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.
MG Dynamo: Out With the Old, In With the New
18 Apr 2014, 10:07 UTC · By: Mircea Panait / Marking MG's 90th anniversary and meant as a preview to the British marque's future plans, the Dynamo electric concept was revealed this week at a private exhibit in London. If you're into British cars, then you know that MG has b...
All-New 2015 Honda HR-V Will Launch This Winter
18 Apr 2014, 09:02 UTC · By: Mircea Panait / We've reported you a little while back that the Fit-based crossover Honda intends to bring Stateside could be marketed as the HR-V. And our intuition was right: the Japanese carmaker officially confirmed at the New York Auto Show that the 2015...
New York: 2015 Subaru Outback Breaks Cover · Video
17 Apr 2014, 17:43 UTC · By: Mircea Panait / To put it simply, the Outback is Subaru's jack-of-all-trades as it combines the off-road versatility of the Forester SUV with the roominess and comfort of a station wagon. The Japanese company introduced the fifth generation of the model today...
New York: 2015 Acura TLX Replaces the TL and TSX · Video · Live Photos
17 Apr 2014, 15:52 UTC · By: Mircea Panait / After a whole lot of teasing material, the Japanese manufacturer finally revealed the all-new TLX in production form. According to Acura, the TLX is "designed to deliver a unique and compelling blend of sports-sedan athleticism and premium lux...
2015 Jeep Renegade Makes North American Premiere in New York · Video · Live Photos
17 Apr 2014, 14:27 UTC · By: Mircea Panait / Marketed as the "most capable small SUV", the all-new Renegade is the first small sport-utility vehicle produced by the American brand. Prices for the "baby Jeep" will start at a little over $18,500 and work their way up into th...
2015 Chevrolet Corvette Z06 Goes Topless at the New York Auto Show · Video · Live Photos
17 Apr 2014, 13:36 UTC · By: Mircea Panait / Chevy's most powerful convertible ever made its world debut at the New York International Auto Show. According to General Motors, the drop-top Z06 "will be one of the most capable convertibles on the market, with 0 to 60 miles per hour (0...
2015 Ford Focus Sedan and Electric Debut at New York Auto Show · Live Photos
17 Apr 2014, 12:19 UTC · By: Mircea Panait / The world's best-selling vehicle nameplate in 2013 made its appearance at the New York International Auto Show in both sedan and Electric variants. Featuring updated exterior styling themes, the 2015 Focus looks sportier than ever before espec...
Meet the 2015 Dodge Charger · Video
17 Apr 2014, 10:35 UTC · By: Mircea Panait / Along with the 2015 Challenger, Dodge also released pictures and specs for the updated 2015 Charger, even though both cars will be unveiled at the New York International Auto Show in a few hours time. Nearly every single body panel has been resc...
2015 Dodge Challenger: This Is It
17 Apr 2014, 09:05 UTC · By: Mircea Panait / At long last, Dodge has revealed the updated 2015 Challenger ahead of the model's world premiere at the New York International Auto Show on Thursday. Heavily inspired by the styling cues of the iconic 1971 model, the all-new Challenger sports ...
SRT Viper GTS Anodized Carbon Special Edition Undergoes the Time Attack Group Treatment
16 Apr 2014, 18:20 UTC · By: Mircea Panait / Shown for the first time at the New York International Auto Show today, the all-new Anodized Carbon Special Edition takes all of the functional chassis and aero parts from the Time Attack Group Special Edition and makes them available on the GTS pr...
2014 Moab Easter Jeep Safari Kicks Off in Style
16 Apr 2014, 17:14 UTC · By: Mircea Panait / Off-road enthusiasts from all over the world gathered this Monday in Utah to take part in the 48th Annual Moab Easter Jeep Safari. The week-long event consisting of adventurous trail rides is also the perfect place for Jeep and Mopar to showcase th...
Take a Closer Look at the 2015 Jeep Renegade · Video
16 Apr 2014, 15:47 UTC · By: Mircea Panait / Jeep released a set of two videos showcasing the exterior and interior features of the all-new 2015 Renegade. After it was revealed at the Geneva Motor Show in March, the small B-Segment SUV made its North American debut today at the New York Inter...
Here's the Mustang Atop the Empire State Building · Video
16 Apr 2014, 13:48 UTC · By: Mircea Panait / In 1964, Ford and DST Industries teamed up in order to display the iconic Mustang on the 86th floor observation deck of the Empire State Building. Fast-forward a number of decades and here they are doing it again, this time displaying the 2015 Must...
European Ford Sales On the Rise for the 10th Consecutive Month
16 Apr 2014, 12:58 UTC · By: Mircea Panait / The Blue Oval's European division is enjoying its fourth successive quarter of year-over-year sales gains. Ford's market share rose to 8.9 percent in March 2014, while its share in the commercial vehicles market rose to 10.4 percent in th...
How Ford Got the '15 Mustang Atop the Empire State Building · Video
16 Apr 2014, 11:53 UTC · By: Mircea Panait / What better way to celebrate 50 years of Ford Mustang than putting the all-new model on top of New York City's Empire State Building? 1,050 feet (320 meters) above the streets of Manhattan, on the landmark building's 86th floor observatio...
All-New 2015 Chevrolet Trax Breaks Cover · Video
16 Apr 2014, 09:33 UTC · By: Mircea Panait / After the GM subsidiary teased us it will bring no less than three new models to the New York Auto Show this week, it looks like the 2015 Corvette Z06 Convertible and 2015 Cruze will share the spotlight with this encore of the Buick Encore (pun int...
2015 Ford Mustang 50th Anniversary Edition Heading to New York Auto Show
16 Apr 2014, 08:33 UTC · By: Mircea Panait / Based on the 2015 Mustang GT fastback with the optional Performance Pack, the brand-new 50th Anniversary Edition pays homage to the illustrious half-century history of America's favorite pony car. Because the original model was launched at the...
Two '60s Mustangs Head from Michigan to the New York Auto Show
15 Apr 2014, 17:03 UTC · By: Mircea Panait / In anticipation of the New York International Auto Show and the "50 Years of Mustang" set of celebratory events, two first-gen Mustangs will be driven from their spiritual home of Michigan to the New York City auto event. This journey rec...
Camaro Sends a Cheeky 50th Birthday Card to the Mustang
15 Apr 2014, 16:03 UTC · By: Mircea Panait / Ever since the beginning of time, mankind's greatest rivalries were born out of spite, revenge or pure competition. In American car culture, we have a prime example of such rivalry: Chevrolet Camaro vs. Ford Mustang. The never-ending fanboy...
Aston Martin Will Bring Two Special Edition Cars at the New York Auto Show
15 Apr 2014, 15:03 UTC · By: Mircea Panait / The 101-year-old British sports car marque announced it will unveil two exclusive new special editions for North American markets this week, at the 84th New York International Auto Show. One of them is a motorsport-honed V8 Vantage GT, while the ot...