autoevolution
 

Mircea Panait

20,321  ARTICLES

Personal motto:

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

Senior Contributor
editor photo
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.
General Motors Will Replace L3B 2.7L Turbo I4 Truck Engines Produced With Cracked Blocks
General Motors Will Replace L3B 2.7L Turbo I4 Truck Engines Produced With Cracked Blocks

23 Feb 2024, 16:45 UTC · By: Mircea Panait / In production since 2018, the 2.7-liter turbo inline-four engine referred to as L3B has been hit with a customer satisfaction program. As it happens, a handful of engines may feature cracked blocks. Under said customer satisfaction program, Gene...

 
Hyundai Ioniq 5 N Touches Down in Australia, Costs More Than a Tesla Model Y Performance
Hyundai Ioniq 5 N Touches Down in Australia, Costs More Than a Tesla Model Y Performance

23 Feb 2024, 15:11 UTC · By: Mircea Panait / In terms of acceleration and top speed, the Model Y Performance truly lives up to its name. Hyundai now has a challenger to the American crossover in the form of the Ioniq 5 N, which – apparently baffling – is pricier than the Model Y P...

 
Kia Canada Recalls Seltos Vehicles Over Potential Short Circuit
Kia Canada Recalls Seltos Vehicles Over Potential Short Circuit

23 Feb 2024, 14:09 UTC · By: Mircea Panait / Internally referred to as SP2, the Seltos is a front-biased crossover introduced by Kia to the North American market for the 2021 model year. Quite a few 2021 through 2023 models have been recalled in Canada for a potential short circuit, which inc...

 
9,000-RPM Porsche 911 GT3 With Tubi Style Inconel Exhaust Sounds Absolutely Wild
9,000-RPM Porsche 911 GT3 With Tubi Style Inconel Exhaust Sounds Absolutely Wild

22 Feb 2024, 18:12 UTC · By: Mircea Panait / Few cars match the aural pleasure of a 911 GT3 in bone-stock form. The aftermarket, however, can improve on Porsche's factory setup with a varied selection of exhaust systems. The 992-generation 911 GT3 in the featured clip, for example, has r...

 
BMW Recalls 80,000 Vehicles Over Defective Integrated Brake Module
BMW Recalls 80,000 Vehicles Over Defective Integrated Brake Module

22 Feb 2024, 17:04 UTC · By: Mircea Panait / BMW of North America has issued a recall for 79,670 vehicles equipped with a defective integrated brake module. Supplied by Frankfurt-based Continental Automotive Technologies GmbH, the suspect module is listed under no fewer than five part numbers...

 
Volkswagen Suction Pump Failures Prompt Massive Recall, Only FWD Vehicles Affected
Volkswagen Suction Pump Failures Prompt Massive Recall, Only FWD Vehicles Affected

22 Feb 2024, 15:21 UTC · By: Mircea Panait / The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration has just published recall number 24V-110 for no fewer than 261,257 vehicles from Volkswagen and the premium-oriented Audi brand. All of them are front-wheel-drive compacts based on the MQB platform...

 
2025 Ferrari F167 Prototypes Caught Testing, 812 Successor Will Debut May 2024
2025 Ferrari F167 Prototypes Caught Testing, 812 Successor Will Debut May 2024

22 Feb 2024, 00:30 UTC · By: Mircea Panait / Ferrari the automaker came to prominence by selling V12-powered gran turismos with engines derived from the Prancing Horse's race cars. Although the V12 is no longer used in F1 and the WEC, the Italian manufacturer still offers a V12 in many h...

 
2025 Toyota 4Runner Speculative Rendering Is Half Land Cruiser, Half Tacoma
2025 Toyota 4Runner Speculative Rendering Is Half Land Cruiser, Half Tacoma

21 Feb 2024, 22:35 UTC · By: Mircea Panait / Toyota has been recently spied testing a camouflaged prototype of the all-new 4Runner in Arizona. Said prototype has quite a few commonalities with the fourth-gen Tacoma, including TRD Off-Road wheels for every corner. Even the windshield's...

 
2025 Lamborghini Urus PHEV Teased in Lamborghini Magazine
2025 Lamborghini Urus PHEV Teased in Lamborghini Magazine

21 Feb 2024, 21:16 UTC · By: Mircea Panait / Although the Raging Bull of Sant'Agata Bolognese was founded in 1963, the 33rd issue of Lamborghini celebrates 60 years of Automobili Lamborghini. Said issue further includes a design teaser of the Urus PHEV, which is coming to a dealership ne...

 
Ford Transit Recalled in the US Due to Rear Axle Issue
Ford Transit Recalled in the US Due to Rear Axle Issue

21 Feb 2024, 19:26 UTC · By: Mircea Panait / The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration has recently published a safety recall on behalf of the Ford Motor Company. As it happens, more than 77,500 units of the Transit may experience rear wheel lock-up or driveshaft separation. How d...

 
Aston Martin Valour Spotted in Switzerland With Fabulous Green and Black Spec
Aston Martin Valour Spotted in Switzerland With Fabulous Green and Black Spec

21 Feb 2024, 18:09 UTC · By: Mircea Panait / The V12 is – rightfully so – automotive royalty. But alas, increasingly draconic emission and fuel economy regulations have forced automakers to cut back on large powerplants in favor of downsized engines with a degree of hybrid assista...

 
Ford Expedition and Lincoln Navigator SUVs Recalled for Seatbelt Pretensioner Concern
Ford Expedition and Lincoln Navigator SUVs Recalled for Seatbelt Pretensioner Concern

21 Feb 2024, 16:59 UTC · By: Mircea Panait / In November 2023, the Office of Defects Investigation opened a preliminary evaluation into complaints from 2019 model year Ford Expedition owners alleging the inadvertent deployment of the front seatbelt pretensioners. Of the 10 complaints identifi...

 
2025 Toyota 4Runner Prototype Spied Flaunting Tacoma TRD Off-Road Wheels
2025 Toyota 4Runner Prototype Spied Flaunting Tacoma TRD Off-Road Wheels

20 Feb 2024, 21:59 UTC · By: Mircea Panait / The 2025 Toyota 4Runner is right around the corner. Toyota has been recently spied testing a camouflaged prototype of the family-sized model in Arizona, very close to the Toyota Arizona Proving Grounds vehicle development and testing facility. T...

 
Volkswagen Australia Recalls Certain Skoda and Cupra Vehicles Over Brake Fluid Leak
Volkswagen Australia Recalls Certain Skoda and Cupra Vehicles Over Brake Fluid Leak

20 Feb 2024, 21:02 UTC · By: Mircea Panait / Volkswagen Group-owned Skoda and Cupra have recently filed two separate recalls with Australia's Department of Infrastructure and Transport for a rather fiery problem. As it happens, the heat shield between the brake master cylinder and exhaus...

 
2024 Jeep Gladiator Starting Price Confirmed, Range-Topping Rubicon X Costs $64,890
2024 Jeep Gladiator Starting Price Confirmed, Range-Topping Rubicon X Costs $64,890

20 Feb 2024, 20:04 UTC · By: Mircea Panait / 2024 marks a big change for the Gladiator. More specifically, the folks at Stellantis decided to discontinue their 3.0-liter EcoDiesel V6 from the lineup in favor of the 3.6-liter Pentastar V6. As ever, the gas-fed mill can be had with either a man...

 
2JZ-Powered Chevy Monte Carlo Drag Races Porsche Taycan Turbo, It's Not Even Close
2JZ-Powered Chevy Monte Carlo Drag Races Porsche Taycan Turbo, It's Not Even Close

20 Feb 2024, 19:21 UTC · By: Mircea Panait / This particular G-body Chevrolet Monte Carlo isn't for the faint of heart. Truth be told, it hardly is a G-body Monte Carlo under the skin. For starters, the G platform was yanked out in favor of an X100-series Toyota Chaser. As you're...

 
Stellantis Canada Recalls Chrysler 300, Dodge Charger, Challenger Over Brake System Issue
Stellantis Canada Recalls Chrysler 300, Dodge Charger, Challenger Over Brake System Issue

20 Feb 2024, 17:58 UTC · By: Mircea Panait / Transport Canada has recently published a safety recall on Stellantis Canada's behalf. As it happens, a handful of L-platform vehicles produced for the 2023 model year at Brampton Assembly in Ontario may feature an incorrectly adjusted parking...

 
Aston Martin Hiring 400 People for Manufacturing Positions at Gaydon and St Athan Plants
Aston Martin Hiring 400 People for Manufacturing Positions at Gaydon and St Athan Plants

20 Feb 2024, 16:58 UTC · By: Mircea Panait / Aston Martin originally expected to deliver 7,000 vehicles in 2023, which is a lower volume than Ferrari's 13,221 and Lamborghini's 10,112 deliveries. Aston Martin revised the aforementioned total to 6,700 units, but alas, a definitive nu...

 
Ford E-Series Recalled for Power Steering Pressure Line That May Detach and Leak
Ford E-Series Recalled for Power Steering Pressure Line That May Detach and Leak

20 Feb 2024, 15:16 UTC · By: Mircea Panait / Although the Transit is a perfectly capable workhorse, the Ford Motor Company keeps making the E-Series at its Ohio Assembly Plant in Avon Lake. Last redesigned for MY21 (think new instrument cluster and the Super Duty's 7.3-liter Godzilla V8 ...

 
New Volkswagen ID.7 Tourer Has Less Cargo Space Than Combustion-Engined Passat Variant
New Volkswagen ID.7 Tourer Has Less Cargo Space Than Combustion-Engined Passat Variant

19 Feb 2024, 22:15 UTC · By: Mircea Panait / Codenamed B9, the ninth-generation Passat is – most likely – the final one to feature internal combustion. Available strictly as a station wagon, the 2024 model offers 690 liters of cargo space behind the rear seats and 1,920 liters beh...

 

Stories by Mircea Panait