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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.
2024 Hyundai Santa Fe Hybrid Acceleration Test Concludes Rather Predictably
2024 Hyundai Santa Fe Hybrid Acceleration Test Concludes Rather Predictably

20 Jun 2024, 13:09 UTC · By: Mircea Panait / Hybrids come in many flavors, and one way to differentiate between hybrids is whether a given vehicle was developed to be exciting or to sip fuel. The redesigned Hyundai Santa Fe Hybrid clearly falls in the latter category, for it clocks a somewhat...

 
2025 Ford Mustang GTD Costs Ridiculous Money in Austria
2025 Ford Mustang GTD Costs Ridiculous Money in Austria

19 Jun 2024, 20:28 UTC · By: Mircea Panait / Ford Motor Company revealed the most powerful series-production Mustang of the bunch in August 2023, when the Dearborn-based automaker promised a starting price of around $300,000 for the US market. Back in May 2024, the second-largest automaker of...

 
The Alfa Romeo Junior Veloce Develops More Electric Ponies Than Originally Advertised
The Alfa Romeo Junior Veloce Develops More Electric Ponies Than Originally Advertised

19 Jun 2024, 19:11 UTC · By: Mircea Panait / A little over two months ago, Stellantis-controlled Alfa Romeo premiered the Milano. A week after the unveiling, the brand reluctantly agreed to change said crossover's name to Junior due to a piece of legislation over false or misleading orig...

 
Bugatti's V16 PHEV Chiron Successor Confirmed With Three Electric Motors, 25-kWh Battery
Bugatti's V16 PHEV Chiron Successor Confirmed With Three Electric Motors, 25-kWh Battery

19 Jun 2024, 18:15 UTC · By: Mircea Panait / Plug-in hybrids feature larger battery packs than self-charging hybrids. The compact-sized Escape PHEV, for example, boasts 14.4 kilowatt hours. Over at Mercedes, the S 580 e 4MATIC is equipped with a high-voltage battery rated at 28.6 kWh. Mate...

 
2006 Ford GT Poses Next to 2018 Ford GT, Both Are Looking for New Owners
2006 Ford GT Poses Next to 2018 Ford GT, Both Are Looking for New Owners

19 Jun 2024, 17:09 UTC · By: Mircea Panait / Greatly inspired by the GT40 from the 1960s, the GT90 concept from the 1995 Detroit Auto Show never materialized into a series-production supercar. Ford Motor Company gave it another try with the GT40 concept from the 2002 Detroit Auto Show. On thi...

 
The 2024 Jeep Wrangler Rubicon 392 Final Edition Returns for 2025 With Less Standard Kit
The 2024 Jeep Wrangler Rubicon 392 Final Edition Returns for 2025 With Less Standard Kit

18 Jun 2024, 21:07 UTC · By: Mircea Panait / March 2024 saw the Jeep brand publish a press release according to which 2024 is the final model year of the Wrangler Rubicon 392. The so-called Final Edition is limited to 3,700 units globally for 2024, with prices kicking off at $99,995 (excludin...

 
2025 MINI John Cooper Works Convertible Spied, Gas and Electric Versions Are on the Menu
2025 MINI John Cooper Works Convertible Spied, Gas and Electric Versions Are on the Menu

18 Jun 2024, 20:12 UTC · By: Mircea Panait / Mini became MINI after the BMW Group took control of the British automaker in 2000. The introduction of the R50-generation MINI Hatch in 2001 saw the company reinvent itself while staying true to its past, whereas the second paradigm shift followed...

 
992 Porsche 911 GT3 RS Manthey Performance Kit Spied With Less Camouflage
992 Porsche 911 GT3 RS Manthey Performance Kit Spied With Less Camouflage

18 Jun 2024, 19:19 UTC · By: Mircea Panait / Manthey started 992-gen 911 GT3 RS testing at the Nurburgring in October 2023. The German company keeps pushing their aero-crazy sports car at the Green Hell, but Manthey has also started to remove camouflage off the Porker's body panels. ...

 
1 Million Jeep, Ram, Dodge, Chrysler Vehicles Recalled Stateside Over Iffy Software
1 Million Jeep, Ram, Dodge, Chrysler Vehicles Recalled Stateside Over Iffy Software

18 Jun 2024, 18:04 UTC · By: Mircea Panait / FCA US LLC has issued a mammoth recall in the United States, totaling 1,033,433 vehicles from the Jeep, Ram, Dodge, and Chrysler brands. Including those sold in Canada, that's 1.2 million vehicles. According to documents filed with the Nati...

 
Australia's 2024 Nissan Pathfinder Welcomes More Affordable ST-L Grade
Australia's 2024 Nissan Pathfinder Welcomes More Affordable ST-L Grade

18 Jun 2024, 17:16 UTC · By: Mircea Panait / Over in Australia, the Pathfinder originally started at $50,490 for the 2023 model year ST 2WD grade and $57,640 for the ST-L 4WD. For 2024, the folks at Nissan discontinued all trims except for the TI 4WD and TI-L 4WD, which are rather pricey. ...

 
Audi S6 Avant-Replacing Audi S7 Avant Spied With High-Voltage Stickers
Audi S6 Avant-Replacing Audi S7 Avant Spied With High-Voltage Stickers

18 Jun 2024, 16:02 UTC · By: Mircea Panait / As you might have already heard, Audi will slowly but steadily introduce battery-electric vehicles with even model numbers. To this effect, the current A6 will be replaced by the A6 e-tron. That, however, doesn't mean that the internal combust...

 
Volvo UK Brings Back V60 and V90 Station Wagons Due to Resurgence in Demand
Volvo UK Brings Back V60 and V90 Station Wagons Due to Resurgence in Demand

18 Jun 2024, 14:12 UTC · By: Mircea Panait / Swedish automaker Volvo discontinued the V60 and V90 in the United Kingdom at the beginning of August 2023 due to falling demand. Not even a year after that fateful moment, the company decided to bring the V60 and V90 back with hybrid power only. ...

 
2025 Bentley Continental GT Speed Will Debut June 25 Without Signature W12 Engine
2025 Bentley Continental GT Speed Will Debut June 25 Without Signature W12 Engine

18 Jun 2024, 13:11 UTC · By: Mircea Panait / Bentley's rebirth under the Volkswagen Group umbrella kicked into high gear with the introduction of the Continental GT in 2003, which is Bentley's first-ever W12 brute. Updated in 2015 with the debut of the Bentayga, the iconic W12 was r...

 
This Coyote-Swapped Foxbody Mustang Notchback Is One Sweet Build
This Coyote-Swapped Foxbody Mustang Notchback Is One Sweet Build

18 Jun 2024, 11:12 UTC · By: Mircea Panait / For the 1985 model year, the Mustang could be had with anything from a four-cylinder engine with 88 horsepower to a 4.9-liter V8 with 210 ponies on deck. This particular notchback had its original powerplant swapped for a Coyote, but as you can tel...

 
The Refreshed Volkswagen Golf GTI Is One Pricey Cookie in the United Kingdom
The Refreshed Volkswagen Golf GTI Is One Pricey Cookie in the United Kingdom

18 Jun 2024, 09:55 UTC · By: Mircea Panait / Internally referred to as CD1 for the hatchback or CG5 for the wagon, the Mk8 Golf rolled out in October 2019. Come February 2020, the GTI was revealed. That fall, Volkswagen confirmed £33,460 as being the starting price of the manual-equippe...

 
Certain Jeep Grand Cherokee SUVs May Feature Improperly Secured Buckles
Certain Jeep Grand Cherokee SUVs May Feature Improperly Secured Buckles

17 Jun 2024, 20:52 UTC · By: Mircea Panait / The Stellantis-controlled Jeep brand has recently identified an issue affecting the 2023 model year Grand Cherokee. A small number of sport utility vehicles may have been produced with improperly secured buckles for the second-row seatbelts. Fol...

 
Pre-Facelift Rivian R1T and R1S Recalled for Damaged Trim Panel Attachment Clips
Pre-Facelift Rivian R1T and R1S Recalled for Damaged Trim Panel Attachment Clips

17 Jun 2024, 19:55 UTC · By: Mircea Panait / Rivian has issued a recall encompassing 1,723 units of the R1T and R1S. The vehicles in question were produced for the US market for the 2022 and 2024 model years between August 13, 2021 and April 2, 2024. As for the recall condition, Rivian claims...

 
The 2024 Nissan Z Heritage Edition Is a $59,135 Throwback to the Datsun 240Z
The 2024 Nissan Z Heritage Edition Is a $59,135 Throwback to the Datsun 240Z

17 Jun 2024, 18:07 UTC · By: Mircea Panait / Nissan North America is going through a nostalgia phase. After launching two R35 special editions featuring Midnight Purple and Bayside Blue paint finishes, the Japanese automaker cranked it up to eleven with the rather pricey Z Heritage Edition. ...

 
Watch Hennessey's 500-hp Ford Bronco Raptor Bash Dunes Into Submission
Watch Hennessey's 500-hp Ford Bronco Raptor Bash Dunes Into Submission

17 Jun 2024, 16:38 UTC · By: Mircea Panait / The Bronco Raptor is Ford's most powerful application of the 3.0-liter EcoBoost, a twin-turbocharged V6 that launched in 2016 for the 2017 model year. In the Braptor, it belts out a very respectable 418 ponies and 440 pound-feet (597 Nm) of to...

 
Fisker Recalls All 2023 Ocean Models Produced Over Software Issue
Fisker Recalls All 2023 Ocean Models Produced Over Software Issue

17 Jun 2024, 15:08 UTC · By: Mircea Panait / According to documents filed with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, the financially troubled Fisker Inc. has recalled every single Ocean produced in 2023 for a software issue affecting two control units. Said issue results in the ...

 

Stories by Mircea Panait