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.
Chrysler Starts Producing 9-Speed Auto At Tipton Facility · Video
14 May 2014, 11:59 UTC · By: Mircea Panait / After years of sitting idle, the American manufacturer recently celebrated the reopening of its facility in Tipton County. With the help of three nearby facilities located in Kokomo, the Indiana-based plant will manufacture an all-new nine-speed au...
Tesla Model S Battery Shield Showcased By Consumer Reports
14 May 2014, 09:47 UTC · By: Mircea Panait / After the NHTSA was spurred by a trio of highly publicized fires to start investigating the safety credentials of the Tesla Model S, the American EV manufacturer upgraded its luxury sedan to avoid an official recall. Each of the vehicles had the...
Cartoonist Tells What It's Like To Own a Tesla Model S
14 May 2014, 08:43 UTC · By: Mircea Panait / Being a cartoonist isn't just a means to an end like most other jobs out there. It involves a 24/7 obsession for drawing, an escapist nature and a slightly different view on reality. So what happens if a full-time cartoonist is also a part-tim...
2015 Ford Mustang Order Guide Breaks Cover
13 May 2014, 20:32 UTC · By: Mircea Panait / Patience is becoming a virtue when it comes to the heavily anticipated all-new 2015 Ford Mustang. But fret not because the official order guide leaked out early, revealing all the equipment and optional extras on offer. Thanks to a Mustang ...
Fiat Chrysler Reports $690 Million Loss in Q1 2014
13 May 2014, 17:10 UTC · By: Mircea Panait / Due to "unfavorable effects of two significant infrequent items", the Fiat Chrysler Group's first-quarter financial results aren't anything to brag about. As it happens, the Auburn Hills-based company lost a cool $690 million, a...
Breaking Barriers Documents Hennessey Venom GT 270 MPH Record Run
13 May 2014, 15:52 UTC · By: Mircea Panait / Tracing the history of land speed record attempts and the fearless men that made it possible, the "Breaking Barriers" documentary film debuted on the National Geographic Channel on the 7th of May. If you've missed it, follow this ...
Artist Immortalizes '65 Ford Mustang In Aluminum
13 May 2014, 14:59 UTC · By: Mircea Panait / Let's face it, the first generation of North America's favorite pony has forever been considered a work of art on wheels. To celebrate 50 years since the model went into production, UK-based artist Robin Bark has been licensed by the Blue...
2015 Buick Lineup to Get Rearview Camera As Standard
13 May 2014, 14:16 UTC · By: Mircea Panait / Driving would be so much easier if trouble would just tell you it was there, but unfortunately it doesn't. That's why Buick decided to help keep you and your family safe by offering a rear view camera as standard on all 2015 models. We...
Ken Block Teases Titanium Strong Blackout
13 May 2014, 13:29 UTC · By: Mircea Panait / The famous Ken Block and his tricked out Ford Fiesta rally car are the stars of an upcoming video in the vein of the Gymkhana series every petrolhead knows and loves. But Ken won't be the only professional driver featured in it… Pow...
GM's OnStar 4G LTE Service Priced From $5 Per Month
13 May 2014, 11:54 UTC · By: Mircea Panait / Chevrolet, Buick, Cadillac and GMC are the first General Motors brands to adopt 4G LTE connectivity from OnStar. The 2015 Chevrolet Malibu sedan will be the first model to benefit from this technology and Internet data pack. By the end of 2014, ...
Fancy a '67 Ford Mustang With Scissor Doors and Retractable Hardtop?
13 May 2014, 09:25 UTC · By: Mircea Panait / Have we got the car for you. Better known under the "Poison Ivy" moniker, this is a Stang unlike any other you've seen before thanks to its high level of customization and special history behind its retractable metal roof. To make...
Tesla Model S Comes in China With a License Plate Worth 15K
13 May 2014, 08:08 UTC · By: Mircea Panait / Believe it or not, the Chinese government will offer every Tesla Model S buyer from Shanghai a free license plate, which is worth a whopping $15,000 at current exchange rates. In order to combat its notoriously bad traffic jams and heavy polluti...
Watch the 2015 Ford Mustang Take Off Into Space
12 May 2014, 16:45 UTC · By: Mircea Panait / To celebrate the iconic pony car's 50th anniversary, a couple of Ford officials and enthusiasts became the first people to launch a Stang out of the Earth's atmosphere. Well, not quite a full-size Mustang, but a toy model of the American ...
SEAT Opens Mii by Mango Order Book
12 May 2014, 16:13 UTC · By: Mircea Panait / The Spanish manufacturer announced that the latest special edition of the Mii city car will be priced in the United Kingdom from £10,995 (€13,480) for the three-door model and £11,345 (€13,910) for the five-door. Created in...
2015 Cadillac CTS-V Coupe Special Edition Revealed
12 May 2014, 15:11 UTC · By: Mircea Panait / Just as we were reporting you a few hours back the first video spotting of the future-gen 2015 ATS-V Coupe, Cadillac has officially taken the wraps off a very special 2015 CTS-V Coupe. The limited edition model marks the last chapter of the curren...
Last Jaguar XJ220 Ever Built Sold On eBay for $299K
12 May 2014, 14:29 UTC · By: Mircea Panait / Specifically, the rare Jag was sold to eBay user 'brew1974' for the high (but interestingly chosen) price of $299,220. The seller advertised the vehicle as being in "Collector Condition", with the odometer showing only 2,223 mil...
2015 Cadillac ATS-V Coupe Spotted Testing On Mountainy Roads · Video
12 May 2014, 13:49 UTC · By: Mircea Panait / General Motors' answer to the all-new turbocharged BMW M4 and next-gen Mercedes-Benz C63 AMG has been captured on video for the first time. Even though the car sports lots of camouflage, certain tell-tale signs give us a glimpse on what to exp...
University Graduate Co-Develops Accurate MPG Rating System
12 May 2014, 12:40 UTC · By: Mircea Panait / Sam Cao of UC Riverside challenges the Environmental Protection Agency and European Car Manufacturers Association's fuel economy ratings with an innovative system based on real-world driving conditions. Let's be frank for a moment: a v...
Huge Crash Marred the Start of the IndyCar Indianapolis Grand Prix
12 May 2014, 11:40 UTC · By: Mircea Panait / The fourth round of this year's IndyCar season was dominated by a huge crash at the start of the race, involving drivers Carlos Munoz, Mikhail Aleshin and Sebastian Saavedra. Indianapolis mayor Greg Ballard was hit by a piece of the flying deb...
GM Offers Big Discounts to Owners of Recalled Vehicles
12 May 2014, 09:33 UTC · By: Mircea Panait / Even though employee pricing deals have been accounted as one of the biggest factors that led to General Motors' bankruptcy back in 2009, it looks like the Detroit manufacturer wants to use the same deep discount tactics again. We've...