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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.
Mercedes-AMG F1 Racing Driver Lewis Hamilton Joins Scuderia Ferrari, Shares Surge 9%
Mercedes-AMG F1 Racing Driver Lewis Hamilton Joins Scuderia Ferrari, Shares Surge 9%

1 Feb 2024, 21:22 UTC · By: Mircea Panait / February 1, 2024 will never be forgotten by the Formula 1 community. After winning six drivers' titles with Mercedes-AMG, the one and only Lewis Hamilton confirmed that he's leaving the German team from Brackley for Maranello's favor...

 
Adrian Newey Talks 2026 Red Bull RB17 Hybrid V10 Hypercar, Targets 15,000 RPM
Adrian Newey Talks 2026 Red Bull RB17 Hybrid V10 Hypercar, Targets 15,000 RPM

1 Feb 2024, 20:09 UTC · By: Mircea Panait / The single most important supercar of the 1990s was the BMW V12-powered McLaren F1, which is credited to the one and only Gordon Murray, Peter Stevens, and Paul Rosche. A decade later, the Volkswagen Group flexed its proverbial muscles with the man...

 
Old Mercedes-Benz C 63 AMG Drag Races New A 45, Should Have Stayed Put
Old Mercedes-Benz C 63 AMG Drag Races New A 45, Should Have Stayed Put

1 Feb 2024, 19:04 UTC · By: Mircea Panait / As you're well aware, the C 63 is a plug-in hybrid with turbo four-cylinder muscle nowadays. The 205 series, by comparison, used to sport a twin-turbocharged V8 and no hybrid nonsense whatever. The 204 was even simpler, with Mercedes-Benz gift...

 
Mazda RE Development Group Tasked With Developing New Rotary Engines
Mazda RE Development Group Tasked With Developing New Rotary Engines

1 Feb 2024, 17:29 UTC · By: Mircea Panait / Japanese automaker Mazda discontinued its trademark pistonless rotary engine in 2012. That's also when the RX-8 quad coupe was canned with no successor in sight. Everyone and their dog hoped that the bite-the-back-of-your-hand beautiful RX-Vis...

 
2027 Lotus Type 135 Electric Sports Car Packs at Least 469 HP
2027 Lotus Type 135 Electric Sports Car Packs at Least 469 HP

31 Jan 2024, 21:58 UTC · By: Mircea Panait / Serving as the spiritual successor to the Elise, the Lotus Type 135 will be revealed late 2026 for the 2027 model year. An Emira-replacing model is also expected to join the lineup by decade's end. The 135 will be priced at circa 75,000 pou...

 
BMW M5 Drag Races Tuned M3 Competition and Tuned M2 Competition, It's Over in 12 Seconds
BMW M5 Drag Races Tuned M3 Competition and Tuned M2 Competition, It's Over in 12 Seconds

31 Jan 2024, 20:59 UTC · By: Mircea Panait / CSL AutoTime has uploaded a spicy video starring three M cars, of which a single M is completely stock. All three of them clocked 12 seconds in the quarter mile, but alas, the most powerful of the bunch finished last due to a broken water pump. ...

 
Volkswagen Suggests That Golf Mk9 Could Replace ID.3
Volkswagen Suggests That Golf Mk9 Could Replace ID.3

31 Jan 2024, 19:48 UTC · By: Mircea Panait / Kai Grunitz, the member of the board of management responsible for technical development at the Volkswagen brand, has stopped short of confirming that the ID.3 will be phased out in favor of the Golf. The Mk9 is expected to arrive in 2028 on the Sc...

 
Tesla Recalls Model 3 Highland in Australia Over a Compliance Breach
Tesla Recalls Model 3 Highland in Australia Over a Compliance Breach

31 Jan 2024, 19:02 UTC · By: Mircea Panait / An investigation was opened into the facelifted Model 3 at the beginning of January 2024 by federal regulators in Australia due to a potential breach of motor vehicle regulations. Under Australian Design Rule 34/03, five-seat vehicles must be equip...

 
2025 Hyundai Ioniq 7 Spied Inside and Out, Will Be Made in the US
2025 Hyundai Ioniq 7 Spied Inside and Out, Will Be Made in the US

31 Jan 2024, 18:08 UTC · By: Mircea Panait / At the 2021 Los Angeles Motor Show, the Hyundai Motor Group unleashed the SEVEN concept. Said concept previews the all-new Ioniq 7, which is expected to enter series production in July 2024. In the first instance, Hyundai will assemble the Kia E...

 
Volvo EX30 Electric Crossover Hit With Software Issue, Deliveries Pushed Back Worldwide
Volvo EX30 Electric Crossover Hit With Software Issue, Deliveries Pushed Back Worldwide

31 Jan 2024, 16:54 UTC · By: Mircea Panait / Electric vehicles are less complex than internal combustion-engined vehicles. But when it comes to software, pretty much every vehicle on sale today is tremendously more complex than new cars, trucks, and crossovers from merely a decade ago. Ba...

 
The 2024 Volkswagen Taos SE Black Package Is All About Blackout Exterior Design Elements
The 2024 Volkswagen Taos SE Black Package Is All About Blackout Exterior Design Elements

31 Jan 2024, 16:06 UTC · By: Mircea Panait / Building on the mid-range trim level, the 2024 Volkswagen Taos SE is now available to configure stateside. Pricing starts at $30,365 with front-wheel drive, whereas 4MOTIOn adds $1,650 to the tally. New for 2024, the SE upgrades to standard Clim...

 
Mazda Australia Recalls CX-90 and CX-60 for Power Steering Assist Concern
Mazda Australia Recalls CX-90 and CX-60 for Power Steering Assist Concern

31 Jan 2024, 15:15 UTC · By: Mircea Panait / Japanese automaker Mazda sells no fewer than four rear-biased vehicles in Australia, beginning with the MX-5 soft top and its RF sibling. The other two are utility vehicles based on the manufacturer's new Large Product Architecture, and both o...

 
GM 8.3L Duramax V8 Turbo Diesel Allegedly Under Development With Tremendous Peak Torque
GM 8.3L Duramax V8 Turbo Diesel Allegedly Under Development With Tremendous Peak Torque

31 Jan 2024, 14:15 UTC · By: Mircea Panait / In the full-size truck segment, the Big Three in Detroit offer three distinct V8 turbo diesels. At the very top of the spectrum, the Ford Scorpion 6.7-liter Power Stroke develops up to 500 horsepower and 1,200 pound-feet (1,627 Nm) of torque, where...

 
2025 BMW M4 Competition xDrive Belts Out 523 Horsepower, Base M4 Keeps Manual Transmission
2025 BMW M4 Competition xDrive Belts Out 523 Horsepower, Base M4 Keeps Manual Transmission

31 Jan 2024, 04:02 UTC · By: Mircea Panait / Similar to the 4 Series, the M4 has also been treated to a mid-cycle refresh. The 2025 model year brings forth a plethora of small changes that make a tremendous difference, including 20 additional ponies from the M4 Competition xDrive's engin...

 
BMW Unleashes the 4 Series LCI With Laser Taillights and 48V Mild-Hybrid Engine Choices
BMW Unleashes the 4 Series LCI With Laser Taillights and 48V Mild-Hybrid Engine Choices

31 Jan 2024, 03:03 UTC · By: Mircea Panait / Twinned with the 3 Series, the 4er has been refreshed – both visually and technically – for model year 2025. To be launched worldwide in March 2024, the Life Cycle Impulse comes exclusively as a mild hybrid in the US and Europe. Over...

 
2025 BMW Z4 M40i Goes Official With Manual Transmission, Handschalter Package Costs $3,500
2025 BMW Z4 M40i Goes Official With Manual Transmission, Handschalter Package Costs $3,500

31 Jan 2024, 01:59 UTC · By: Mircea Panait / Unleashed in August 2018, the G29-series BMW Z4 offers a manual transmission since July 2019. But alas, the stick shift in question is available exclusively on the 2.0-liter turbo four-cylinder sDrive20i. Come March 2024, the 3.0-liter six-cylinder...

 
Mitsubishi Pajero Allegedly Returning in 2027 as Luxury PHEV With Outlander Underpinnings
Mitsubishi Pajero Allegedly Returning in 2027 as Luxury PHEV With Outlander Underpinnings

31 Jan 2024, 01:01 UTC · By: Mircea Panait / A few years back, Mitsubishi Motors got in hot water due to discrepancies between declared and actual fuel consumption figures. Mitsubishi partner Nissan discovered these discrepancies in early 2016, and not surprising anyone, Nissan eventually acq...

 
2025 Hyundai Santa Cruz Pickup Truck Spied Testing Alongside 2024 Model
2025 Hyundai Santa Cruz Pickup Truck Spied Testing Alongside 2024 Model

31 Jan 2024, 00:10 UTC · By: Mircea Panait / Technically similar to the fourth-generation Tucson, the Santa Cruz entered series production at Hyundai Motor Manufacturing Alabama in June 2021 for the 2022 model year. Not long now, the 2025 model year facelift will be out with a revised front e...

 
2024 Kia Sorento Facelift Starts at $31,990, New X-Pro Grade Features Center Locking Diff
2024 Kia Sorento Facelift Starts at $31,990, New X-Pro Grade Features Center Locking Diff

30 Jan 2024, 23:09 UTC · By: Mircea Panait / Previewed in July 2023, then revealed in November 2023, the facelifted Sorento will hit US dealership lots for the 2024 model year. As ever, the combustion-only Sorento will continue production at Kia's assembly plant in West Point, Georgia. T...

 
2025 Jeep Wagoneer S Interior Features Rotary Shifter, Four Displays, McIntosh Audio
2025 Jeep Wagoneer S Interior Features Rotary Shifter, Four Displays, McIntosh Audio

30 Jan 2024, 20:59 UTC · By: Mircea Panait / Going on sale in the fall of 2024, the Wagoneer S is Jeep's first production vehicle based on the STLA Large platform. Otherwise put, it's twinned with the 2025 model year Dodge Charger Daytona. Stellantis published new pics of the ser...

 

Stories by Mircea Panait