Ciprian Florea
7,287 ARTICLES
Personal motto:
"If you can make black marks on a straight from the time you turn out of a corner until the braking point of the next turn, then you have enough horsepower." - Mark Donohue
You'll never catch him drooling over the latest supercar but he could spend hours talking about why he loves 1940s windshield visors, Mopars, and Studebakers. Naturally, most of his stories are about barn finds and rare classics.
He can give you several reasons why speed and power are more about motorsport than silly street wandering, and Can-Am machinery tops his ridiculously fast all-time favorite car list. He claims he could die happy after a Rattlesnake Raceway ride in a Chaparral and a cup of coffee with Jim Hall on the other side of the table.
Before landing on these pages, Ciprian's work has been published on outlets like TopSpeed, AmericanMuscle, and ThisWeekInMotors.
Electric Cars Are “Nonsense”, Says Maserati CEO
22 Apr 2013, 13:45 UTC · By: Ciprian Florea / Maserati’s CEO Harald Wester said all recent discussion about zero emission vehicles are nonsense since regulatory bodies don’t have a reasonable approach to how they measure emissions. "All this discussion about zero emissions ...
2014 Jeep Cherokee to Gain Fiat Diesel Engine in Europe
22 Apr 2013, 13:11 UTC · By: Ciprian Florea / The brand-new 2014 Jeep Cherokee will hit the European market with a Fiat-sourced diesel engine under its hood, company CEO Mike Manley revealed late last week. Currently at the Shanghai Auto Show, where the new Jeep Cherokee made its Asian debu...
Audi Says SUVs Are Top Priority
22 Apr 2013, 12:47 UTC · By: Ciprian Florea / The fact that Audi is looking to expand its SUV lineup is no breaking news, but the company’s technical chief Wolfgang Durheimer agreed to share a few more details. Speaking to Autocar, the former Bentley employee said that SUVs are Audi&r...
Chinese 2014 Jeep Cherokee Production to Start in 2014
22 Apr 2013, 12:31 UTC · By: Ciprian Florea / US automaker Jeep may start producing its brand-new 2014 Cherokee crossover SUV in China by the end of next year. Speaking to Automotive News Europe, Jeep CEO Mike Manley confirmed that the Toledo-based company will resume Chinese production in ...
Volvo Says No to BMW 7 Series, Mercedes S-Class Rival
22 Apr 2013, 11:58 UTC · By: Ciprian Florea / Chinese-owned automaker Volvo will not develop a flagship sedan to rival European full-size luxury cars such as the BMW 7 Series, the Mercedes-Benz S-Class or the Audi A8. Speaking to Automotive News China, Volvo CEO Hakan Samuelsson said a flag...
Alfa Romeo Launches Limited Edition MiTo Live
22 Apr 2013, 11:23 UTC · By: Ciprian Florea / Alfa Romeo has launched a new limited edition for its MiTo three-dour supermini. Called MiTo Live, the new sibling is limited to only 250 examples and it’s priced from £16,590. According to the Italian automaker, the MiTo Live &ldquo...
Chrysler Will Lose $10,000 on Every Fiat 500e Sold
22 Apr 2013, 10:05 UTC · By: Ciprian Florea / Chrysler Group will reportedly lose $10,000 per every electric Fiat 500e sold in the state of California, Fiat & Chrysler CEO Sergio Marchionne said during a speed in Detroit. “We will lose $10,000 per vehicle. Doing that on a large sc...
LaFerrari Makes Asian Debut in Shanghai · Video · Live Photos
22 Apr 2013, 09:35 UTC · By: Ciprian Florea / Revealed in Geneva almost two months ago, the LaFerrari showed up at the 2013 Shanghai Auto Show to make its Asian debut. Greeted by a large crowd of enthusiasts in a country that’s able to “swallow” the whole 499 production se...
Volkswagen Gran Lavida Revealed in Shaghai
22 Apr 2013, 08:56 UTC · By: Ciprian Florea / After being teased the unusual way on a couple of giant billboards, the new variant version of the Volkswagen Lavida was unveiled at the 2013 Shanghai Auto Show. Dubbed Gran Lavida and based on the Lavida compact sedan, which in turn is based on...
GM China Could Export Chinese-Built Cars to US
22 Apr 2013, 08:46 UTC · By: Ciprian Florea / General Motors China could export some of its Chinese-built vehicle to the United States in the near future, company president Bob Socia unveiled at the 2013 Shanghai Motor Show. "It could very well happen. It could very well happen. You kn...
Acura Concept SUV-X Unveiled in Shanghai
22 Apr 2013, 08:09 UTC · By: Ciprian Florea / Japanese luxury vehicle manufacturer and Honda sub-division Acura took the wraps off its latest concept car, the SUV-X, at the 2013 Shanghai Auto Show. Developed to preview a future Chinese market small SUV, the Concept SUV-X is Acura’s fi...
Winged smart forjeremy Goes into Production
22 Apr 2013, 07:41 UTC · By: Ciprian Florea / Introduced at the 2012 Los Angeles Auto Show, the smart forjeremy “haute couture on four wheels” goes into series production as a limited edition version of the fourtwo model. Created together with renowned fashion designed Jeremy Sc...
There's Something Awfully Wrong with the Maserati Ghibli
21 Apr 2013, 11:53 UTC · By: Ciprian Florea / Global recession or not, the automotive industry keeps on walking. While some automakers struggle, others interrogate and eventually find ways to keep business on the safe side of that annoying yield curve. However, the way some manufacturers choos...
Porsche 918 Spyder Spotted in Italy
21 Apr 2013, 11:17 UTC · By: Ciprian Florea / Rumored to be unveiled in production form at the 2013 Frankfurt Motor Show scheduled in September, the Porsche 918 Spyder has been spotted in Milan, Italy. Wearing the famous Martini racing livery, the 918 Spyder prototype was videotaped while w...
Honda Concept M Revealed in Shanghai
21 Apr 2013, 11:15 UTC · By: Ciprian Florea / Honda has officially unwrapped the Concept M at the 2013 Shanghai Auto Show, previewing their next generation "new-value" MPV. Developed mainly for the Chinese market and designed at Honda's Automobile R&D Center in Japan, the...
Mercedes E-Class Gets New Longer Wheelbase in China
21 Apr 2013, 11:03 UTC · By: Ciprian Florea / German carmaker Mercedes-Benz has officially introduced the E-Class L, the long wheelbase version of its executive four-door sedan, at the 2013 Shanghai Auto Show. The 140 mm longer E-Class, that offers 14 cm more legroom, will be built and sold...
Nissan Friend-ME Concept Unveiled in Shanghai
21 Apr 2013, 10:57 UTC · By: Ciprian Florea / Japanese automaker Nissan has unveiled its Friend-ME Concept at the 2013 Shanghai Auto Show. Designed for "a generation with a very different automotive outlook", the Friend-ME four-passenger sedan targets the Chinese youth in their mid-t...
“Viperceptor SE” - Jensen Interceptor Meets Dodge Viper V10
19 Apr 2013, 16:34 UTC · By: Ciprian Florea / Back in the days when MG was building its iconic MGB sportscars and Aston Martin was showing off with the DB6 and the DBS, one short-lived British manufacturer brought an intriguing grand tourer to the market: the Jensen Interceptor. Built from ...
Porsche Launches New Le Mans Comeback Promo: “Our Principle”
19 Apr 2013, 15:55 UTC · By: Ciprian Florea / Set to return to the famed 24 Hours of Le Mans race in 2014, Porsche looks overanxious about its first official encounter with the Circuit de la Sartre and keeps releasing promotional videos with benchmarks from the past. After publishing the 19...
New Buick Riviera Concept Makes Global Debut at Shanghai
19 Apr 2013, 15:23 UTC · By: Ciprian Florea / The new Buick Riviera concept vehicle made its global debut today at the 2013 Shanghai Auto Show. Taking its name from the iconic Riviera two-door hardtop that was introduced back in 1963, Buick’s new concept is described as a coupe that &...