autoevolution
 

Aurel Niculescu

9,665  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.
Dodge Challenger Drags Chevy Corvette Z06: Someone Should Call a Tow Truck - It's Faster
Dodge Challenger Drags Chevy Corvette Z06: Someone Should Call a Tow Truck - It's Faster

29 Sep 2023, 07:48 UTC · By: Aurel Niculescu / These days, motorsport enthusiasts from North America and around the world are converging on Monterey County, California, at the WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca because that's where the biggest gathering of Porsche is taking place right now &n...

 
New Porsche 911 GT3 R Rennsport Is a Selfish Track Car Produced in Just 77 Units
New Porsche 911 GT3 R Rennsport Is a Selfish Track Car Produced in Just 77 Units

29 Sep 2023, 07:06 UTC · By: Aurel Niculescu / The 611-horsepower monster is not inconsiderate due to its low manufacturing volume or because it's not legal to drive it on the street. Instead, it's 'antisocial' because of a straightforward caveat: we are dealing with a singl...

 
2025 Honda Grand CR-V Virtually Joins the Roster With Three Rows and XXL Trunk
2025 Honda Grand CR-V Virtually Joins the Roster With Three Rows and XXL Trunk

29 Sep 2023, 06:13 UTC · By: Aurel Niculescu / Does anyone remember what the sales chart for the North American market looked like after the first six months of the year? The data revealed an uptick in deliveries across almost every segment – and the biggest one even jumped 15%. The...

 
Ford Puma Subcompact Crossover Unofficially Gets an EV-Necessary Mid-Cycle Facelift
Ford Puma Subcompact Crossover Unofficially Gets an EV-Necessary Mid-Cycle Facelift

28 Sep 2023, 21:04 UTC · By: Aurel Niculescu / Just like many other automakers, Ford also loves a good, old-fashioned nameplate mix-up. If you don't believe us, just think of the Maverick for the Americas or Puma for Europeans. The former was initially a compact car sold in North Am...

 
Lady Broker's Pumpkin-Spiced Latte Ford Bronco Raptor Perfectly Hides Those Fat Fenders!
Lady Broker's Pumpkin-Spiced Latte Ford Bronco Raptor Perfectly Hides Those Fat Fenders!

28 Sep 2023, 12:22 UTC · By: Aurel Niculescu / It's hard to imagine that a 418-hp (With Baja Mode on) Ford Bronco Raptor high-performance off-road SUV could also double as a mall crawler, but here it is in all its wrapped glory as proof there's nothing that imagination cannot do. ...

 
2024 Toyota Highlander Hybrid Goes Stealthy, Joins Sprawling Nightshade Family
2024 Toyota Highlander Hybrid Goes Stealthy, Joins Sprawling Nightshade Family

28 Sep 2023, 11:40 UTC · By: Aurel Niculescu / Following the announcements regarding the entire 2024 Corolla Nightshade family and the recent addition of the Corolla Cross Hybrid to the roster, Toyota is making Highlander Hybrid fans happy, too. Since the start of the year, the Japanese ...

 
Ford Mustang Drags Ram TRX and Widebody Dodge Redeye, Absolute Destruction Ensues
Ford Mustang Drags Ram TRX and Widebody Dodge Redeye, Absolute Destruction Ensues

28 Sep 2023, 09:16 UTC · By: Aurel Niculescu / It will not be long, and the S650 Ford Mustang EcoBoost, GT, and Dark Horse (plus GTD) will be the last survivor series from the golden age of ICE-powered pony and muscle cars. Not exactly something to be reminded of with pleasure, but Gener...

 
Widebody 1960s Chevy Camaro Restomod Goes to Digital Extremes With a Bosozoku Flex
Widebody 1960s Chevy Camaro Restomod Goes to Digital Extremes With a Bosozoku Flex

28 Sep 2023, 07:30 UTC · By: Aurel Niculescu / We are fast approaching the end of the ICE-powered muscle car age, if you ask the Big Detroit Three. But has anyone asked us if we are all right with that or not? Soon, there will be only one – just like in the tales of the immortal Hi...

 
2024 Mercedes-AMG GLC 63 S E Coupe PHEV Gets Some Tasty Upgrades, All Unofficial
2024 Mercedes-AMG GLC 63 S E Coupe PHEV Gets Some Tasty Upgrades, All Unofficial

28 Sep 2023, 06:54 UTC · By: Aurel Niculescu / Once, not long ago, I used to consider Mercedes-Benz the epitome of automotive quality and elegance. Now, unfortunately, I think they're just high-priced generic machines from Germany! Sure, one can say there's nothing wrong about b...

 
2026 Nissan Altima Successor Gets Imagined as Comfy EV Series With Sedan and CUV
2026 Nissan Altima Successor Gets Imagined as Comfy EV Series With Sedan and CUV

28 Sep 2023, 06:21 UTC · By: Aurel Niculescu / Once the proud pioneer of electric vehicles, Nissan is now trailing the competition with its obsolete Leaf hatchback and late-at-the-party Ariya compact crossover SUV. But they're trying to stage a comeback, no worries. The Japanese aut...

 
Nissan Leaf EV Hatchback Drags Mighty Jet Aircraft; Someone Takes a Fake Beating
Nissan Leaf EV Hatchback Drags Mighty Jet Aircraft; Someone Takes a Fake Beating

27 Sep 2023, 20:04 UTC · By: Aurel Niculescu / Note that Nissan Japan staged the cool race to celebrate the launch of the new model year for the Leaf EV in its home market, so don't really count on it being a fair challenge. Back in 2010, the electric vehicle revolution was a relativ...

 
The 2023 Kia Sorento Vision Limited Edition Costs an Arm and a Leg, But It's Versatile
The 2023 Kia Sorento Vision Limited Edition Costs an Arm and a Leg, But It's Versatile

27 Sep 2023, 14:05 UTC · By: Aurel Niculescu / Kia UK introduces the limited-run Sorento 'Vision' model into the lineup. It sits below last year's 'Edition' version, and the company says it's more affordable. But they're missing the point – nothing is ch...

 
Bentley 'Belonging Bentayga' Was Hand-Painted From Memory to Celebrate Worldwide Inclusion
Bentley 'Belonging Bentayga' Was Hand-Painted From Memory to Celebrate Worldwide Inclusion

27 Sep 2023, 12:42 UTC · By: Aurel Niculescu / The ultra-luxury British automaker showcases a special Bentayga luxury crossover SUV, hand-painted by architectural artist Stephen Wiltshire, to include no less than 29 different landmarks from all over the world and representative people. J...

 
Shelby Cobra 427 Drags 1.9 JTD Alfa Romeo 156 Sleeper Wagon, It's Not Even Close
Shelby Cobra 427 Drags 1.9 JTD Alfa Romeo 156 Sleeper Wagon, It's Not Even Close

27 Sep 2023, 12:10 UTC · By: Aurel Niculescu / Usually, you would think that the American dream is only achievable when you're actually in the United States. Well, sometimes you can bring the visions of glory to other places, too. For example, let's talk about the racing part o...

 
Mazda CX-70 Mid-Sizer CUV for US Gets Showcased Earlier Than Planned, Albeit Imaginatively
Mazda CX-70 Mid-Sizer CUV for US Gets Showcased Earlier Than Planned, Albeit Imaginatively

27 Sep 2023, 08:58 UTC · By: Aurel Niculescu / Unlike other automakers, Mazda is pretty frank about its corner-office head honchos' thoughts, not seeing the end of the internal combustion engine being near. As such, we know they don't have big plans for EV production in the US anytime...

 
Revived Honda S2000 Feels More Aggressive Than Ever, at Least in Fantasy Land
Revived Honda S2000 Feels More Aggressive Than Ever, at Least in Fantasy Land

27 Sep 2023, 07:34 UTC · By: Aurel Niculescu / Frankly, we understand that automakers are weary of stepping wrong in any passenger car direction these days. But why Honda is so extra careful with its foray into sports cars is beyond my comprehension. Sure, one could argue that the automo...

 
2025 Toyota RAV4 Revealed With a Hypothetic Redesign, Looks Quirkier Than Ever
2025 Toyota RAV4 Revealed With a Hypothetic Redesign, Looks Quirkier Than Ever

27 Sep 2023, 06:52 UTC · By: Aurel Niculescu / Toyota, the world's largest automaker, is no slouch – but it's also not the king of the hill everywhere. For example, General Motors ruled the sales charts in North America after the first six months of the year. However, the...

 
Genesis Reveals New GV80 Coupe in South Korea, Redesigned GV80 Also Tags Along
Genesis Reveals New GV80 Coupe in South Korea, Redesigned GV80 Also Tags Along

27 Sep 2023, 06:14 UTC · By: Aurel Niculescu / Previewed by the eponymous concept from a few months ago and copiously spied on ever since, this is Genesis' first foray into the sprawling coupe-SUV world – where it will spar with the likes of Audi Q8, BMW X6 and Mercedes-Benz GLE Coup...

 
Mercedes-AMG E 63 S E Performance SW Feels Ready to Plug Into the Heart of an M5 Touring
Mercedes-AMG E 63 S E Performance SW Feels Ready to Plug Into the Heart of an M5 Touring

26 Sep 2023, 20:56 UTC · By: Aurel Niculescu / For anyone who doesn't need the utility part from their SUV (sport utility vehicle), Mercedes-Benz, through its subsidiary AMG, just answered the call of great looks and cramped rear space with the latest GLC Coupe twins – GLC 43 and GLC...

 
Mullen Automotive Showcases GT All-Electric Sports Car in New York, It's Not Vaporware!
Mullen Automotive Showcases GT All-Electric Sports Car in New York, It's Not Vaporware!

26 Sep 2023, 14:04 UTC · By: Aurel Niculescu / Mullen Automotive is an American EV maker headquartered in Brea, California. But don't mistake them for a Tesla-like startup company because they also like to delve into the gray area of rebadged Chinese captive imports! Its product focu...

 

Stories by Aurel Niculescu