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.
Volkswagen Golf GTD UK Pricing Released
15 Apr 2013, 14:06 UTC · By: Ciprian Florea / German automaker Volkswagen has released UK pricing information for its latest Golf GTD, which was introduced at the 2013 Geneva Motor Show last month. Powered by the 2.0-liter turbocharged common rail diesel engine with 184 HP and 380 Nm (280 l...
Ford, GM Join Forces to Develop 9- and 10-Speed Transmissions
15 Apr 2013, 13:52 UTC · By: Ciprian Florea / Detroit rival automakers Ford and General Motors have signed an agreement to jointly develop an all-new generation of nine and ten-speed automatic transmissions for cars, crossovers, SUVs and trucks. According to a press release issued by the tw...
Ogier and Volkswagen Score Third Straight WRC Win in Portugal
15 Apr 2013, 13:15 UTC · By: Ciprian Florea / Sebastien Ogier and Volkswagen Motorsport seem unstoppable this WRC season, the French-German man-machine couple winning its third consecutive event in Portugal last weekend to extend the lead in the Drivers’ and Manufacturers’ Champion...
Peugeot 208 T16 Pikes Peak Race Car Revealed
15 Apr 2013, 12:53 UTC · By: Ciprian Florea / Just a few days after releasing the first teasers of the 208 T16, French automaker Peugeot has unveiled its Pikes Peak race car through a short clip and a batch of official photos. The video starts with scenes from the famous “Climb Dance&...
Maserati GranCorsa Could be the Trident’s Next Sportscar
15 Apr 2013, 12:14 UTC · By: Ciprian Florea / Born as a sportscar manufacturer, Maserati is now busy introducing a couple of vehicles that the Maserati brothers probably never thought of: the Ghibli mid-size sedan and the Levante SUV. WIth the GranCabrio being the only two-door Maserati ava...
Road America Lapped at 400 MPH
15 Apr 2013, 11:47 UTC · By: Ciprian Florea / Wisconsin’s Road America is one of US’ most famed road courses. Open in the mid 1950s, Road America used to host Can-Am races and now entertains crowds with NASCAR Nationwide Series, American Le Mans Series and many other motoring event...
smart fortwo Goes Hot with Cityflame Edition
15 Apr 2013, 11:38 UTC · By: Ciprian Florea / German automaker smart has released yet another special edition in the UK, adding the Cityflame to its Edition21 version introduced almost two weeks ago. Said to have “motorists blazing a trail to smart retailers” when launched, than...
Chevrolet Has High Hopes for Roomier 2014 Impala
15 Apr 2013, 10:00 UTC · By: Ciprian Florea / The full-size Impala was once Chevrolet’s most expensive car and the United States’ best-selling automobile. This was happening back in the late 1950s and early 1960s when Americans were demanding bigger vehicles. Renowned for its in...
Watch a Saab 900 Do 174 MPH in the Standing Mile
15 Apr 2013, 09:17 UTC · By: Ciprian Florea / Built from 1994 through 1998, the second generation Saab 900 (NG) wasn’t what we would usually call a high-performance car. Rated as an “entry-level luxury compact”, the 900 gained no more than 182 HP from its turbocharged 2.0-lit...
MG CS SUV Concept Confirmed for Shanghai Auto Show
15 Apr 2013, 08:53 UTC · By: Ciprian Florea / Unveiled late last week in a couple of renderings, the MG’s CS SUV Concept was officially confirmed for the 2013 Shanghai Auto Show scheduled later this month. Designed to preview the company’s first SUV, the CS Concept is rumored to...
BMW MZ8 Envisioned
15 Apr 2013, 08:30 UTC · By: Ciprian Florea / French designer Christophe Jourd’hui has envisioned the BMW MZ8, a futuristic two-door spyder that blends the styling of two iconic Munich-built models: Z8 roadster and the 8-Series grand tourer. According to its creator, the MZ8, which co...
Nissan Hires Ram Trucks CEO
15 Apr 2013, 07:53 UTC · By: Ciprian Florea / About two months ago, we were telling you that Nissan plans to tackle Detroit’s “Big Three” in the full-size pickup truck segment with a redesigned Titan. While the new vehicle is still in the works, the Japanese automaker made a ...
Bugatti Veyron SS Reinstated as the World’s Fastest Production Car
15 Apr 2013, 07:15 UTC · By: Ciprian Florea / One week ago, Guinness World Records decided to strip the Bugatti Veyron of its “World’s fastest production car” title, pointing out that the supercar’s electronic speed limiter “was against the official guidelines&rdq...
Japan-US Free-Trade Agreement Upsets Detroit's "Big Three"
13 Apr 2013, 11:12 UTC · By: Ciprian Florea / The US and Japanese governments have reached an agreement to phase out trade tariffs affecting car and truck imports, Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe announced on Friday, April 12. The agreement will slowly phase out 2.5 percent tariff on Jap...
BMW Launches 5-Series Exclusive Sport Edition in Japan
13 Apr 2013, 10:10 UTC · By: Ciprian Florea / Mercedes-Benz is not the only premium automaker to launch limited special editions in Japan. Rivals from BMW have just issued an exclusive 5-Series run in the "Land of the rising sun" as well. Limited to only 300 units, the BMW 5-Serie...
Peugeot Teases 208 T16 Pikes Peak Race Car
13 Apr 2013, 09:57 UTC · By: Ciprian Florea / French automaker Peugeot has released the first teaser photos of their 208 T16 race car that will compete in this year's Pikes Peak International Hill Climb in Colorado. As expected, Peugeot's Unlimited Class contender comes with a car...
2014 Corvette Stingray Designer Talks "Five Goals for the C7"
13 Apr 2013, 09:54 UTC · By: Ciprian Florea / It's been three months since Chevrolet unveiled the seventh-generation Corvette Stingray, and General Motors is still showcasing its flagship sportscar before being delivered to dealers and customers nationwide later in the year. Redesigned...
Shelby Introduces New Mustang Track Gear
12 Apr 2013, 16:36 UTC · By: Ciprian Florea / Shelby Performance Parts has announced a new batch of track-focused equipment for the 2005-2012 Ford Mustang and Shelby GT, 2007-2012 Shelby GT500 and the 2012-2013 Boss 302 musclecars. As the spring season is about to begin, Shelby Performance ...
Bugatti Veyron Takes on Fuji Speedway
12 Apr 2013, 15:45 UTC · By: Ciprian Florea / 24 Hours of Le Mans winner Seiji Ara had some track fun with the ludicrously fast Bugatti Veyron at the famed Fuji Speedway in Japan. With more than ten years of international endurance racing to his name, Ara was very impressed with the piece o...
Michael Shumacher and Mercedes Are “Facing the Future Together”
12 Apr 2013, 15:44 UTC · By: Ciprian Florea / Former Formula 1 driver Michael Schumacher and German automaker Mercedes-Benz have announced the signing of a long term deal according to which the two will work together to develop safety and comfort systems. The seven-times Formula 1 world cha...