LT is the latest – and greatest – example of the company’s Super Series 'Longtail' range of sports cars. It’s also a statement about the development po...
Tuned C8 Chevy Corvette Looks and Sounds Completely Rad on Hennessey's Track
19 Jan 2021, 09:58 UTC · By: Aurel Niculescu / With the winter in full swing in large parts of the world, it’s always a clever idea to remind people there are still some sunny areas out there. The temperatures are just right on the Hennessey track, though, for a bit of growling and high-s...
2020 Euro Car Sales Were Slower Than U.S., Cautious Optimism Looms for 2021
19 Jan 2021, 09:14 UTC · By: Aurel Niculescu / The final figures for the evolution of the European automotive industry are in for 2020, and – as expected – they spell a double-digit disaster. According to ACEA (the European Automobile Manufacturers Association), passenger car regist...
This Easily Goes to Prove That a Sherp Is Probably the Worst Way to Drive-Thru
19 Jan 2021, 08:35 UTC · By: Aurel Niculescu / The lengths that some people go to for a couple of additional subscribers is a bit mind-numbing. First of all, the vehicle you see in this video, a Sherp ATV, is not street legal, and no amount of dangling orange triangles would make ever make it. ...