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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 BMW M4 LCI Leaked Photos Reveal New Lights, Oversized Kidney Grilles Carry Over
2025 BMW M4 LCI Leaked Photos Reveal New Lights, Oversized Kidney Grilles Carry Over

30 Jan 2024, 20:03 UTC · By: Mircea Panait / The G82 BMW M4 and G22 BMW 4 Series rolled out in 2020, which means that a mid-cycle refresh is due this year. Coming to dealers for the 2025 model year, the Life Cycle Impulse has leaked online with little in the way of stylistic changes. The l...

 
Ford Australia Recalls F-150 Over Safety Concern
Ford Australia Recalls F-150 Over Safety Concern

30 Jan 2024, 19:05 UTC · By: Mircea Panait / Ford Australia opened the order books for the right-hand-drive Ford F-150 in February 2023. Since then, plenty of trucks have been remanufactured in RHD by Mickleham-based RMA Automotive, which can convert up to 20 vehicles daily. According to ...

 
Lamborghini LB63x Huracan Successor and Urus PHEV Will Debut in 2024, Urus EV Due in 2029
Lamborghini LB63x Huracan Successor and Urus PHEV Will Debut in 2024, Urus EV Due in 2029

30 Jan 2024, 18:12 UTC · By: Mircea Panait / The Raging Bull of Sant'Agata Bolognese has updated its Direzione Cor Tauri product strategy, confirming the Huracan's long-awaited replacement and the first-ever Urus PHEV for 2024. Come 2028, the Lanzador will enter series production. O...

 
2025 Mazda CX-70 Launches With Two Rows, Standard I6 Muscle, Optional Plug-In Hybrid I4
2025 Mazda CX-70 Launches With Two Rows, Standard I6 Muscle, Optional Plug-In Hybrid I4

30 Jan 2024, 17:06 UTC · By: Mircea Panait / Originally intended to debut in late 2024, the Mazda CX-70 has gone official for the US market. Coming to dealer lots in the second quarter with two-row seating exclusively, the rear-biased sport utility vehicle mirrors the CX-90's exterior de...

 
2025 Aston Martin Vantage Will Debut on February 12 Alongside New Vantage GT3 and AMR24
2025 Aston Martin Vantage Will Debut on February 12 Alongside New Vantage GT3 and AMR24

29 Jan 2024, 23:04 UTC · By: Mircea Panait / February 12 will see Aston Martin reveal no fewer than three cars, beginning with the revised Vantage. It will be joined by the Vantage GT3 race car and the marque's 2024 Formula 1 car, dubbed AMR24. As you're well aware, the Aston Mar...

 
BMW M3 Competition Drag Races Tuned Alfa Romeo Giulia Quadrifoglio, Sadly Accepts Defeat
BMW M3 Competition Drag Races Tuned Alfa Romeo Giulia Quadrifoglio, Sadly Accepts Defeat

29 Jan 2024, 22:14 UTC · By: Mircea Panait / The folks at KaRace are back with another spicy racing video. A stock BMW M3 Competition versus a tuned Alfa Romeo Giulia Quadrifoglio isn't exactly fair, but then again, remember that BMW sandbagging the advertised crankshaft output ratings i...

 
2025 Kia Tasman Body-On-Frame Pickup Truck Spied With Rear Bumper Steps
2025 Kia Tasman Body-On-Frame Pickup Truck Spied With Rear Bumper Steps

29 Jan 2024, 20:23 UTC · By: Mircea Panait / Back in March 2022, the Kia Corporation announced that it would launch 17 electric vehicles by the year 2030. No surprises here, but what's truly surprising is that Kia further confirmed two pickup trucks. The first is a dedicated model, which...

 
1,200-HP Widebody Dodge Hellcat Drag Races Audi RS 3, Traction Not Found
1,200-HP Widebody Dodge Hellcat Drag Races Audi RS 3, Traction Not Found

29 Jan 2024, 19:19 UTC · By: Mircea Panait / Hoonigan's latest racing video features two extremely different machines from two extremely different brands. The only thing in common is big power, with their owners quoting scarcely believable numbers. The 2017 model year Dodge Challenger...

 
2024 Rolls-Royce Spectre Ultra-Luxury EV Recalled Over Insufficient Ground Connection
2024 Rolls-Royce Spectre Ultra-Luxury EV Recalled Over Insufficient Ground Connection

29 Jan 2024, 17:48 UTC · By: Mircea Panait / The Rolls-Royce of electric vehicles just got hit with its first recall. A little over 100 examples of the Spectre have been recalled in the United States market due to potential adhesive residue on the ground connection cable connector eyelet. Sai...

 
The Best-Selling Trucks of 2023 in the US
The Best-Selling Trucks of 2023 in the US

28 Jan 2024, 04:34 UTC · By: Mircea Panait / As far as retail and commercial sales are concerned, the US automotive industry experienced a rebound in 2023. Easing supply concerns helped automakers deliver more than 15 million vehicles last year. Trucks were highly popular with new vehicle buy...

 
Whipple Supercharged 2024 Ford Mustang GT Makes Over 800 Wheel Horsepower
Whipple Supercharged 2024 Ford Mustang GT Makes Over 800 Wheel Horsepower

27 Jan 2024, 03:14 UTC · By: Mircea Panait / The folks at Lethal Performance took delivery of their 2024 Ford Mustang GT in September 2023. With nothing more than UPR catch cans and a Corsa HH-pipe, it made 396 horsepower and 369 pound-feet (500 Nm) of torque at the wheels. The Ford Motor ...

 
2025 Dodge Charger Widebody Rendering Looks Terrific, It's Not Merely Wishful Thinking
2025 Dodge Charger Widebody Rendering Looks Terrific, It's Not Merely Wishful Thinking

27 Jan 2024, 02:05 UTC · By: Mircea Panait / Scheduled to debut in the latter half of 2024 for the 2025 model year, the next-generation Charger is – for all intents and purposes – the successor of the L-platform Challenger. A liftback coupe rather than a four-door sedan, the newco...

 
2026 Audi RS 5 Avant Spied With Massive Wheel Arches, Twin-Turbo V6 Goes Plug-In Hybrid
2026 Audi RS 5 Avant Spied With Massive Wheel Arches, Twin-Turbo V6 Goes Plug-In Hybrid

27 Jan 2024, 01:13 UTC · By: Mircea Panait / Audi has a thing for confusing enthusiasts and prospective customers. A few years ago, the Ingolstadt-based automaker introduced a naming system according to which 30 TFSI means 81 to 96 kilowatts and 70 TFSI stands for 400-plus kW. Adding to the c...

 
Can You Believe This 2022 Dodge Challenger SRT Super Stock Has Only 80 Miles?
Can You Believe This 2022 Dodge Challenger SRT Super Stock Has Only 80 Miles?

27 Jan 2024, 00:06 UTC · By: Mircea Panait / As opposed to the 2018 model year Demon and the 1,025-horsepower Demon 170, the Super Stock isn't a limited production car. Unleashed for the 2020 model year, the 807-horsepower muscle car is best described as half Redeye and half Demon. La...

 
Tesla Model Y Dethrones Toyota RAV4 as the World's Best-Selling Vehicle
Tesla Model Y Dethrones Toyota RAV4 as the World's Best-Selling Vehicle

26 Jan 2024, 21:56 UTC · By: Mircea Panait / For the first time ever, an electric vehicle has topped the global ranking for best-selling vehicles. According to automotive business intelligence company JATO Dynamics, the Model Y outsold the RAV4 by just under 200,000 units in 2023. Tesla mo...

 
Maserati Confirms Three New Electric Vehicles, Quattroporte EV Launching 2028
Maserati Confirms Three New Electric Vehicles, Quattroporte EV Launching 2028

26 Jan 2024, 21:05 UTC · By: Mircea Panait / How long has it been since the House of the Trident revealed the MC20 supercar? On September 9, 2024, it will be four years. Be that as it may, the hotly-awaited BEV version is nowhere to be seen. Turns out Maserati will treat the MC20 to electr...

 
Volkswagen Australia Recalls Passat, Arteon, Golf Over Fire Risk
Volkswagen Australia Recalls Passat, Arteon, Golf Over Fire Risk

26 Jan 2024, 20:11 UTC · By: Mircea Panait / Australia's Department of Infrastructure has published a recall concerning the 2019 through 2023 Volkswagen Passat, Arteon, and Golf. As it happens, the heat shield between the brake master cylinder and exhaust manifold may have been incorrect...

 
smart #1 Electric Crossover Gets More Affordable in the UK With New Pro Grade
smart #1 Electric Crossover Gets More Affordable in the UK With New Pro Grade

26 Jan 2024, 19:11 UTC · By: Mircea Panait / Unleashed in April 2022, the #1 is the smart brand's first-ever model developed by the joint venture between Chinese automaker Geely and German colossus Mercedes-Benz. A subcompact crossover with rear- and dual-motor powertrain choices, the #1...

 
Tesla Recalls 200,000 Vehicles Over Software Bug Affecting Rearview Camera Feed
Tesla Recalls 200,000 Vehicles Over Software Bug Affecting Rearview Camera Feed

26 Jan 2024, 17:07 UTC · By: Mircea Panait / Once again, Tesla has issued a recall for vehicles that have or will soon be fixed by means of an over-the-air software update. Tesla estimates that 199,575 vehicles equipped with full self-driving hardware 4.0 and software versions 2023.44.30 thro...

 
G45 BMW X3 Spied With Toggle Switch Gear Selector, Coming Late 2024
G45 BMW X3 Spied With Toggle Switch Gear Selector, Coming Late 2024

26 Jan 2024, 16:14 UTC · By: Mircea Panait / The X3 is a hugely important model for BMW. In production since 2003, the compact luxury crossover moved 63,172 units in the United States last year, which makes it the second best-selling Bimmer in this part of the world after the X5. Later in ...

 

Stories by Mircea Panait