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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.
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...

 
BMW M3 Touring Drag Races Alpina B3, M340i, M340d; Only Two Contenders Really Stand Out
BMW M3 Touring Drag Races Alpina B3, M340i, M340d; Only Two Contenders Really Stand Out

16 Jan 2024, 17:05 UTC · By: Mircea Panait / The most exciting and practical 3 Series of the bunch is the M3 Touring, a twin-turbo land missile that comes with M xDrive all-wheel drive in combination with ZF's well-known 8HP automatic tranny. Alpina, which is wholly owned by Munich-based...

 
Lucid Recalls Air Electric Sedan Over Potential High-Voltage Coolant Heater Failure
Lucid Recalls Air Electric Sedan Over Potential High-Voltage Coolant Heater Failure

16 Jan 2024, 14:58 UTC · By: Mircea Panait / The closest rival for the Model S electric sedan has been hit with a safety recall. According to Lucid, certain vehicles feature Webasto-supplied coolant heaters with aluminum and zirconium oxide coatings that are prone to delamination and cracking...

 
2025 Infiniti QX80 Luxury SUV Poses for the Camera With QX Monograph Design Cues
2025 Infiniti QX80 Luxury SUV Poses for the Camera With QX Monograph Design Cues

16 Jan 2024, 13:14 UTC · By: Mircea Panait / In production since January 2004 as the plusher twin of the Nissan Armada, the Infiniti QX56 became the QX80 in 2013 for the 2014 model year. From the very beginning, the Infiniti brand sold the body-on-frame sport utility vehicle with a 5.6L natur...

 
Stock Nissan GT-R Drag Races Modified Isuzu D-Max Pickup Truck, It's Closer Than Expected
Stock Nissan GT-R Drag Races Modified Isuzu D-Max Pickup Truck, It's Closer Than Expected

15 Jan 2024, 02:02 UTC · By: Mircea Panait / How long has it been since Nissan separated the GT-R from the long-running Skyline? Considering that R34 Skyline GT-R production concluded in August 2002, more than 20 years ago. It's also worth remembering that the GT-R nameplate became its o...

 
10 Awesome Cars You Can Finally Import to the US in 2024 Under the 25-Year Rule
10 Awesome Cars You Can Finally Import to the US in 2024 Under the 25-Year Rule

14 Jan 2024, 02:02 UTC · By: Mircea Panait / Back in 1989, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration made gray imports legal, but only as long as the imported vehicle is at least 25 years old. The NHTSA's website clearly states that the 25-year period runs from the date of the c...

 
2024 Ford Ranger Raptor Diesel Races Ford Ranger Raptor EcoBoost, Defeat Is Inevitable
2024 Ford Ranger Raptor Diesel Races Ford Ranger Raptor EcoBoost, Defeat Is Inevitable

13 Jan 2024, 02:02 UTC · By: Mircea Panait / As you might have already heard, the Ranger Raptor will hit dealers in the United States of America in the first quarter of 2024. The off-road pickup is exclusively offered with 3.0-liter EcoBoost V6 muscle in this part of the world. Outside North ...

 
Ford Mustang EcoBoost Runs 8s in the Quarter-Mile, Owner Intends to Crack Into the 7s
Ford Mustang EcoBoost Runs 8s in the Quarter-Mile, Owner Intends to Crack Into the 7s

12 Jan 2024, 02:02 UTC · By: Mircea Panait / The Mustang and four-cylinder engines go a long way back. Ford gifted the 1974 model year with the 2.3-liter Lima, which – in this application – produced 88 horsepower and 116 pound-feet (157 Nm). Fast forward to the 1984 model year,...

 
2025 Abarth 600e Electric Crossover Teased With More Power Than Any Other Abarth Before It
2025 Abarth 600e Electric Crossover Teased With More Power Than Any Other Abarth Before It

11 Jan 2024, 19:47 UTC · By: Mircea Panait / Abarth & C. S.p.A., which has been wholly owned by Fiat since 1971, made a name for itself on the track and the rally stage with lightweight racing cars. The marque's road-going cars are usually small and – if you believe the naysaye...

 
The BMW M Division's Best-Selling Vehicle Is Electric
The BMW M Division's Best-Selling Vehicle Is Electric

11 Jan 2024, 18:19 UTC · By: Mircea Panait / The BMW Group's performance arm sold 177,257 vehicles worldwide in 2022. Rather than the six-cylinder M3 or eight-cylinder X5 M, the best-selling M vehicle of 2022 was the i40 M50, which is – technically speaking – an M Performance...

 
2023 BMW M4 CSL Hits the Dyno, Makes 582.3 Horsepower at the Crankshaft
2023 BMW M4 CSL Hits the Dyno, Makes 582.3 Horsepower at the Crankshaft

11 Jan 2024, 00:24 UTC · By: Mircea Panait / A very collectible Bimmer, the M4 CSL is more powerful than its Competition-spec brother. Unleashed in May 2022 for the 2023 model year, the most exclusive M4 available today also happens to make a little more power than BMW says it does. United...

 
Ford Issued 58 Recalls Totaling 6.1 Million Vehicles in 2023, Honda Recalled Even More
Ford Issued 58 Recalls Totaling 6.1 Million Vehicles in 2023, Honda Recalled Even More

10 Jan 2024, 18:42 UTC · By: Mircea Panait / In the final days of December 2023, one too many automotive publications used incomplete data to report that Ford Motor Company generated the most recalls in the United States of America last year. The NHTSA's website started publishing 2024 r...

 
2024 Dodge Durango SRT 392 AlcHEMI Last Call Special Edition Signals the End of an Era
2024 Dodge Durango SRT 392 AlcHEMI Last Call Special Edition Signals the End of an Era

10 Jan 2024, 00:30 UTC · By: Mircea Panait / How long has it been since what used to be Fiat Chrysler Automobiles leveraged its DaimlerChrysler-era technical expertise to develop the WD-series Dodge Durango? The current Durango, namely the third generation since 1997, rolled out in 2010 for t...

 
Ford Puma Was the UK's Best-Selling Car in 2023, Tesla Model Y Ranked Fifth
Ford Puma Was the UK's Best-Selling Car in 2023, Tesla Model Y Ranked Fifth

9 Jan 2024, 23:02 UTC · By: Mircea Panait / Once used for a front-wheel-drive coupe with Fiesta underpinnings, the Puma nameplate returned to the Ford Motor Company's lineup in 2019 for a subcompact crossover that features – coincidentally – the same platform as the Fiesta. ...

 
Ford 1.0 EcoBoost Oil Pump Failure Investigation Prompts Recall, 140,000 Vehicles Affected
Ford 1.0 EcoBoost Oil Pump Failure Investigation Prompts Recall, 140,000 Vehicles Affected

9 Jan 2024, 20:22 UTC · By: Mircea Panait / Back in September 2023, the Office of Defects Investigation started looking into 1.0-liter EcoBoost oil pump failures. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration was aware of no fewer than 95 complaints from owners of the 2018 to 2021 model...

 
EPA Data Shows That Hyundai Is the Most Fuel-Efficient Legacy Automaker in the US
EPA Data Shows That Hyundai Is the Most Fuel-Efficient Legacy Automaker in the US

9 Jan 2024, 01:23 UTC · By: Mircea Panait / Since 1975, the Environmental Protection Agency has issued the Automotive Trends Report on a yearly basis to provide the public with new light-duty vehicle fuel economy, greenhouse gas emissions, and technology data. The 2023 EPA Automotive Trends ...

 
2023 Corvette Production Totals 53,785 Units
2023 Corvette Production Totals 53,785 Units

9 Jan 2024, 00:01 UTC · By: Mircea Panait / 2023 was a fine year for the Corvette. According to the National Corvette Museum, the Detroit-based automaker produced no fewer than 53,785 examples of the breed in 2023, which is extremely close to the all-time record. More specifically, 53,80...

 
2025 Infiniti QX80 Teased With Segment-First Audio System, Will Debut Later This Year
2025 Infiniti QX80 Teased With Segment-First Audio System, Will Debut Later This Year

8 Jan 2024, 23:07 UTC · By: Mircea Panait / Previously known as the QX56 due to its 5.6-liter V8, the Infiniti QX80 will be thoroughly redesigned for 2025. Previewed at the 2023 Pebble Beach Concours d'Elegance by the QX Monograph concept, the luxury sport utility vehicle is the first o...

 
Volkswagen Is Germany's Best-Selling Car Brand
Volkswagen Is Germany's Best-Selling Car Brand

8 Jan 2024, 21:48 UTC · By: Mircea Panait / The KBA, which means Federal Motor Transport Authority in English, revealed that Volkswagen dominated the new car market in Germany last year. According to documents published by the German type approval authority, the Wolfsburg-based automaker sol...

 

Stories by Mircea Panait