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Mircea Panait

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Personal motto:

"If in doubt, flat out." - Colin McRae

Senior Contributor
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Little did he knew back then, but a 1:43 scale model of a Ferrari 250 GTO is what sparked Mircea’s interest for cars when he was just a kid. Despite studying mathematics and informatics in high school and economics in university, Mircea turned his passion for all things automotive into a job.
 
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.
Twin-Turbo Corvette E-Ray Makes Over 1,000 Wheel Horsepower, Sounds Absolutely Wild
Twin-Turbo Corvette E-Ray Makes Over 1,000 Wheel Horsepower, Sounds Absolutely Wild

16 May 2024, 17:04 UTC · By: Mircea Panait / The E-Ray isn't your usual Corvette because it's the first-ever Corvette to benefit from hybrid assistance in the form of a front-mounted electric motor, which is connected to a 300-volt battery with a total capacity of 1.9 kilowatt hours...

 
Mercedes-Benz EQB Recalled Over Improperly Welded Spur Gear
Mercedes-Benz EQB Recalled Over Improperly Welded Spur Gear

16 May 2024, 15:51 UTC · By: Mircea Panait / A compact electric utility vehicle with seating for up to 7, the Mercedes-Benz EQB has been hit with a recall caused by a deviation at the front electric drive unit supplier. Made by ZF Group Electrified Powertrain Technology, said front electric d...

 
BMW Recalls Certain X5 xDrive40i SUVs for Incorrect Information on Tire Placard
BMW Recalls Certain X5 xDrive40i SUVs for Incorrect Information on Tire Placard

15 May 2024, 22:03 UTC · By: Mircea Panait / The G05 rolled out in 2018 for the 2019 model year as the fourth-generation X5. No fewer than 72,573 units were sold in the United States last year, making it BMW's most popular nameplate in this part of the world. Proudly assembled in South C...

 
2025 Jeep Avenger 4xe Spied, It's Twinned With Alfa Romeo's Junior Ibrida Q4
2025 Jeep Avenger 4xe Spied, It's Twinned With Alfa Romeo's Junior Ibrida Q4

15 May 2024, 20:57 UTC · By: Mircea Panait / There's no denying that Fiat had a big role in diluting the Jeep Compass with Fiat underpinnings when Fiat Chrysler used to be a thing. The dilution continues under the Stellantis umbrella with the Avenger, a small crossover that North America...

 
Kia Prices 2025 Sorento Plug-In Hybrid, Base Spec Is Nearly $50,000
Kia Prices 2025 Sorento Plug-In Hybrid, Base Spec Is Nearly $50,000

15 May 2024, 19:50 UTC · By: Mircea Panait / Kia revised the Sorento three-row sport utility vehicle for 2024 and 2025, respectively. The internal combustion-only Sorento facelift is available for model year 2024 at press time, whereas the hybrid twins are 2025 models. Before destination c...

 
BMW M3 Touring Drag Races Audi RS 4 Avant, It's Not Even Close
BMW M3 Touring Drag Races Audi RS 4 Avant, It's Not Even Close

15 May 2024, 18:13 UTC · By: Mircea Panait / The RS 4 Avant is a seriously fun longroof, but alas, the undisputed leader in this particular segment is the M3 Touring. Despite being a wee bit heavier than the four-ringed station wagon, the Bimmer makes easy work of the...

 
Ford Recalls Certain 2024 F-150 Pickup Trucks for Potential Loss of Steering Control
Ford Recalls Certain 2024 F-150 Pickup Trucks for Potential Loss of Steering Control

15 May 2024, 17:12 UTC · By: Mircea Panait / 2024 marks the mid-cycle refresh of the 14th-gen Ford F-Series, which brings a plethora of changes over the 2023 model. Unfortunately, it also brought a safety recall that comprises 385 units of the F-150. According to documents published by the...

 
Ford Recalls Maverick, Escape, Lincoln Corsair for HPCM Software Error
Ford Recalls Maverick, Escape, Lincoln Corsair for HPCM Software Error

15 May 2024, 16:11 UTC · By: Mircea Panait / A small number of hybrid compacts based on the Ford C2 platform have been hit with a safety recall. Said vehicles could unexpectedly shift into neutral due to a hybrid powertrain control module software error, leading to a sudden loss of drive powe...

 
SVE YENKO/SC C8 Corvette Stingray Packs Twin-Turbo V8 With 1,000 HP
SVE YENKO/SC C8 Corvette Stingray Packs Twin-Turbo V8 With 1,000 HP

14 May 2024, 20:44 UTC · By: Mircea Panait / Specialty Vehicle Engineering has rolled out its hi-po take on the midship Corvette Stingray in the form of a 1,000-hp brute. Only 10 such vehicles will be produced for model year 2024, plus another 50 for 2025. Unfortunately, the New Jersey-based ...

 
Mercedes-Benz GLE Prepares for a Second Facelift, Looks More Substantial Than 2024 Update
Mercedes-Benz GLE Prepares for a Second Facelift, Looks More Substantial Than 2024 Update

14 May 2024, 19:12 UTC · By: Mircea Panait / Referred to as V167, the Mercedes-Benz GLE was revealed with much pomp at the 2018 Paris Motor Show for the 2020 model year. Come January 2023, the mid-size luxury sport utility vehicle received minor cosmetic surgery, more onboard tech, and hybrid...

 
2024 Chevrolet Equinox EV Beats Tesla Model 3 in Starting Price and Standard Driving Range
2024 Chevrolet Equinox EV Beats Tesla Model 3 in Starting Price and Standard Driving Range

14 May 2024, 18:03 UTC · By: Mircea Panait / As of May 2024, the Model 3 carries a starting price of $38,990 and offers a driving range of 272 miles (438 kilometers) in the rear-wheel-drive flavor. At General Motors, the legacy automaker's Equinox EV is listed with an MSRP of $34,995 and...

 
GM Recalls Certain EVs for Insufficient Electric Motor Wire Insulation
GM Recalls Certain EVs for Insufficient Electric Motor Wire Insulation

14 May 2024, 17:56 UTC · By: Mircea Panait / What do the Chevrolet Blazer EV, Silverado EV, Cadillac Lyriq, GMC Hummer EV SUV, and Sierra EV have in common? The answer is Ultium drive and battery systems, and the other answer is recall number 24V-320 comprising only a handful of electric vehi...

 
Rivian Recalls R1S and R1T for Missing Dashboard Airbag Warning Label
Rivian Recalls R1S and R1T for Missing Dashboard Airbag Warning Label

14 May 2024, 16:08 UTC · By: Mircea Panait / Specializing in electric trucks and sport utility vehicles, Rivian has been hit with a recall that boggles the mind. As it happens, certain 2024 models have been produced without dashboard airbag warning labels. Considering that R1T production star...

 
2025 Aston Martin Vanquish Spied Flaunting Massive Front Grille, New V12 Packs 824 HP
2025 Aston Martin Vanquish Spied Flaunting Massive Front Grille, New V12 Packs 824 HP

14 May 2024, 14:59 UTC · By: Mircea Panait / Aston Martin's big V12 grand tourer will soon be replaced – or better said extensively refreshed – by the Vanquish. If this name sounds familiar, that's because Gaydon's favorite son used it a few times already, beginning...

 
Honda Recalls 187,290 Ridgeline Trucks Over Rearview Camera Image That May Not Display
Honda Recalls 187,290 Ridgeline Trucks Over Rearview Camera Image That May Not Display

14 May 2024, 14:06 UTC · By: Mircea Panait / Back in February 2022, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration opened a probe into allegations of rearview camera issues affecting the 2017 to 2018 model year Honda Ridgeline. Said investigation led to a safety recall in November 2022, t...

 
Subaru Forester Hybrid Coming 2026, Will Be Made Stateside
Subaru Forester Hybrid Coming 2026, Will Be Made Stateside

14 May 2024, 00:20 UTC · By: Mircea Panait / Last month, Subaru announced that its long-running Legacy will be discontinued after model year 2025. Made in Lafayette, Indiana, the sedan is going out with a whimper instead of a bang due to abysmally poor sales compared to the Legacy-based Outba...

 
2025 Citroen e-C4 X Shows Minor Stylistic Revisions
2025 Citroen e-C4 X Shows Minor Stylistic Revisions

13 May 2024, 23:29 UTC · By: Mircea Panait / Stellantis finished 2023 with a BEV market share of 14.2 percent in Europe, making it a big player in the battery-electric vehicle business. However, in order to maintain this position, the group formed by the merger of PSA and FCA needs to keep it...

 
Ferrari Chief Product Development Officer Says V12 Isn't Getting Turbos Anytime Soon
Ferrari Chief Product Development Officer Says V12 Isn't Getting Turbos Anytime Soon

13 May 2024, 22:12 UTC · By: Mircea Panait / Ferrari the automaker was born in the 1940s, with Enzo's first-ever Ferrari sporting a naturally aspirated V12. To this very day, the free-breathing V12 defines the Prancing Horse of Maranello. But due to increasingly stringent emission and fu...

 
This 2019 Corvette ZR1 Shows Only 965 Miles, but Sadly Lacks Important Performance Option
This 2019 Corvette ZR1 Shows Only 965 Miles, but Sadly Lacks Important Performance Option

13 May 2024, 20:53 UTC · By: Mircea Panait / Offered for 2019 exclusively, the C7-generation ZR1 is the most powerful series-production Corvette of them all. Just under 3,000 retail units were produced, split between 2,441 coupes and 512 convertibles. The Sebring Orange launch color was the m...

 
2025 Porsche 911 Targa 4 GTS Spied Virtually Uncamouflaged, 992.2 Lineup Will Debut May 28
2025 Porsche 911 Targa 4 GTS Spied Virtually Uncamouflaged, 992.2 Lineup Will Debut May 28

13 May 2024, 20:08 UTC · By: Mircea Panait / The history of the 911 can be split into the air- and  water-cooled eras. Come May 28, 2024 for the 2025 model year, a performance-focused hybrid system will help the Neunelfer enter its third era. Our spy photographers have recently captu...

 

Stories by Mircea Panait