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.
Czinger 21C Blackbird Edition Launches at The Quail to Commemorate USAF's SR-71
Czinger 21C Blackbird Edition Launches at The Quail to Commemorate USAF's SR-71

21 Aug 2023, 11:30 UTC · By: Aurel Niculescu / The American car manufacturer was present at Monterey Car Week and has honored both its 21C hybrid sports car and Lockheed's crazy long-range, high-altitude, Mach 3+ strategic reconnaissance aircraft. Developed by Lockheed's Skunk ...

 
BMW M5s Drag Jeep Trackhawk and Audis, Show Executive Sedans Don't Fool Around
BMW M5s Drag Jeep Trackhawk and Audis, Show Executive Sedans Don't Fool Around

21 Aug 2023, 10:16 UTC · By: Aurel Niculescu / I recently saw the latest installment in the long-running, action-packed Mission Impossible series at the local cinema. Called Mission: Impossible - Dead Reckoning (Part One), this is yet another showcase of cool BMW vehicles used by the main cast....

 
Imagined 2025 Mitsubishi Triton HD Looks Like a Mighty Max That's Ready for America
Imagined 2025 Mitsubishi Triton HD Looks Like a Mighty Max That's Ready for America

21 Aug 2023, 09:03 UTC · By: Aurel Niculescu / Unlike other Japanese automakers – like Subaru, Nissan, and especially the all-mighty Toyota - Mitsubishi is a pale shadow of what it used to be in America. If we look at the current roster, the Mirage and Mirage G4 are dirt cheap but ...

 
Would the N400 Toyota Tacoma 'Heavy Duty' Steal the Dually Show in North America?
Would the N400 Toyota Tacoma 'Heavy Duty' Steal the Dually Show in North America?

21 Aug 2023, 07:47 UTC · By: Aurel Niculescu / With all the commotion surrounding the Monterey Car Week 2023 and its numerous connected events, it's not hard to forget that not every automaker was smitten by this ritzy area of California. The Japanese automaker Toyota, for example, ...

 
Ford Mustang GTD Drops Some of Its Outrageous Design Cues, Does It Look Better?
Ford Mustang GTD Drops Some of Its Outrageous Design Cues, Does It Look Better?

21 Aug 2023, 07:15 UTC · By: Aurel Niculescu / This year's Monterey Car Week has been unlike any other, with the world's most expensive car (over $30 million, allegedly) and whatnot. Even Mustangs have gone berserk, at targeted $300k MSRPs! There were times when a base Mustang ...

 
Porsche 911 Research Project and 959 Group B Homage Show Us the Right Way Forward via CGI
Porsche 911 Research Project and 959 Group B Homage Show Us the Right Way Forward via CGI

20 Aug 2023, 21:04 UTC · By: Aurel Niculescu / Unlike other luxury sports car automakers such as Lamborghini, which was preoccupied with teasing its EV crossover concept left and right before the premiere during the Monterey Car Week, Porsche still has ICE power flowing through its veins. ...

 
Ford's Mustang GTD With 800+ HP Sounds Great, But What About the Shelby Versions?
Ford's Mustang GTD With 800+ HP Sounds Great, But What About the Shelby Versions?

20 Aug 2023, 15:00 UTC · By: Aurel Niculescu / The second-generation Ford GT powered by the 3.5-liter twin-turbo EcoBoost V6 with up to 700 hp is (finally or sadly, depending on your POV) dead, long live the $300k Ford Mustang GTD with 800+ ponies and no mid-engine configuration. Oh, wha...

 
The First-Ever 2025 BMW X5 M CS (Competition Sport) Doesn't Exist Yet in the Real World
The First-Ever 2025 BMW X5 M CS (Competition Sport) Doesn't Exist Yet in the Real World

20 Aug 2023, 01:00 UTC · By: Aurel Niculescu / According to a recent study, identifying new car logos is much harder than anyone thought, and some emblems, like Tesla's, are among the most forgettable. For automotive enthusiasts, a prancing horse doesn't bring visions of cowboy...

 
Ford RS200E Returns From the Dead as a Hypothetical High-Performance EV Sports Car
Ford RS200E Returns From the Dead as a Hypothetical High-Performance EV Sports Car

19 Aug 2023, 22:00 UTC · By: Aurel Niculescu / The Blue Oval Company is intensely focused on the ongoing development of the Ford Mustang series that is allegedly starting first deliveries in the next few days to try and meet its summer release deadline. On the other hand, it is also entrenched ...

 
BMW i7 M Appears With Alternative Design Language, Too Bad It's Wishful Thinking
BMW i7 M Appears With Alternative Design Language, Too Bad It's Wishful Thinking

19 Aug 2023, 21:04 UTC · By: Aurel Niculescu / While everyone is preoccupied with the 2024 Toyota Land Cruiser and Hyundai Santa Fe, plus the first-ever, all-electric 2025 Cadillac Escalade IQ and the Monterey Car Week, BMW is playing with bullet-proof stuff. They don't need them be...

 
Never Mind Golden Eras or Volantes, All I Really Want Is a 'Tonka' Truck From Toyota
Never Mind Golden Eras or Volantes, All I Really Want Is a 'Tonka' Truck From Toyota

19 Aug 2023, 15:00 UTC · By: Aurel Niculescu / Currently, over the course of this spectacular weekend, all eyes are ogling the California style of the Monterey Car Week's many events (The Quail, Pebble, and many more), which has become one of the most important events of the automotive yea...

 
Restomod Ford F-100 Draped Full in Carbon Fiber Is a Widebody Dream of Low Ridin'
Restomod Ford F-100 Draped Full in Carbon Fiber Is a Widebody Dream of Low Ridin'

19 Aug 2023, 01:00 UTC · By: Aurel Niculescu / The Blue Oval Company is not doing much to detract our attention from the ongoing Monterey Car Week - they're expanding Ford BlueCruise flexibility, hiring Apple veteran Peter Stern as the leader of the newly formed, software-focused Ford Inte...

 
Unofficial Jeep Wrangler Concept Feels Ready to Embrace the Off-Road EV Lifestyle
Unofficial Jeep Wrangler Concept Feels Ready to Embrace the Off-Road EV Lifestyle

18 Aug 2023, 22:00 UTC · By: Aurel Niculescu / The Jeep Wrangler series of compact (2-Door) and mid-size (4-Door) 4WD off-road SUV easily traces its roots through the Jeep CJ series back to the all-purpose vehicle that helped the Allies win WWII. Today, though, after four successful gene...

 
2025 Pontiac G8 Imaginatively Returns From the Dead With a Mighty V10 in Tow
2025 Pontiac G8 Imaginatively Returns From the Dead With a Mighty V10 in Tow

18 Aug 2023, 21:04 UTC · By: Aurel Niculescu / Pontiac – officially known as the Pontiac Motor Division of General Motors – hasn't been around for over a decade, as it went extinct in late 2010. However, it remains imprinted in our memory and occasionally tickles our hearts. ...

 
Hypothetical Porsche 911E Targa Mixes Taycan DNA With Coolest 992-Series Variant
Hypothetical Porsche 911E Targa Mixes Taycan DNA With Coolest 992-Series Variant

18 Aug 2023, 10:50 UTC · By: Aurel Niculescu / Apparently, the iconic Porsche 911 series will be the last model in the range to survive the upcoming EV revolution that was started by the Taycan. Soon, the second-generation Macan compact luxury crossover SUV will come out exclusively with...

 
All-Black Slammed Widebody BMW M Collection "Includes" M5 Touring, Modern M1 Coupe
All-Black Slammed Widebody BMW M Collection "Includes" M5 Touring, Modern M1 Coupe

18 Aug 2023, 10:21 UTC · By: Aurel Niculescu / Unfortunately, as enticing as it may be, it is only the product of imagination of a virtual artist better known as hycade on social media, who can easily be seen as a massive contemporary sports car fan. Hence, the BMW Ms are spot on for his d...

 
Volkswagen ID. Buzz 'Kombi' Is Like a Surfer Van on Slammed Widebody CGI Steroids
Volkswagen ID. Buzz 'Kombi' Is Like a Surfer Van on Slammed Widebody CGI Steroids

18 Aug 2023, 09:43 UTC · By: Aurel Niculescu / Many automakers presented their latest and most ardent novelties during this year's Monterey Car Week, from Acura ZDX Type S all-electric sporty crossovers to Aston DB12 Volante convertibles, and from V12 hybrid Zenvo Aurora exotics to run-of-...

 
C8 Corvettes Drag Mopars, a BMW M2, Subaru WRX, and a Vintage Camaro, Destruction Ensues
C8 Corvettes Drag Mopars, a BMW M2, Subaru WRX, and a Vintage Camaro, Destruction Ensues

18 Aug 2023, 09:05 UTC · By: Aurel Niculescu / The videographer behind the Wheels channel on YouTube is a significant fan of Mission Raceway Park and Bandimere Speedway but moved to The Strip (at Las Vegas Motor Speedway) dragstrip for most of the compilation's action. Obviousl...

 
2024 BAC Mono Single-Seater Launches During Monterey Car Week at 'House of BAC'
2024 BAC Mono Single-Seater Launches During Monterey Car Week at 'House of BAC'

18 Aug 2023, 08:04 UTC · By: Aurel Niculescu / Labeled as 'a (proper) balance of extremes,' the newly updated 2024 BAC Mono takes its place in the small manufacturer's lineup after a presentation during Monterey Car Week, and with production already on its way, the first delivery...

 
Pininfarina Unveils Coachbuilt B95 Barchetta: Costs $4.8 Million, Packs 1,874 HP
Pininfarina Unveils Coachbuilt B95 Barchetta: Costs $4.8 Million, Packs 1,874 HP

18 Aug 2023, 07:35 UTC · By: Aurel Niculescu / The Monterey Car Week is currently in full swing, and every automaker - big or small - is urging us to direct the spotlight on their corner of the red carpet – including the Italians from Automobili Pininfarina. Parented by Mahindra, j...

 

Stories by Aurel Niculescu