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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.
2025 Mercedes-AMG GT 63 Performance Version Spied Testing, RWD Mooted
2025 Mercedes-AMG GT 63 Performance Version Spied Testing, RWD Mooted

25 Mar 2024, 21:51 UTC · By: Mircea Panait / Back in the olden days, the Mercedes-AMG GT was exclusively rear-wheel drive. Redesigned from the ground up on the SL's platform, the all-new GT features rear-wheel drive only if you're content with a four-cylinder turbo instead of a twin...

 
Jaguar E-Pace Recalled Over Software Issue
Jaguar E-Pace Recalled Over Software Issue

25 Mar 2024, 20:55 UTC · By: Mircea Panait / Jaguar Land Rover North America has recalled 2,842 units of the Jaguar brand's entry-level crossover in the US market for a software issue. More specifically, the brake pad wear warning light may not appear on the instrument cluster due to an ...

 
2025 Hyundai Ioniq 7 Electric Family Hauler Spied Charging, Could Be Called Ioniq 9
2025 Hyundai Ioniq 7 Electric Family Hauler Spied Charging, Could Be Called Ioniq 9

25 Mar 2024, 19:15 UTC · By: Mircea Panait / Scheduled to premiere on June 27 at the 2024 Busan Motor Show, the forthcoming Ioniq 7 has been spied charging alongside Kia's facelifted EV6. Based on the same platform as the compact-sized EV6, the Ioniq 7 is actually twinned with the EV9. ...

 
RHD Jeep Wrangler JK Recalled Over Clockspring Failure
RHD Jeep Wrangler JK Recalled Over Clockspring Failure

25 Mar 2024, 18:17 UTC · By: Mircea Panait / FCA US LLC, a.k.a. Chrysler, has issued a recall encompassing 1,831 units of the 2016 model year Jeep Wrangler. Said off-road vehicles were produced in right-hand drive at the Toledo assembly plant from May 3, 2016 to September 16, 2016. Back on...

 
2024 Genesis GV70 Transmission Harness May Short Circuit, Recall Issued
2024 Genesis GV70 Transmission Harness May Short Circuit, Recall Issued

25 Mar 2024, 17:15 UTC · By: Mircea Panait / Hyundai Motor America has recalled 15,645 examples of the 2024 model year Genesis GV70 for a transmission harness that may short circuit. Said vehicles were produced at Hyundai Motor Manufacturing Alabama in Montgomery, a plant where the South Kore...

 
2025 Ferrari 812 Superfast-Replacing F167 Spied With New Taillight Design
2025 Ferrari 812 Superfast-Replacing F167 Spied With New Taillight Design

25 Mar 2024, 15:19 UTC · By: Mircea Panait / Back in 2018, the Prancing Horse of Maranello announced a new front mid-engine platform with all-wheel drive and seating for up to four people. Said platform underpins the Italian marque's first-ever sport utility vehicle and the long-awaited ...

 
Hyundai Recalls Almost 100,000 EVs in the US for Damaged Integrated Charging Control Unit
Hyundai Recalls Almost 100,000 EVs in the US for Damaged Integrated Charging Control Unit

25 Mar 2024, 13:19 UTC · By: Mircea Panait / Hyundai and sister brand Genesis have issued a safety recall for 98,878 electric vehicles produced for model years 2022 through 2024 for the US market. According to documents filed with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, the integr...

 
2025 Nissan Armada Will Debut This Year, All-New Murano Has Been Confirmed As Well
2025 Nissan Armada Will Debut This Year, All-New Murano Has Been Confirmed As Well

25 Mar 2024, 12:16 UTC · By: Mircea Panait / Nissan recently presented The Arc, a business plan split between fiscal years 2024 through 2026 and mid-long-term actions to be carried out through 2030. During fiscal year 2024, the Japanese automaker has confirmed four debuts, including the ...

 
Mercedes GLE and GLS Hit With Safety Recall for Improperly Secured 48V Ground Connection
Mercedes GLE and GLS Hit With Safety Recall for Improperly Secured 48V Ground Connection

25 Mar 2024, 11:11 UTC · By: Mircea Panait / Manufactured at MBUSI in Alabama, the mid-size GLE and full-size GLS have been recalled over an improperly secured 48-volt ground connection under the front passenger seat. No fewer than 116,020 vehicles produced for the US market have to be checke...

 
Watch the BMW M2 Lap the Nurburgring Nordschleife in 7:38.23
Watch the BMW M2 Lap the Nurburgring Nordschleife in 7:38.23

17 Mar 2024, 03:08 UTC · By: Mircea Panait / Back in August 2023, the second-generation M2 lapped the most grueling racetrack of them all in 7:33.90 with BMW M development engineer Jorg Weidinger behind the wheel. Seven months later, Sport Auto test driver Christian Gebhardt managed a respect...

 
This Corvette SUV Rendering Will Offend Enthusiasts
This Corvette SUV Rendering Will Offend Enthusiasts

17 Mar 2024, 03:02 UTC · By: Mircea Panait / Back in January 2023, the largest automaker of the Detroit Big Three confirmed that $579 million will be invested in the Flint Engine Operations to prepare said plant for the sixth-gen small block. Timing and product details haven't been relea...

 
The Highest-Revving Production Cars of 2024
The Highest-Revving Production Cars of 2024

16 Mar 2024, 16:13 UTC · By: Mircea Panait / Not that long ago, internal combustion engines capable of spinning north of 10,000 revolutions per minute were restricted to hi-po motorcycles and racing cars. The four-pot Honda CBR250RR comes to mind with its 19,000-rpm redline, whereas the McLar...

 
Ford Performance Debuts 810-HP Supercharger Kit for 2024 Ford Mustang GT and Dark Horse
Ford Performance Debuts 810-HP Supercharger Kit for 2024 Ford Mustang GT and Dark Horse

15 Mar 2024, 21:07 UTC · By: Mircea Panait / Similar to General Motors, the Ford Motor Company has locked out much of the aftermarket from tuning the 2024 model year Mustang. Even so, those who believe that 480 to 500 horsepower is not enough can easily bump things up to 810 ponies with a sup...

 
The $169,000 Range Rover Sport Park City Edition Will Number Only Seven Units
The $169,000 Range Rover Sport Park City Edition Will Number Only Seven Units

15 Mar 2024, 20:04 UTC · By: Mircea Panait / Rolled out in May 2022 for the 2023 model year, the latest and greatest Range Rover Sport of them all has gained a very special variant for 2024 in the form of the Park City Edition. Limited to seven units, the newcomer is named after the Utah city...

 
Dyno Test: G87 BMW M2 With VR Tuned ECU Tuning Box Kit Lays Down 522 Wheel Horsepower
Dyno Test: G87 BMW M2 With VR Tuned ECU Tuning Box Kit Lays Down 522 Wheel Horsepower

15 Mar 2024, 18:09 UTC · By: Mircea Panait / Everyone and their dog knows the S58 twin-turbo I6 from the M division is underrated like crazy. BMW claims the G87-generation M2 produces 453 horsepower and 406 pound-feet (550 Nm), but dyno testing reveals that said numbers are closer to what the...

 
2024 Nissan GT-R US Lineup Welcomes Limited-Run Skyline Edition and T-spec Takumi Edition
2024 Nissan GT-R US Lineup Welcomes Limited-Run Skyline Edition and T-spec Takumi Edition

15 Mar 2024, 16:06 UTC · By: Mircea Panait / While Nissan prepares the 2025 model year GT-R for the Japanese market, Nissan further confirmed two limited-production variants for the US market in the form of the Skyline Edition and T-spec Takumi Edition. How limited? Somewhat expected of the J...

 
Volkswagen ID. Buzz GTX Coming March 21, AWD Electric Van Packs 335 HP
Volkswagen ID. Buzz GTX Coming March 21, AWD Electric Van Packs 335 HP

15 Mar 2024, 02:20 UTC · By: Mircea Panait / The ID. Buzz will receive a hot version dubbed ID. Buzz GTX on March 21. Other than said reveal date and a teaser photo, the Volkswagen Commercial Vehicles division didn't share any information. However, we already know what's in the offi...

 
BMW Japan Bids Manual M3 Farewell With MT Final Edition
BMW Japan Bids Manual M3 Farewell With MT Final Edition

15 Mar 2024, 01:14 UTC · By: Mircea Panait / BMW board member Frank Weber made it clear that we'll need to buy manual M cars for the M division to keep the manual transmission alive. Speaking to Italian motoring publication Quattroruote, the BMW official further confirmed that demand for...

 
Hyundai Elantra N Proves Faster Than BRZ tS, MX-5 RF Club, Civic Si on Autocross Course
Hyundai Elantra N Proves Faster Than BRZ tS, MX-5 RF Club, Civic Si on Autocross Course

14 Mar 2024, 23:59 UTC · By: Mircea Panait / Edmunds has recently tested four affordable performance cars from zero to 60 miles per hour (97 kilometers per hour) and on an autocross course. The Honda Civic Si, which is the most affordable of the bunch at $29,100 before destination, comes with...

 
Ford Recalls F-Series Super Duty Replacement Headlights for Being Too Bright
Ford Recalls F-Series Super Duty Replacement Headlights for Being Too Bright

14 Mar 2024, 23:00 UTC · By: Mircea Panait / Ford has recalled 1,505 replacement headlight assemblies due to a manufacturing issue. Said headlights, which fit the 2017 to 2019 model year F-Series Super Duty line of pickup trucks, exceed the maximum light output allowed under Federal Motor Veh...

 

Stories by Mircea Panait