autoevolution
 

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.
Jaguar Recalls E-Pace Over Incorrectly Manufactured Passenger Airbag Module
Jaguar Recalls E-Pace Over Incorrectly Manufactured Passenger Airbag Module

23 Apr 2024, 20:55 UTC · By: Mircea Panait / To be discontinued after the 2024 model year, the Jaguar E-Pace has been hit with a safety recall. A little over 2,400 units produced for the United States market feature passenger airbag modules with out-of-specification deployment door weakening ...

 
Ayrton Senna's 1991 Honda NSX Is Up for Grabs With Only 62,900 KM on the Clock
Ayrton Senna's 1991 Honda NSX Is Up for Grabs With Only 62,900 KM on the Clock

23 Apr 2024, 20:07 UTC · By: Mircea Panait / Ayrton Senna had a hand in making the Honda NSX the great-handling sports car we all know and love. Lest we forget, Ayrton raced for the Honda-powered McLaren F1 team between 1988 and 1993, racking up no fewer than three drivers' titles in thi...

 
2025 Lamborghini Urus PHEV Will Debut April 24, Should Pack More Than 700 HP
2025 Lamborghini Urus PHEV Will Debut April 24, Should Pack More Than 700 HP

22 Apr 2024, 20:07 UTC · By: Mircea Panait / Automobili Lamborghini S.p.A. will become fully hybrid by the end of 2024. Before the Raging Bull of Sant'Agata Bolognese bids farewell to purely internal combustion vehicles with the Huracan-replacing Temerario, the Italian automaker intends ...

 
2025 Kia Tasman Spied Testing Stateside, All-New Truck Boasts Digital Instrument Cluster
2025 Kia Tasman Spied Testing Stateside, All-New Truck Boasts Digital Instrument Cluster

22 Apr 2024, 19:13 UTC · By: Mircea Panait / Slated for global rollout in 2025, the Kia Tasman is a body-on-frame truck coming to markets that include Australia, South Korea, South Africa, and the Middle East. Defined by the South Korean manufacturer as being a C-segment lifestyle truck &ndas...

 
Ford Performance Introduces Coyote Gen 4 Crate Engines, All Versions Cost $11,500
Ford Performance Introduces Coyote Gen 4 Crate Engines, All Versions Cost $11,500

22 Apr 2024, 16:05 UTC · By: Mircea Panait / After launching a 760-horsepower bully of a supercharged V8, the folks at Ford Performance introduced three naturally aspirated V8s. The Coyote trio costs $11,500 apiece as opposed to a mind-boggling $29,500 for the 5.2-liter Predator.   Fr...

 
812 Superfast-Replacing 2025 Ferrari F167 Revs Higher Than 8,900-RPM Forerunner
812 Superfast-Replacing 2025 Ferrari F167 Revs Higher Than 8,900-RPM Forerunner

22 Apr 2024, 15:05 UTC · By: Mircea Panait / Not long now, the Prancing Horse will debut its highest-revving production model in the form of the F167. The grand tourer's actual name is not known at press time, but according to a spy pic from Dutch photographer Derek Cornelissen, the 812 ...

 
Toyota Recalls Lexus LS 500 and LS 500 Hybrid for Safety Concern
Toyota Recalls Lexus LS 500 and LS 500 Hybrid for Safety Concern

22 Apr 2024, 14:04 UTC · By: Mircea Panait / Toyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing has issued a safety recall affecting certain examples of the 2018 through 2021 Lexus LS 500 and 2018 through 2020 Lexus LS 500 Hybrid. As per documents published by the National Highway Traffic Safety Ad...

 
10 Crazy Hearses We're "Dying" To Ride In, From Fast to Luxurious to Simply Bonkers
10 Crazy Hearses We're "Dying" To Ride In, From Fast to Luxurious to Simply Bonkers

21 Apr 2024, 21:32 UTC · By: Mircea Panait / Bon Scott-era AC/DC gave us one of the most anthemic rock songs of all time in 1979, that song being Highway to Hell. Certain people may be tempted to associate said highway with the underworld, which is partly correct. At the time, the Canning Hig...

 
2024 Ford F-150 Raptor R 5.2L Supercharged V8 Crate Engine Costs Toyota RAV4 Hybrid Money
2024 Ford F-150 Raptor R 5.2L Supercharged V8 Crate Engine Costs Toyota RAV4 Hybrid Money

20 Apr 2024, 18:03 UTC · By: Mircea Panait / The Ford Performance crate engine catalog has recently welcomed a dual-overhead-cam ruffian that costs $29,500 from the outset. Customers have to purchase a Ford Performance control pack for said engine as well, adding $2,650 to the tally. Consi...

 
2024 Corvette E-Ray Drag Races Demon 170, Aventador, GT-R; Runs 10.6s Consistently
2024 Corvette E-Ray Drag Races Demon 170, Aventador, GT-R; Runs 10.6s Consistently

19 Apr 2024, 21:20 UTC · By: Mircea Panait / A massive fan of the C8, racing driver and United States Navy Reserve officer Jesse Iwuji took his 2024 Corvette E-Ray to the Texas Motorplex drag strip for a few quarter-mile digs. The only modification comes in the form of drag radials for the re...

 
2025 Ram 1500 RHO Teased Once Again, TRX Successor Packs Over 500 Horsepower
2025 Ram 1500 RHO Teased Once Again, TRX Successor Packs Over 500 Horsepower

19 Apr 2024, 19:53 UTC · By: Mircea Panait / The Stellantis-owned Ram truck brand has a surprise in store for April 25, although surprise may not be the right word to describe what's hiding under the desert camouflage tarp. Everyone and their dog knows that it's the six-cylinder RHO...

 
2025 Land Rover Defender OCTA Test Driver Sends It at the Nurburgring
2025 Land Rover Defender OCTA Test Driver Sends It at the Nurburgring

19 Apr 2024, 18:10 UTC · By: Mircea Panait / Jaguar Land Rover continues testing the Defender OCTA at the world's most grueling racetrack. Then again, what did you expect from JLR and the most powerful road-going Defender of all time? Coming courtesy of the CarSpyMedia YouTube channel...

 
Subaru Rolls Out UK-Exclusive Outback Touring X Limited Edition
Subaru Rolls Out UK-Exclusive Outback Touring X Limited Edition

19 Apr 2024, 17:06 UTC · By: Mircea Panait / Subaru isn't huge in the United Kingdom. According to SMMT data, the Subaru Corporation's automotive division moved 899 vehicles in this part of the world from January 2024 through March 2024, which puts it well below the likes of Porsche...

 
Kia EV9 and Niro EV Recalled for Improperly Tightened Differential Gear Bolts
Kia EV9 and Niro EV Recalled for Improperly Tightened Differential Gear Bolts

19 Apr 2024, 15:49 UTC · By: Mircea Panait / Based on completely different platforms, the family-sized EV9 and the compact Niro EV have been hit with a recall concerning the differential gear bolts within the gear drive unit. As it happens, four units of the EV9 and a further four units of th...

 
Jeep's New Electric SUVs Might Get Internal Combustion Versions, Says CEO Antonio Filosa
Jeep's New Electric SUVs Might Get Internal Combustion Versions, Says CEO Antonio Filosa

18 Apr 2024, 21:00 UTC · By: Mircea Panait / As you're well aware, Stellantis-owned Jeep isn't doing too great as of late. Sales in the 4x4 brand's home market dwindled from 973,227 deliveries in 2018 to a rather disappointing 642,924 deliveries last year, which prompted Stella...

 
GMC Teases All-New Terrain, Features Yukon-Like Front End
GMC Teases All-New Terrain, Features Yukon-Like Front End

18 Apr 2024, 20:01 UTC · By: Mircea Panait / Based on the GMC Sierra 1500, the 2025 GMC Yukon will be revealed later this year with a selection of pretty familiar powertrains. The front-end styling of the full-size family hauler carries over to the all-new Terrain, which – mechanically ...

 
New Mazda CX-80 SUV Debuts With Mild-Hybrid I6 Turbo Diesel and Plug-In Hybrid I4 Gasser
New Mazda CX-80 SUV Debuts With Mild-Hybrid I6 Turbo Diesel and Plug-In Hybrid I4 Gasser

18 Apr 2024, 18:14 UTC · By: Mircea Panait / Back in October 2021, the Mazda Motor Corporation confirmed a rear-biased platform and four nameplates of mid-size utility vehicles based on said architecture. The first one to be revealed was the CX-60, whose North American equivalent is the sligh...

 
Maserati Recalls Certain Ghibli and Quattroporte Sedans for Potential Fuel Leak
Maserati Recalls Certain Ghibli and Quattroporte Sedans for Potential Fuel Leak

18 Apr 2024, 17:07 UTC · By: Mircea Panait / Back in November 2021, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration published recall number 21V-872 concerning 409 units of the Maserati MC20, Ghibli, and Quattroporte. Said vehicles had been equipped with a fuel line sensor housing that may ...

 
Lingenfelter Magnuson Supercharged 2024 Corvette E-Ray Makes 734 Wheel Horsepower
Lingenfelter Magnuson Supercharged 2024 Corvette E-Ray Makes 734 Wheel Horsepower

18 Apr 2024, 16:08 UTC · By: Mircea Panait / Lingenfelter and Paragon teamed up for a supercharger package that promises insane power and torque for the already powerful 2024 Corvette E-Ray. Retailing at $35,000 installed, the supercharger package is backed by a three-year warranty for the Ma...

 
Ford Recalls Certain 2024 Maverick Vehicles for Incorrect Tire and Loading Information
Ford Recalls Certain 2024 Maverick Vehicles for Incorrect Tire and Loading Information

18 Apr 2024, 14:59 UTC · By: Mircea Panait / A handful of Maverick pickup trucks have been hit with a recall caused by a codification error. More specifically, the Dearborn-based automaker produced the subject vehicles with a TREAD label containing incorrect spare tire size, cold tire inflati...

 

Stories by Mircea Panait