autoevolution
 

Aurel Niculescu

9,657  ARTICLES

Staff Writer
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Once upon a time there was a little boy that didn't know his age but dreamed of reaching high in the sky alongside the absolute best aviators. He was passionate about reading books (action and Sci-Fi), grew up with many great authors and soon discovered the mirage of cinema.

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.
Volcon's Grunt Off-Road e-Bike Costs $6k, Stag and Beast eUTVs Also Get Priced
Volcon's Grunt Off-Road e-Bike Costs $6k, Stag and Beast eUTVs Also Get Priced

3 Dec 2020, 15:17 UTC · By: Aurel Niculescu / Life as a startup company can be tough. Fortunately, we live in the 21st century, and there are so many interesting ways of funding one’s products. For example, Volcon is not only allowing interested customers to reserve a Grunt off-road EV m...

 
The Q3 and Q3 Sportback Become Audi's First Subcompact Plug-In Hybrid SUVs
The Q3 and Q3 Sportback Become Audi's First Subcompact Plug-In Hybrid SUVs

3 Dec 2020, 14:09 UTC · By: Aurel Niculescu / Although Audi doesn’t look ready to give up on its traditional powertrains just yet, the Ingolstadt-based automaker seems keen on exploring just about every possible alternative. Electrification is always a good choice when striving for incre...

 
Towing MPG Test Yields Interesting Results for Gladiator Diesel and F-150 Hybrid
Towing MPG Test Yields Interesting Results for Gladiator Diesel and F-150 Hybrid

3 Dec 2020, 13:39 UTC · By: Aurel Niculescu / A 2021 Ford F-150 Hybrid full-size truck shouldn’t be in the same comparison with a Jeep Gladiator Diesel, but the guys from The Fast Lane Truck channel on YouTube decided they still have something in common. That would be the official EPA fu...

 
Mercedes G-Class With “Coach Doors” Becomes the Ultimate Recipe for a 4x4 Limo
Mercedes G-Class With “Coach Doors” Becomes the Ultimate Recipe for a 4x4 Limo

3 Dec 2020, 11:58 UTC · By: Aurel Niculescu / How do you make the legendary Mercedes-Benz G-Wagen stand out in a crowd after decades of OEM and aftermarket projects? The German tuning specialist Hofele Design has had a very simple idea that makes us think someone had an epiphany moment and dec...

 
Check Out AMP-1, That Special Place the Lucid Air and Gravity Will Call “Home”
Check Out AMP-1, That Special Place the Lucid Air and Gravity Will Call “Home”

3 Dec 2020, 11:04 UTC · By: Aurel Niculescu / It was just the beginning of autumn 2020 when Lucid introduced to the world the final production version of the 2022 Air electric vehicle sedan. Since then, the company moved at a higher pace than ever, showcasing all configurations via its online ...

 
2021 Audi R8 RWD Panther Edition Is Here to Show the Cost of U.S. Exclusivity
2021 Audi R8 RWD Panther Edition Is Here to Show the Cost of U.S. Exclusivity

3 Dec 2020, 10:17 UTC · By: Aurel Niculescu / Everyone knows that crossovers, SUVs, and pickup trucks are all the rage this day and age across the automotive industry. Still, automakers are stubborn enough to continue producing niche vehicles that have a low sales count. That’s fine by u...

 
Keyvany's Keyrus “Black Edition” Urus Could Make Darth Vader Feel Out of Place
Keyvany's Keyrus “Black Edition” Urus Could Make Darth Vader Feel Out of Place

3 Dec 2020, 09:23 UTC · By: Aurel Niculescu / Surprisingly or not, Germany’s well-known tuner Mansory doesn’t hold exclusivity on developing the ugliest take on the Lamborghini Urus. They’re going to have to hold a battle of crazy styling with a lesser-known aftermarket speci...

 
Hennessey's 2021 Ford F-150 Gets Supercharged With the New Venom 800 Formula
Hennessey's 2021 Ford F-150 Gets Supercharged With the New Venom 800 Formula

3 Dec 2020, 08:19 UTC · By: Aurel Niculescu / The Blue Oval’s most important novelty for 2020 would have been the fourteenth-generation of the F-150 star in the top-selling F-Series of full-size pickup trucks, if not for the Bronco. So, it’s apparently up to aftermarket specialists...

 
First Road Test With Honda K-Series Swapped Toyota Prius Looks Totally Unwieldy
First Road Test With Honda K-Series Swapped Toyota Prius Looks Totally Unwieldy

2 Dec 2020, 14:30 UTC · By: Aurel Niculescu / Has anyone thought about treating a Toyota Prius hybrid to a Honda K-Series engine swap? If they did, they’re probably going to lock up the idea in the deepest, darkest corners of their minds and throw away the key after viewing this video co...

 
This 2005 BMW M3 E46 Is a CSL Tribute Done Properly With North American Flavor
This 2005 BMW M3 E46 Is a CSL Tribute Done Properly With North American Flavor

2 Dec 2020, 13:39 UTC · By: Aurel Niculescu / We’ve grown increasingly fond of Shawn and his AutotopiaLA YouTube channel over the recent months – all thanks to his great selection of vintage and customized American vehicles. His attention spans everything, from the swapped pickup t...

 
2021 Mazda CX-30 Wraps the 2.5 Turbo With a 250-HP Ribbon From $29,900
2021 Mazda CX-30 Wraps the 2.5 Turbo With a 250-HP Ribbon From $29,900

2 Dec 2020, 12:08 UTC · By: Aurel Niculescu / The Japanese automaker is not that adept at spicing up its current models with very high-displacement engines, but the 2021 CX-30 crossover does get a proper flagship version. It’s the CX-30 with a Skyactiv-G 2.5 Turbo engine, bringing a tota...

 
Hyundai and Kia Introduce E-GMP EV Architecture, Let the IONIQ Genesis Begin
Hyundai and Kia Introduce E-GMP EV Architecture, Let the IONIQ Genesis Begin

2 Dec 2020, 11:23 UTC · By: Aurel Niculescu / The South Korean conglomerate has decided it was time to officially deliver on its promise to introduce a dedicated battery electric vehicle architecture – dubbed Electric-Global Modular Platform (E-GMP). Well, the electro-cat is now out of t...

 
Pininfarina Battista Electric Hypercar Wraps Up First High Speed Tests at Nardo
Pininfarina Battista Electric Hypercar Wraps Up First High Speed Tests at Nardo

2 Dec 2020, 10:45 UTC · By: Aurel Niculescu / Anyone interested in the latest developments coming from the stratospheric world of hypercars knows very well these automotive pieces of high-performance art are never to be rushed. The stakes are way too high to allow for even the slightest mistak...

 
Jaguar Introduces Dynamic Launch to 2021 F-Pace SVR, Goes Out on a 178-MPH Date
Jaguar Introduces Dynamic Launch to 2021 F-Pace SVR, Goes Out on a 178-MPH Date

2 Dec 2020, 09:51 UTC · By: Aurel Niculescu / We’re quite happy to see Jaguar has probably wrapped up the upgrade strategy for the regular 2021 models, and it’s now refocusing its attention on performance derivatives. Right off the bat, the one thundering forward this December is t...

 
JCW Is Officially Muting Its Rampageous Soundtrack, MINI Says EVs Are Coming
JCW Is Officially Muting Its Rampageous Soundtrack, MINI Says EVs Are Coming

2 Dec 2020, 09:09 UTC · By: Aurel Niculescu / Not long ago, we caught wind of the rumor mill spinning the idea that MINI’s performance division John Cooper Works is just about ready to seek new and electrified fortunes. Well, that’s official from now on because the British automake...

 
This Corvette Claims It's the Fastest All Motor C8, Lets Us Check the Time Slips
This Corvette Claims It's the Fastest All Motor C8, Lets Us Check the Time Slips

2 Dec 2020, 08:22 UTC · By: Aurel Niculescu / General Motors' decision to allow Chevrolet to almost completely reinvent the C8 Corvette into a different breed of sports car seems to have opened up a world of possibilities. Most of them have to do with balance and maneuverability on the ra...

 
2021 Ram 3500 HD Snatches Gooseneck Towing and Diesel Torque Record Ratings
2021 Ram 3500 HD Snatches Gooseneck Towing and Diesel Torque Record Ratings

1 Dec 2020, 15:17 UTC · By: Aurel Niculescu / The quasi-eternal battle for supremacy in the American pickup truck market has a new top contender in the Heavy Duty segment. It’s the 2021 Ram lineup of models, which appears to have selected the diesel-powered 3500 HD model as its upcoming ...

 
GLE 53 vs. Mom in T-Roc R vs. Girlfriend in Cayenne PHEV Has One Clear Winner
GLE 53 vs. Mom in T-Roc R vs. Girlfriend in Cayenne PHEV Has One Clear Winner

1 Dec 2020, 14:28 UTC · By: Aurel Niculescu / How about a drag race, a couple of rolling sprints, and a brake test with three models that apparently have nothing in common? If that’s not interesting enough, perhaps knowing that Mat Watson from Carwow brought his mother and girlfriend alo...

 
Spotted 2021 Ford Bronco Gets Rendered In a Tasty Retro-Flavored Combination
Spotted 2021 Ford Bronco Gets Rendered In a Tasty Retro-Flavored Combination

1 Dec 2020, 13:17 UTC · By: Aurel Niculescu / Eagerly awaited, but not yet in full-swing production, the 2021 Ford Bronco is being spotted all over the place. For example, a Cyber Orange 2-Door Badlands example was recently photographed somewhere in Colorado. That wasn't enough, though, a...

 
Dare to Make That Safari Adventure Alongside This Roll-Caged 1976 Ford Bronco
Dare to Make That Safari Adventure Alongside This Roll-Caged 1976 Ford Bronco

1 Dec 2020, 12:11 UTC · By: Aurel Niculescu / Many Blue Oval fans are patiently waiting for the company to finally start producing the reinvented 2021 Ford Bronco in two- and four-door configurations. The base Bronco kicks off at under $30k, and the off-road-tastic Wildtrack is going for almos...

 

Stories by Aurel Niculescu