Mircea Panait
20,321 ARTICLES
Personal motto:
"If in doubt, flat out." - Colin McRae
Interning for Top Gear was his first foray in automotive journalism, and not long after that, a full-time position was opened for Mircea to seal the deal. Just about three years later, autoevolution became his new home.
Especially interested in American ponies and muscle cars, Mircea also finds the Japanese domestic market appealing thanks to the quirkiness of kei cars. Full-size pickups like the Ram 1500 and off-roaders such as the Ford Ranger Raptor and Jeep Gladiator Rubicon are much to his liking as well.
A self-described master of pasta and an avid CCG player, Mircea’s past-time activities include playing his Epiphone Les Paul Special Vintage Edition electric guitar, discovering the wonders of the Carpathian mountains by foot, and driving to the Black Sea to get a well-deserved tan.
Sam Page Wants to Take a Virtual Ride With You In the 2015 Lincoln MKC
20 May 2014, 12:33 UTC · By: Mircea Panait / Let's not beat around the bush: the all-new MKC premium crossover is Lincoln's make-or-break model, featuring all the best the American manufacturer has to offer at this moment. But great looks, modern powerplants and luxury features aren...
Chevrolet Sonic Facelift Breaks Cover in China
20 May 2014, 11:46 UTC · By: Mircea Panait / Also known as the Aveo in Europe, Chevrolet has recently performed a minor nip-and-tuck job on the B-segment model. Taking its styling cues from the 2016 Chevrolet Cruze revealed at this year's Beijing Auto Show, the refreshed Sonic is slated ...
Entry-Level 2015 Ford Mustang Starts At $24,425
20 May 2014, 10:27 UTC · By: Mircea Panait / As of now, the heavily anticipated 2015 Ford Mustang fastback can be ordered through any Blue Oval dealership in the United States. The cheapest 3.7-liter V6-powered variant sports an MSRP of $24,425 including destination and delivery fee. Accor...
NHTSA Encourages Drivers to Buckle Up With New Safety Campaign
20 May 2014, 09:27 UTC · By: Mircea Panait / Even though American motorists buckle up more than ever before, 2013 saw the first increase in fatalities in five years for unrestrained passenger vehicle occupants. Despite state level educational campaigns, seat belt usage in the United States...
2016 Cadillac CTS-V Spied, Might Get Twin-Turbo V8
20 May 2014, 08:21 UTC · By: Mircea Panait / As faith would have it, the next iteration of Cadillac's super sedan will quite probably ditch its supercharged V8 powerhouse over a new twin-turbo eight-cylinder mill packing upwards of 560 horsepower for better performance and improved fuel ...
2004 Ford Falcon XR6 Runs 10-Second Quarter Mile
19 May 2014, 18:22 UTC · By: Mircea Panait / Specifically, a highly tuned turbocharged Mk II Falcon manages to do the quarter mile in 10.25 seconds at 127.48 miles per hour. And boy does it pack a punch... As any Aussie car enthusiast would know, this generation of the Falcon is equipped w...
69 Words GM Employees Shouldn't Use
19 May 2014, 17:38 UTC · By: Mircea Panait / We've all been there at least once - working like a dog at a big multinational corporation for a pay we couldn't really enjoy spending because of the 40+ hours spent at work per week and the lack of energy needed for after-hours activitie...
2008 Chevrolet Corvette C6: the Regular Car Review
19 May 2014, 15:34 UTC · By: Mircea Panait / Assembled at GM's Bowling Green, Kentucky plant, the sixth generation of America's favorite sports car was the first Vette with exposed headlamps since the original 1953-1962 model. Produced between 2005 through 2013, the C6 was built in ...
Sir Jack Brabham Dies Aged 88
19 May 2014, 14:03 UTC · By: Mircea Panait / Australia's most revered motorsport legend has succumbed to death today, May 19th, at his home in Gold Coast, Queensland. Brabham died after a long battle with a terrible kidney condition, for which he underwent dialysis three times a week in ...
These Are the Biggest Gas Guzzlers Sold In the US
19 May 2014, 12:38 UTC · By: Mircea Panait / Even though the national average price of a gallon of gas in the U.S. has slowly hiked for the last 10 years, thirsty powerplants aren't enough to put off most American drivers in the market for a new vehicle. However, the more cost-conscio...
Dearborn Truck Plant Preps for 2015 Ford F-150 Assembly
19 May 2014, 11:48 UTC · By: Mircea Panait / After a decade of continuous production of the F-Series, the Blue Oval's Dearborn facility churned out over 2.6 million units of the iconic truck. The plant will undergo a complete makeover this summer as the final step before production of th...
Quantum Compass to Revolutionize Sat-Nav Systems of Tomorrow
19 May 2014, 10:03 UTC · By: Mircea Panait / Scientists from the British Ministry of Defense are working hard on a sci-fi gizmo called a 'quantum compass', said to phase out the global positioning system widely used by drivers, smartphone users and the military. At first, the Bri...
What to Do When Your Tesla Model S Runs Out of Power
19 May 2014, 09:17 UTC · By: Mircea Panait / We've all been there, stranded on the shoulder of the road, without as little as a sip of gas in the car's tank. But that's a situation electric vehicle owners experience much more often than internal combustion motorists. Even if...
Steve McQueen's Ferrari 275 GTB/4 to Cross the Block in August
19 May 2014, 08:16 UTC · By: Mircea Panait / It's one of the rarest and most beautiful Fezzas ever made and it was once owned by renowned Hollywood icon Steve McQueen. The "King of Cool's" 1967 Ferrari 275 GTB/4 is headed for auction this August at RM's Monterey sale ...
General Motors Fined $35 Million Over Recall Delay
18 May 2014, 18:06 UTC · By: Mircea Panait / At long last, the big wigs from General Motors got off their high horses and consented to pay for delayed reporting of the deadly ignition switches fitted to millions of the company's vehicles. Mind you, the world's second largest aut...
Performance-Oriented 2015 Ford Mustang Prototype Caught On Film
18 May 2014, 17:13 UTC · By: Mircea Panait / We've learned that the 2015 Ford Mustang EcoBoost will be a production reality according to the order guide that surfaced on the Internet almost a week ago. However, it looks like the Blue Oval won't stop here with turbocharging its all-n...
Jay Leno And Ian Callum Will Share a Jaguar XK 120 Roadster For 2014 Mille Miglia
16 May 2014, 18:05 UTC · By: Mircea Panait / Jaguar Heritage Racing confirmed that the dream team of this year's Mille Miglia historic rally will be comprised of U.S. TV talk show host Jay Leno and Ian Callum, Jaguar's design director. The British sports car manufacturer announce...
Ford Draws Up Jia Yue Chinese Sub-Brand
16 May 2014, 17:24 UTC · By: Mircea Panait / The Blue Oval and its joint-venture partner Chang'an Automobile Group gave the green light to a China-only sub-brand, which will be hold the Jia Yue moniker. Roughly translated as "Great Leap Forwards", the all-new brand will spor...
Stunning Restomod 1965 Pontiac GTO Convertible Up for Sale · Video
16 May 2014, 16:15 UTC · By: Mircea Panait / Ah, the iconic GTO. Easily among the top three greatest Pontiacs ever made along with the Trans Am and Bonneville, this model is regarded by many to have started the muscle car craze of the '60s and '70s. Due to its honorable age, most...
2014 Chevrolet Camaro Z/28 Hits the Dyno
16 May 2014, 14:43 UTC · By: Mircea Panait / Hear ye! Hear ye! This is the first ever dyno testing video of Chevrolet's most outstanding road legal track machine, the 2014 Chevrolet Camaro Z/28. When the golden bow tie manufacturer first unveiled the modern version of the Z/28, petrol...