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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 Dodge Charger Digitally Impersonates General Lee Charger From the Dukes of Hazzard
2025 Dodge Charger Digitally Impersonates General Lee Charger From the Dukes of Hazzard

20 Jan 2024, 01:25 UTC · By: Mircea Panait / One of the most iconic automobiles in TV history, the General Lee 1969 Dodge Charger from the Dukes of Hazzard is a tremendously cool machine. In excess of 300 cars were built for the show, plus 26 for the 2005 movie starring Seann William Scott as...

 
Audi R8 V10 Races Porsche 911 Carrera GTS, Alfa Romeo Giulia QV Dares Challenge the Winner
Audi R8 V10 Races Porsche 911 Carrera GTS, Alfa Romeo Giulia QV Dares Challenge the Winner

20 Jan 2024, 00:15 UTC · By: Mircea Panait / From the Audi Quattro to the highly collectible RS 2, no-nonsense RS 6, and zero-emission Audi e-tron GT, the quattro GmbH division gave us plenty of exciting vehicles. None of them, however, can match the inherent appeal of the V10-powered R8. ...

 
Mazda Drops Mazda6 From Japanese Lineup
Mazda Drops Mazda6 From Japanese Lineup

19 Jan 2024, 23:09 UTC · By: Mircea Panait / Formerly known as the Atenza in Japan, the Mazda6 will be discontinued from the automaker's Japanese lineup in April 2024. The D-segment model entered series production a whopping 22 years ago. Initially, the 6 was twinned with the Ford Motor ...

 
2024 Nissan GT-R NISMO Sets Production Car Lap Record at Tsukuba Circuit in Japan
2024 Nissan GT-R NISMO Sets Production Car Lap Record at Tsukuba Circuit in Japan

19 Jan 2024, 21:59 UTC · By: Mircea Panait / It's hard to believe that Nissan introduced the R35 at the 2007 Tokyo Motor Show. Deliveries began that December in Japan, whereas North America received the GT-R in July 2008 as a 2009 model. Over the years, Nissan updated the R35 on mult...

 
2024.5 Ford Ranger Flaunts Pro Trailer Backup Assist in Australia
2024.5 Ford Ranger Flaunts Pro Trailer Backup Assist in Australia

19 Jan 2024, 20:19 UTC · By: Mircea Panait / Based on the T6.2 platform of the sixth-generation Bronco, the Ranger prepares to enter the 2024.5 model year in Australia. The most significant change over 2024 is the introduction of something called Pro Trailer Backup Assist, a system that allow...

 
2026 Mercedes-Benz GLC EV Spied in Germany, Will Be Made in America
2026 Mercedes-Benz GLC EV Spied in Germany, Will Be Made in America

19 Jan 2024, 18:22 UTC · By: Mircea Panait / Everyone and their dog is bracing for the zero-emission future. Mercedes, for example, intends to phase out its combustion-engined vehicles by 2030 where market conditions allow. In preparation for this change, Merc will expand its EV portfolio wit...

 
Stellantis STLA Large Platform Confirmed With ICE Options, Electric Range Tops 500 Miles
Stellantis STLA Large Platform Confirmed With ICE Options, Electric Range Tops 500 Miles

19 Jan 2024, 17:06 UTC · By: Mircea Panait / Two and a half years after Stellantis presented its electrification strategy, the Italian-American-French automaker has finally detailed the STLA Large platform that underpins the all-new Charger. Everyone was looking forward to at least one intern...

 
2025 Ferrari SF90 Replacement Spied With Larger Side Intakes
2025 Ferrari SF90 Replacement Spied With Larger Side Intakes

19 Jan 2024, 15:53 UTC · By: Mircea Panait / Spied by carparazzo Varryx in Maranello, this camouflaged prototype looks eerily similar to the SF90 Stradale. This may lead some folks to assume that it's a leftover prototype built prior to the SF90's debut (back in May 2019), but it�...

 
2026 Audi A7 Avant Spied, Will Replace Combustion-Engined A6 Avant
2026 Audi A7 Avant Spied, Will Replace Combustion-Engined A6 Avant

18 Jan 2024, 23:25 UTC · By: Mircea Panait / In August 2017, the folks at Audi rolled out a rather weird naming convention. Instead of exterior badges with the engine's capacity in liters, the Volkswagen Group-owned brand switched to numeral combinations ranging between 30 and 70. 30...

 
2024 Hyundai Santa Fe Gets Canada-Exclusive NHL Special Edition With Matte Paint
2024 Hyundai Santa Fe Gets Canada-Exclusive NHL Special Edition With Matte Paint

18 Jan 2024, 21:30 UTC · By: Mircea Panait / Ice hockey is big in Canada, the country that gave us ice hockey in 1875. National Hockey League averaged 17.9 million viewers last year, the second highest average since 1995 and up seven percent from 2022. Given these numbers, Hyundai Canada deve...

 
Cadillac Pickup Truck Rendered With 2025 Escalade IQ Styling Traits
Cadillac Pickup Truck Rendered With 2025 Escalade IQ Styling Traits

18 Jan 2024, 20:12 UTC · By: Mircea Panait / Remember the Cadillac-branded sport utility truck advertised by General Motors as the Escalade EXT? Closely related to the Chevrolet Avalanche and Hummer H2 SUT on the GMT800 platform, the luxury truck is best described as a sales disaster. Gene...

 
Alpine A290 Spied With Tamer Design Cues Than A290 Beta Concept
Alpine A290 Spied With Tamer Design Cues Than A290 Beta Concept

18 Jan 2024, 18:53 UTC · By: Mircea Panait / Revealed with much pomp in May 2023, the A290 Beta concept previews the Alpine brand's first zero-emission hot hatchback. The wild styling of the show car was tamed for the production car, which also features a conventional seating layout rath...

 
Feds Investigate Chrysler Over Pacifica Plug-In Hybrid Battery Fire Allegations
Feds Investigate Chrysler Over Pacifica Plug-In Hybrid Battery Fire Allegations

18 Jan 2024, 17:14 UTC · By: Mircea Panait / In February 2022, the folks at Fiat Chrysler Automobiles issued a recall for 19,808 units of the 2017 – 2018 Chrysler Pacifica Plug-In Hybrid to address a fire risk. At the time, FCA was aware of 12 fires that occurred when the vehicles were ...

 
2024 Acura TLX Type S Drag Races S197 Ford Mustang GT, It's Closer Than Expected
2024 Acura TLX Type S Drag Races S197 Ford Mustang GT, It's Closer Than Expected

17 Jan 2024, 21:04 UTC · By: Mircea Panait / The Acura TLX Type S couldn't be more different from the S197-generation Ford Mustang GT. Be that as it may, Roman and Tommy Mica from The Fast Lane decided to find out which one's quicker. First and foremost, Type S is Acura's wa...

 
GM Recalls BrightDrop Zevo Electric Delivery Vans Over Front Drive Unit That May Leak Oil
GM Recalls BrightDrop Zevo Electric Delivery Vans Over Front Drive Unit That May Leak Oil

17 Jan 2024, 19:49 UTC · By: Mircea Panait / Manufactured at CAMI Automotive in Canada, the BrightDrop Zevo has been hit with a safety recall. As per documents filed by General Motors with the federal watchdog, the front drive unit in certain delivery vans from the 600 series may leak oil. ...

 
Alfa Romeo Giulia Low-Pressure Fuel Pump Failure Allegations Prompt NHTSA Investigation
Alfa Romeo Giulia Low-Pressure Fuel Pump Failure Allegations Prompt NHTSA Investigation

17 Jan 2024, 17:19 UTC · By: Mircea Panait / The 2017 to 2018 model year Giulia sedan is under investigation. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration has received 12 complaints alleging low-pressure fuel pump failures, with one complaint reporting a minor crash attributed to the lo...

 
2025 Lamborghini Huracan Successor Makes V8 Noises in Latest Spy Video
2025 Lamborghini Huracan Successor Makes V8 Noises in Latest Spy Video

17 Jan 2024, 16:09 UTC · By: Mircea Panait / Internally referred to as LB63x, the Huracan's long-awaited replacement will debut in the latter half of 2024 for the 2025 model year with a completely different engine from the Huracan. Filmed by carparazzo Varryx while testing outside Lambor...

 
Tuned Genesis G70 Sedan Drag Races Tuned Audi S5 Coupe, It's Not Even Close
Tuned Genesis G70 Sedan Drag Races Tuned Audi S5 Coupe, It's Not Even Close

16 Jan 2024, 20:23 UTC · By: Mircea Panait / A compact executive sedan that comes with either a four-cylinder turbocharged mill or a twin-turbo sixer, the G70 belts out no more than 365 horsepower and 376 pound-feet (510 Nm). Pretty good numbers, but still, everyone and their god knows that t...

 
Volvo Recalls XC40 Crossover Due to Central Electronic Module Software Issue
Volvo Recalls XC40 Crossover Due to Central Electronic Module Software Issue

16 Jan 2024, 19:08 UTC · By: Mircea Panait / Twinned with the Polestar 2 on the Compact Modular Architecture developed by China Euro Vehicle Technology AB, the Volvo XC40 has been hit with a recall in the United States of America. Documents filed with the federal watchdog reveal that Volvo is...

 
Fisker Under Investigation Over Loss of Braking Performance Allegations From Ocean Owners
Fisker Under Investigation Over Loss of Braking Performance Allegations From Ocean Owners

16 Jan 2024, 18:18 UTC · By: Mircea Panait / Not to be confused with Fisker Automotive of Karma fame, Fisker Inc. is under investigation due to multiple allegations of inadequate braking performance. No fewer than nine Fisker Ocean owners complained to the federal watchdog about a partial los...

 

Stories by Mircea Panait