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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.
Tesla Model Y Performance Races Volvo EX30 Twin Motor Performance, It's Pretty Close
Tesla Model Y Performance Races Volvo EX30 Twin Motor Performance, It's Pretty Close

29 Apr 2024, 16:54 UTC · By: Mircea Panait / The smallest EV from Swedish automaker Volvo is no slouch, especially in Twin Motor Performance specification. The question is, can the most powerful EX30 in production today better the most powerful version of the Model Y in a straight line? Wh...

 
Limited-Run Bentley Bentayga Apex Edition by Mulliner Rolls Out With Carbon Wheels
Limited-Run Bentley Bentayga Apex Edition by Mulliner Rolls Out With Carbon Wheels

29 Apr 2024, 16:02 UTC · By: Mircea Panait / For the 2024 model year, the Lamborghini Urus-twinned Bentley Bentayga offers a choice of two powertrains and five trims. The British automaker from Crewe has recently added the Bentayga Apex Edition by Mulliner to the roster, which will be produce...

 
The 10 Most Powerful V6 Production Cars in the World (as of 2024)
The 10 Most Powerful V6 Production Cars in the World (as of 2024)

28 Apr 2024, 20:44 UTC · By: Mircea Panait / Simply put, a V6 is a six-cylinder engine comprising two banks of cylinders arranged in a V formation. The 3.5-liter version of the Ford EcoBoost V6 features a 60-degree configuration, which is considered optimal in terms of balance when using a si...

 
Can You Believe This 2006 Aston Martin V8 Vantage Shows Almost 514,000 KM?
Can You Believe This 2006 Aston Martin V8 Vantage Shows Almost 514,000 KM?

27 Apr 2024, 20:46 UTC · By: Mircea Panait / When you think Aston Martin V8 Vantage, you are probably imagining a sporty tourer owned by an older gentleman who drives it only on Sundays, and only if the weather is just so. This particular example of the breed, however, somehow racked up 513,9...

 
2025 Chevrolet Corvette Gains New Colors, New Z51 Spoiler, New Z06 Wheel Finishes
2025 Chevrolet Corvette Gains New Colors, New Z51 Spoiler, New Z06 Wheel Finishes

27 Apr 2024, 19:41 UTC · By: Mircea Panait / Rather than a mid-cycle refresh, the 2025 model year Chevrolet Corvette brings only a handful of changes. For starters, Sebring Orange Tintcoat Metallic will return to the exterior paint color palette. It joins the new-for-2025 Hysteria Purple Meta...

 
NHTSA Opens Recall Query Into Tesla Autopilot Safety Concerns Following Software Update
NHTSA Opens Recall Query Into Tesla Autopilot Safety Concerns Following Software Update

26 Apr 2024, 22:13 UTC · By: Mircea Panait / Last year, Tesla rolled out an over-the-air software update for every single Tesla produced for the US market through December 2023. Said "recall" was prompted by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, which reviewed close to...

 
Hennessey Dyno Tests 2024 Ford Ranger Raptor, Baseline Numbers Are Very Good
Hennessey Dyno Tests 2024 Ford Ranger Raptor, Baseline Numbers Are Very Good

26 Apr 2024, 18:00 UTC · By: Mircea Panait / A forbidden fruit in the United States prior to the 2024 model year, the Ranger Raptor is powered by a 3.0-liter V6 in this part of the world. Available with a four-cylinder diesel in a number of markets, the Ranger Raptor for the US of A develops ...

 
BMW Recalls Older 2 Series, 3 Series, 4 Series Vehicles Over Safety Concern
BMW Recalls Older 2 Series, 3 Series, 4 Series Vehicles Over Safety Concern

26 Apr 2024, 16:57 UTC · By: Mircea Panait / Just over 5,760 examples of the 2014 to 2015 model year BMW 2 Series, 3 Series, and 4 Series have been recalled in the US market. According to BMW of North America, these cars have been assembled with head airbag inflators that may rupture. The ...

 
Tuned Audi RS 3 Drag Races Stock RS 7 Performance, Finish Just Two-Tenths Apart
Tuned Audi RS 3 Drag Races Stock RS 7 Performance, Finish Just Two-Tenths Apart

25 Apr 2024, 20:11 UTC · By: Mircea Panait / The 2017 model year Audi RS 3 Saloon and RS 7 Sportback Performance featured in carwow's latest drag racing video are different beasts in many respects. For starters, the compact-sized hatchback features a front-biased platform, whic...

 
2024 Tesla Model 3 Performance With Unplugged Performance Carbon Aero Kit Looks Terrific
2024 Tesla Model 3 Performance With Unplugged Performance Carbon Aero Kit Looks Terrific

25 Apr 2024, 18:14 UTC · By: Mircea Panait / Fresh out of the oven, the 2024 Tesla Model 3 Performance is a fine-looking machine. But in case you want to crank up the eye candy to eleven, Tesla specialist Unplugged Performance has got you covered with an aero kit made from carbon fiber. Fi...

 
Kia Recalls 2024 Sorento for Incorrectly Assembled Power Steering Wiring Harness
Kia Recalls 2024 Sorento for Incorrectly Assembled Power Steering Wiring Harness

25 Apr 2024, 16:59 UTC · By: Mircea Panait / Kia America has identified an issue affecting certain examples of the 2024 Kia Sorento. The subject crossovers have been produced with a motor-driven power steering wiring harness that may be incorrectly assembled. If said wiring harness becomes da...

 
2025 Ford Mustang Hybrid Potentially Teased by an S550 Performing an AWD Burnout
2025 Ford Mustang Hybrid Potentially Teased by an S550 Performing an AWD Burnout

25 Apr 2024, 00:06 UTC · By: Mircea Panait / Stop me if you heard this one already, but Ford appears to be preparing a hybrid version of the Mustang for 2025. The newcomer was potentially teased by the Dearborn-based automaker during the Ford Mustang 60th Anniversary Celebration Livestream (f...

 
smart Concept #5 Previews Brand's Largest Vehicle Yet
smart Concept #5 Previews Brand's Largest Vehicle Yet

24 Apr 2024, 23:16 UTC · By: Mircea Panait / As you're probably aware by now, smart Automobile is a completely different company from smart GmbH. The easiest way to explain it comes in the form of Chinese automaker Geely, which established a joint venture with Mercedes in 2019. Otherw...

 
2025 Nissan Frontier Spied With Minor Styling Revisions, Could Feature Digital Cockpit
2025 Nissan Frontier Spied With Minor Styling Revisions, Could Feature Digital Cockpit

24 Apr 2024, 21:12 UTC · By: Mircea Panait / Derived from the NP300-series Navara, the Frontier was redesigned in 2021 for the 2022 model year. Produced in Mississippi, the mid-size truck is due a mid-cycle refresh for the 2025 model year. Our spy photographers captured two camouflaged pro...

 
2025 BMW 4 Series Gran Coupe and i4 Get M4 CSL-Inspired Laserlight Taillights
2025 BMW 4 Series Gran Coupe and i4 Get M4 CSL-Inspired Laserlight Taillights

24 Apr 2024, 20:07 UTC · By: Mircea Panait / Not even three months after BMW revealed the facelifted 4 Series Coupe and Convertible, the German automaker unleashed the revamped 4 Series Gran Coupe and zero-emission i4. From the standpoint of exterior design, Laserlight taillamps first seen on...

 
2024 Chevrolet Corvette E-Ray Hits the Dyno, Makes 568 HP at the Wheels
2024 Chevrolet Corvette E-Ray Hits the Dyno, Makes 568 HP at the Wheels

24 Apr 2024, 18:59 UTC · By: Mircea Panait / The E-Ray isn't the most powerful series-production Corvette of them all. That title goes to the C7-generation ZR1, and come summer 2024, said title will go to its long-awaited successor. GM's Chevrolet division quotes 655 horsepower...

 
2025 MINI Aceman Debuts With Front-Wheel Drive, WLTP Range Tops 406 KM
2025 MINI Aceman Debuts With Front-Wheel Drive, WLTP Range Tops 406 KM

24 Apr 2024, 17:08 UTC · By: Mircea Panait / Remember the subcompact MINI Paceman from 2012 through 2016? Its heir apparent will be revealed in the flesh tomorrow at the 18th Beijing International Automotive Exhibition with front-wheel drive and a choice of two high-voltage batteries. Why ...

 
Hyundai Recalls Ioniq 6 Electric Sedans Over Improperly Tightened Differential Bolts
Hyundai Recalls Ioniq 6 Electric Sedans Over Improperly Tightened Differential Bolts

24 Apr 2024, 15:52 UTC · By: Mircea Panait / The Tesla Model 3-rivaling Hyundai Ioniq 6 has been hit with a safety recall in the United States of America. Documents filed with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration reveal that a couple of units may have been produced with improper...

 
2025 Lamborghini Urus SE Goes Official With Plug-In Hybrid V8 Muscle, Packs 789 Horsepower
2025 Lamborghini Urus SE Goes Official With Plug-In Hybrid V8 Muscle, Packs 789 Horsepower

24 Apr 2024, 14:22 UTC · By: Mircea Panait / The most powerful internal combustion series-production sport utility vehicle of them all comes from Sant'Agata Bolognese. Replacing the V8-only Urus S and Urus Performante, the Urus SE is best described as the Italian brother of the 2024 mode...

 
Hyundai Recalls 31,440 Genesis Vehicles Over Fuel Pumps That May Fail
Hyundai Recalls 31,440 Genesis Vehicles Over Fuel Pumps That May Fail

24 Apr 2024, 13:10 UTC · By: Mircea Panait / Hyundai Motor America is recalling the 2022 to 2023 model year Genesis G80, G90, GV70, and GV80 for a low-pressure fuel pump assembly issue. As it happens, the impeller may deform, leading to mechanical resistance that could result in the shutdown ...

 

Stories by Mircea Panait