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.
Volvo to Report Big Loss in China for 2012
18 Apr 2013, 11:51 UTC · By: Ciprian Florea / Swedish automaker Volvo is set to report a big operating loss in China for 2012 due to falling sales and costly investments in the new Chengdu plant. According to Swedish daily Svenska Dagbladet, quoted by Automotive News Europe, Volvo is about ...
Buick Turns 110, Posts “11 Highlights of 11 Decades”
18 Apr 2013, 10:59 UTC · By: Ciprian Florea / US luxury automaker and General Motors division Buick is getting ready to celebrate 110 years on the market on May 19. Founded in 1899 as Buick Auto-Vim and Power Company by David Dunbar Buick, the brand became known as the Buick Motor Company f...
Mazda Named Official Car of SCCA
18 Apr 2013, 09:34 UTC · By: Ciprian Florea / Sports Car Club of America (SCCA) and Mazda North American Operations have announced a multi-year partnership that names Mazda the Official Car of the motorspoorts organization through the 2015 season. In some ways, Mazda already was the car of ...
Peugeot to Develop New Upmarket 208, 308 Models
18 Apr 2013, 09:25 UTC · By: Ciprian Florea / French automaker Peugeot is planning an upmarket move with a couple of new 308 models and possibly a sportier 208 supermini placed above the GTI. According to CarAdvice, the company is looking to extend the GTI badge to the 308 model, that could...
Next Jaguar XJ to Gain Two New Body Styles
18 Apr 2013, 09:13 UTC · By: Ciprian Florea / British automaker Jaguar is reportedly developing two new body styles for the next-generation XJ sedan, although the current refreshed model is rumored to be around for another three to four years. According to Edmunds, the decision has somethin...
Ford Mustang Celebrates Production Milestone
18 Apr 2013, 08:15 UTC · By: Ciprian Florea / The Ford Mustang celebrated not only its 49th birthday on April 17, but a new production milestone as well, with the one millionth musclecar rolling off the Flat Rock assembly line. “Mustang is one of the most beloved nameplates in the ind...
2014 Jeep Cherokee Becomes “Liberty Light” in China
18 Apr 2013, 07:41 UTC · By: Ciprian Florea / The all-new Jeep Cherokee will make its Chinese debut later this week at the Shanghai Auto Show and rumor has it the Toledo-developed crossover SUV will meet its future customers with a different name. Although Chrysler created the 2014 Cherokee...
Nissan GT-R Races Jet Fighter and Wins
17 Apr 2013, 16:57 UTC · By: Ciprian Florea / Is the new Nissan GT-R capable of defeating a 22,000 HP jet fighter aircraft in a drag race? Believe it or not, it is! At least as long as both the plane and the vehicle keep their wheels on the ground. Though the GT-R’s output of 550 HP a...
Ford LTD Sleeper Runs 9-Second Quarter-Mile
17 Apr 2013, 15:47 UTC · By: Ciprian Florea / Don’t you just love sleepers? We do! Especially those dragstrip sleepers that make you laugh at first... and then, well, you know, they make you burst into tears. Jokes aside, we’ve stumbled upon and intriguing video showing a rathe...
Subaru Launches Interactive Online Brochure for 2014 Forester
17 Apr 2013, 15:22 UTC · By: Ciprian Florea / Japanese automaker Subaru has released an interactive online dynamic brochure for its all-new 2014 Forester mid-size crossover SUV. With a newly designed exterior, roomier interior, better performance and improved fuel economy, the 2014 Subaru F...
Hyundai “Baby Sonata” Leaked Ahead of Shanghai Debut
17 Apr 2013, 15:13 UTC · By: Ciprian Florea / Hyundai’s “baby” Sonata compact sedan, officially known as the Mingtu, was revealed ahead of its Shanghai Auto Show debut scheduled later this week. Leakead through what appears to be a billboard located near the automaker&rsqu...
BMW Releases New X4 Concept Pictures
17 Apr 2013, 15:10 UTC · By: Ciprian Florea / It’s been about two weeks since we saw the first photos with BMW’s new X4 Concept and the German automaker released a new batch of images with just three day left until the vehicle’s public debut at the Shanghai Auto Show. Conc...
Rare Holden Brock HDT Director Sedan Goes Under the Hammer
17 Apr 2013, 13:44 UTC · By: Ciprian Florea / The Holden - Peter Brock cooperation under the HDT (Holden Dealer Team) Special Vehicles name was closing to an abrupt end in the late 1980s, when the Australian company started working on a high-performance, luxurious Commodore VL-based vehicle. ...
Mercedes GLA Concept Revealed Ahead of Shanghai Debut
17 Apr 2013, 12:43 UTC · By: Ciprian Florea / German automaker Mercedes-Benz has revealed the GLA Concept crossover ahead of its world debut scheduled at the 2013 Shanghai Auto Show later this week. Based on the new MFA platform, that also underpins the A-Class, B-Class and the CLA, the com...
Maserati Announces Quattroporte Limited Edition by Zegna
17 Apr 2013, 12:43 UTC · By: Ciprian Florea / Italian automaker Maserati and the Ermenegildo Zegna Group have signed a three-year agreement that will result into several limited editions “Tridents” as well as new optional trims for all Maserati models. The first Zegna “dre...
Toyota’s Hybrid Sales Top Five Million Vehicles
17 Apr 2013, 11:46 UTC · By: Ciprian Florea / Japanese automaker Toyota has announced that its hybrid vehicle global sales have passed the five million mark. Toyota introduced its first hybrid vehicle back in 1997 and total sales, including cars wearing the Lexus badge, have surpassed five ...
Shelby GT500 5.8-liter Aluminum Block Available for Individual Purchase
17 Apr 2013, 11:11 UTC · By: Ciprian Florea / The standard 2013-2014 Shelby Mustang GT500 5.8-liter V8 engine aluminum block is now available for individual purchase from Ford Racing Performance Parts. 100 pounds (45 kgs) lighter than the cast iron 5.4-liter mill block, the aluminum block c...
New Chevrolet and GMC Mid-Size Trucks Coming in 2014
17 Apr 2013, 09:37 UTC · By: Ciprian Florea / General Motors is set to introduce its all-new mid-size pickup trucks to the US market in 2014, GM North America President Mark Reuss revealed Tuesday. Speaking at the Dawda Mann anunual Automotive Industry Breakfast, Reuss said the new Chevrole...
Chrysler Deploys High-Level Management Changes
17 Apr 2013, 09:18 UTC · By: Ciprian Florea / Fred Diaz’s departure from Ram Trucks to take over the Divisional Vice President position at Nissan US triggered several high-level management changes at Chrysler Group. Left without its President and CEO, the Ram Trucks brand will be head...
VW Marketing Boss Appointed to Save Struggling SEAT
17 Apr 2013, 08:49 UTC · By: Ciprian Florea / The Volkswagen Group has appointed Skoda’s sales and marketing boss Jurgen Stackmann as chairman of SEAT. Stackmann will replace James Muir, who was given senior management role within the Volkswagen Group. 51-year-old Jurgen Stackman join...