autoevolution
 

Aurel Niculescu

9,667  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.
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...

 
Tesla Model P Design Idea Gets Rid of Cybertruck in Favor of a Differently-Flavored EV
Tesla Model P Design Idea Gets Rid of Cybertruck in Favor of a Differently-Flavored EV

26 Sep 2023, 09:51 UTC · By: Aurel Niculescu / Tesla is at an all-time high in the automotive world, if you ask us – and it's all thanks to the best-selling Model Y crossover, the lower-pricing strategy, plus the impending arrival of the eagerly-awaited Cybertruck. The Tesla M...

 
2025 Toyota RAV4 Gets an Unofficial Facelift Before Switching to XA60 Sixth-Gen
2025 Toyota RAV4 Gets an Unofficial Facelift Before Switching to XA60 Sixth-Gen

26 Sep 2023, 08:33 UTC · By: Aurel Niculescu / After previously dropping a tidal wave of significant novelties on top of the North American car market, the Japanese automaker Toyota has now settled into making smaller ripples with the traditional new model year updates. The company got i...

 
Storyteller Overland Launches Ram-Based, 'Affordable' $399k GXV Hilt Adventure Truck Beast
Storyteller Overland Launches Ram-Based, 'Affordable' $399k GXV Hilt Adventure Truck Beast

26 Sep 2023, 07:52 UTC · By: Aurel Niculescu / Storyteller Overland hasn't been around for long. Still, it already made a big step by acquiring GXV (Global Expedition Vehicles) last year - and now the first (crazy) fruit of their collaboration is out and about looking for adventures. ...

 
Dodge Hellcats Drag C8 Chevy Corvettes, Absolute Destruction Is Unwarranted
Dodge Hellcats Drag C8 Chevy Corvettes, Absolute Destruction Is Unwarranted

26 Sep 2023, 06:51 UTC · By: Aurel Niculescu / Many folks will lament the (potentially untimely) departure of the big, brawny, V8-powered Mopars – Dodge's Challenger muscle car and the Charger muscle sedan. But there's an easy alternative if you are willing to sacrifice a couple...

 
Returning Pontiac Solstice GXP Remains Quirky Even While Morphing Into a Nice C8
Returning Pontiac Solstice GXP Remains Quirky Even While Morphing Into a Nice C8

26 Sep 2023, 06:11 UTC · By: Aurel Niculescu / Would you buy a Chevrolet Corvette C8-based modern-day Pontiac Solstice GXP sports car, as imagined here by Jim, the virtual artist better known as jlord8 on social media? The Pontiac Motor Division of General Motors is responsible for s...

 
Affordable Kia Forte Soldiers on for 2024MY, MSRP Kicks Off Below the $20k Mark
Affordable Kia Forte Soldiers on for 2024MY, MSRP Kicks Off Below the $20k Mark

25 Sep 2023, 14:00 UTC · By: Aurel Niculescu / Slowly but steadily, automakers operating across the North American market are distancing themselves from the realm of passenger cars in order to gain much-needed leverage in the world of crossovers, SUVs, and trucks. However, some carmakers...

 
2024 Toyota GR Corolla Circuit Soldiers on in Blue Flame, Morizo Gets Replaced by Premium
2024 Toyota GR Corolla Circuit Soldiers on in Blue Flame, Morizo Gets Replaced by Premium

25 Sep 2023, 13:14 UTC · By: Aurel Niculescu / The Japanese automaker's American division just revealed the main changes and novelties for the 2024 model year of the GR Corolla hot hatchback, and it's not necessarily all roses. While other carmakers shy away as far as they can ...

 
2024 Nissan Z Nismo Costs a Resounding $64,990, Z Sport Kicks Off at $42,210
2024 Nissan Z Nismo Costs a Resounding $64,990, Z Sport Kicks Off at $42,210

25 Sep 2023, 12:39 UTC · By: Aurel Niculescu / As always, inflation (or never-ending corporate greed, whichever comes first) strikes again, and Nissan of America has announced higher prices for the beloved 2024 Z sports car. The seventh generation Nissan Z (Fairlady Z in Japan) was intro...

 
Chevy Silverado EV Goes on a Tow Skirmish Against an F-150 V6, Results Are Surprising
Chevy Silverado EV Goes on a Tow Skirmish Against an F-150 V6, Results Are Surprising

25 Sep 2023, 11:57 UTC · By: Aurel Niculescu / At long last, the 2024 Chevrolet Silverado EV is available – at least to the press. As such, all sorts of tests are coming out to party – and let's see if we can find something that suits one of the most common truck scenarios: tow...

 
2023 Chevy Corvette Z51 Drags Tuned GR Supra; Someone Takes a Nice Little Beating
2023 Chevy Corvette Z51 Drags Tuned GR Supra; Someone Takes a Nice Little Beating

25 Sep 2023, 09:51 UTC · By: Aurel Niculescu / Sometimes, visiting old acquaintances is nice – especially when they have something new and cool tucked in the garage. Even more so if that great ride is a crimson C8 Chevrolet Corvette Stringray Z51, right? It has been a while since we...

 
2025 Subaru Baja Comes From Imagination Land to Confront Maverick and Santa Cruz
2025 Subaru Baja Comes From Imagination Land to Confront Maverick and Santa Cruz

25 Sep 2023, 08:25 UTC · By: Aurel Niculescu / Over the years, Subaru has had very few pickup trucks in its lineup. The first was a BRAT, while the other only considered Baja adventures. Oh wait, that's not it. Instead, the Japanese automaker first introduced the Subaru BRAT (an acr...

 
2025 Toyota Corolla Cross Truck Gets Imagined as a Perfect Maverick and Santa Cruz Foe
2025 Toyota Corolla Cross Truck Gets Imagined as a Perfect Maverick and Santa Cruz Foe

25 Sep 2023, 06:50 UTC · By: Aurel Niculescu / Until recently, Toyota has had a hectic year across the North American region. But the tidal wave of novelties is like the famous song – of the 'can't stop, won't stop' variety. Since the year started, we have seen ...

 
2025 Lexus Pickup Truck Soars Above Its Paygrade With Lightning-Fast EV Twist
2025 Lexus Pickup Truck Soars Above Its Paygrade With Lightning-Fast EV Twist

25 Sep 2023, 06:14 UTC · By: Aurel Niculescu / It seems the EV revolution is joined at the hip with the soaring hype for crossovers, SUVs, and pickup trucks. And even Toyota, now under new leadership at every level, wants to join the zero-emissions party. The namesake Toyota brand still ...

 
Next-Gen Mercedes-Benz G-Class Gets Imagined by a Mopar Designer, Looks Freshly Rugged
Next-Gen Mercedes-Benz G-Class Gets Imagined by a Mopar Designer, Looks Freshly Rugged

24 Sep 2023, 21:04 UTC · By: Aurel Niculescu / One of the most recognizable vehicular designs in the 4x4 world, the Mercedes-Benz G-Class, has been in production since 1979. And, unless you have a keen eye for details, both the classic and modern versions look almost the same. The story ...

 
If You Need Something to Beat Everything Else, Trust Hennessey to Have It, Seriously
If You Need Something to Beat Everything Else, Trust Hennessey to Have It, Seriously

24 Sep 2023, 15:00 UTC · By: Aurel Niculescu / Hennessey Performance Engineering is not just an American tuner anymore. It's a creator of dreams in the shape and form of rockets on four wheels. And they sound absolutely crazy, too. I must admit that I dreaded my weekly column about ...

 
BMW Neue Klasse Makes a Lot More Sense When Morphed Into a Coupe or Station Wagon
BMW Neue Klasse Makes a Lot More Sense When Morphed Into a Coupe or Station Wagon

24 Sep 2023, 01:00 UTC · By: Aurel Niculescu / BMW is currently known more for its outrageous styling rather than its promises of sporty elegance – and that's quite a shame. In the past, that would have been a big no-no. During the glorious automotive days of my childhood, the...

 
John Z DeLorean Is an Imagined Supercar Project Based on an Unlikely Organ Donor
John Z DeLorean Is an Imagined Supercar Project Based on an Unlikely Organ Donor

23 Sep 2023, 22:00 UTC · By: Aurel Niculescu / They say one of the most prominent elements that appeal to Corvette enthusiasts is the ability to morph any iteration of 'America's sports car' into a blank canvas waiting to make it your own. And, arguably, that's valid everywh...

 
EV Ferrari Hypercar Looks Like a Spaceship for the Road, Sadly It's Just Wishful Thinking
EV Ferrari Hypercar Looks Like a Spaceship for the Road, Sadly It's Just Wishful Thinking

23 Sep 2023, 21:04 UTC · By: Aurel Niculescu / It seems that whenever something spectacular happens around the automotive world, a Ferrari is never too far away from the heated action – whether in the real world or across the parallel universes of vehicular CGI. Just recently, we w...

 

Stories by Aurel Niculescu