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.
Check Out This Three-Wheel Ford Mustang Driving On the Freeway
15 Apr 2014, 13:13 UTC · By: Mircea Panait / Getting a flat tire while driving on the freeway isn't that unusual these day. If you like to drive in the slow lane, you should be prepared for an imminent puncture because the side of the road is chuck-full of rusty nails, torn beer cans and...
First 2015 Chevrolet Camaro Z/28 Raises $500,000 for Charity
15 Apr 2014, 11:58 UTC · By: Mircea Panait / In addition to the $1 million 2015 Corvette Z06 Coupe, another first retail production Chevrolet was sold at the Barrett-Jackson auction in Palm Beach. The winning bidder paid no less than $500,000 for the VIN No. 1 2015 Camaro Z/28. Earlier this y...
Peugeot Unveils the 2008 DKR Dakar Buggy · Video
15 Apr 2014, 10:23 UTC · By: Mircea Panait / The French manufacturer announced last month that it will return to the Dakar Rally in 2015. It was about time it did so, after dominating the rally in the late '80s. In order to once again reclaim the much-revered Dakar title, Peugeot will us...
Second Oldest Ford GT40 Auctioned for $7 Million · Video
15 Apr 2014, 09:18 UTC · By: Mircea Panait / As we're sure you know, the GT40 was Ford's first model ever to win the challenging 24 Hours of Le Mans. It was born from the ambition of Henry Ford II to do one thing only: utterly destroy Enzo Ferrari's racers on the French track. ...
NCE to Chop the Roofs Off 100 Tesla Model S Vehicles
15 Apr 2014, 08:13 UTC · By: Mircea Panait / Newport Convertible Engineering (NCE) is a tuning company specialized in scalping production cars. The Huntington Beach-based company has done some crazy stuff over the years, from your run-of-the-mill Dodge Challenger Convertible to really special...
Custom 1967 Shelby GT500 with 800+ Horsepower to Be Revealed on April 18
14 Apr 2014, 17:23 UTC · By: Mircea Panait / We've told you before that the Ford Motor Company plans to celebrate "50 Years of Mustang" by organizing the largest multiday Mustang celebration in history. The series of events will kickstart on April 16 at the Charlotte Motor Spee...
Lincoln's Chief Designer Replaced by David Woodhouse
14 Apr 2014, 16:18 UTC · By: Mircea Panait / In an effort to overhaul the once great Lincoln automobile brand, chief designer Max Wolff will step down from his position, letting David Woodhouse take over the design department. Like Wolff, the Australian is a veteran in the world of car design...
Saleen-Tuned Tesla Model S Coming Summer 2014
14 Apr 2014, 15:28 UTC · By: Mircea Panait / The American specialty manufacturer of high performance vehicles just released the first sketches of the manic Saleen Tesla Model S. Saleen Automotive announced that the first Saleen Tesla Model S will be completed during the Summer of 2014. Let...
Celebrities Choose the World's Greatest Sports Coupes Ever Made
14 Apr 2014, 14:28 UTC · By: Mircea Panait / For its newest exhibit, the Petersen Automotive Museum invited twelve celebrities, ranging from rock music legends, critically acclaimed film directors, actors and world renown car collector, to guest curate one sports coupe each. The World's ...
China-Bound Ford Escort Spotted Without Camouflage
14 Apr 2014, 13:28 UTC · By: Mircea Panait / Even though the Beijing Auto Show will open its doors to the pulic on April 20, the Chinese carparazzi managed to capture the all-new Ford Escort without camouflage. Aesthetic wise, the vehicle is virtually the same as the Escort Concept unveiled b...
Stefano Domenicali Quits Scuderia Ferrari, to Be Replaced by Marco Mattiacci
14 Apr 2014, 12:23 UTC · By: Mircea Panait / According to various Italian publications, Ferrari's F1 Team Principal has resigned from his position with immediate effect. Domenicali has been the Scuderia's boss since 2008, when he replaced Jean Todt. However, he only managed to help ...
First 2015 Chevrolet Corvette Z06 Raises $1 Million for Charity
14 Apr 2014, 11:33 UTC · By: Mircea Panait / The first retail production 2015 Chevrolet Corvette in Z06 guise crossed the block for a cool $1 million, the lucky winning bidder being none other than NASCAR team owner Rick Hendrick. The enormous sum of money will go to the renovation of the Bar...
Second-Gen Volvo XC90 to Go On Sale in 2015
14 Apr 2014, 09:48 UTC · By: Mircea Panait / The future generation XC90 carries the weight of the world on its shoulders by being Volvo's first all-new model from head to toe in eons and the Swedish brand's all-new design language template. Volvo already unveiled all three concepts ...
2015 Chevrolet Cruze Gets Minor Styling and Tech Upgrades · Video
13 Apr 2014, 18:38 UTC · By: Mircea Panait / Set to be officially unveiled at the New York International Auto Show on April 16, the updated Cruze saloon is Chevy's last hurrah before the debut of an all-new generation model, which will be launched in a couple of years time. Highlight new...
Here's the All-New Opel/Vauxhall Vivaro
13 Apr 2014, 17:13 UTC · By: Mircea Panait / Slated to arrive in European showrooms early this summer, the new-gen Opel/Vauxhall Vivaro commercial van has some very big shoes to fill when you take into account the success of the 13-year-old current generation. The old model has its underpinni...
NY-Bound Nissan Rogue Showcases Smart Rearview Mirror
12 Apr 2014, 19:03 UTC · By: Mircea Panait / Following in the footsteps of a technological feature first previewed on Audi's 2012 R18 race car, the Japanese manufacturer takes it up a notch by implementing digital rearview mirror technology in one of its production models. Nissan U.S.A. ...
Chevrolet Corvette Z06 Convertible Heading for New York Auto Show
12 Apr 2014, 18:53 UTC · By: Mircea Panait / It turns out that the mysterious new Corvette variant Chevrolet told it will debut in the Big Apple is the drop-top version of the 2015 Corvette Z06. Powered by a supercharged 6.2-liter LT4 V8 with 625 horsepower and 635 ft-lb (860 Nm) of torque, t...
Land Rover Defender 90 Gets Restomodded by Icon · Video
11 Apr 2014, 21:53 UTC · By: Mircea Panait / The Defender has always been the sweetheart of off-road enthusiasts all over the world because it's just so damn easy to customize it to your liking. Aftermarket accessories can be found virtually anywhere and quite a few of them are not that ...
Take a Sneak Peek at Ford's Transit Skyliner Concept
11 Apr 2014, 16:53 UTC · By: Mircea Panait / In addition to the 2015 Focus four-door sedan and Focus Electric, Ford's stand at the New York Auto Show will also feature a Transit-based concept with gentlemen's club on wheels credentials. The ultra-luxury van is a joint effort from Fo...
Happy 10th Anniversary, Ford GT!
11 Apr 2014, 14:48 UTC · By: Mircea Panait / Ten years ago, an American sports car legend was reborn in Michigan. Of course, we're talking about the Ford GT, the modern interpretation of Ford's four-time Le Mans-winning racer, the GT40. Only 4,038 units were manufactured between 200...