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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.
BMW M340i xDrive Drag Races BMW M850i xDrive, Defeat Is Absolute
BMW M340i xDrive Drag Races BMW M850i xDrive, Defeat Is Absolute

16 Jun 2024, 01:04 UTC · By: Mircea Panait / Although their model names kick off with the letter M, the M340i and M850i aren't proper M cars. They're classified as M Performance vehicles, meaning that M3 and M8 are noticeably more capable in the corners and in a straight line. CS...

 
Borla Showcases 2022 – 2024 Toyota Tundra Cat-Back Exhaust Systems
Borla Showcases 2022 – 2024 Toyota Tundra Cat-Back Exhaust Systems

16 Jun 2024, 01:02 UTC · By: Mircea Panait / Model year 2022 saw the Tundra switch from a naturally aspirated V8 to a twin-turbo V6, which – obviously – doesn't offer the same kind of aural pleasure as the eight-cylinder engine. Customers who aren't pleased with the exha...

 
Porsche 911 Turbo S Drag Races Audi R8 GT RWD, Mercedes-AMG GT 63 With Predictable Results
Porsche 911 Turbo S Drag Races Audi R8 GT RWD, Mercedes-AMG GT 63 With Predictable Results

15 Jun 2024, 21:34 UTC · By: Mircea Panait / The cars featured in this carwow video are very different in many respects, beginning with engine location. The 992-generation Porsche 911 Turbo S continues the Neunelfer's tradition; the R8 GT is a two-seat midship, whereas the GT 63 Coupe is...

 
Drag Race: BMW M440i, C 43, S4, Stinger GT All Clock 12 Seconds in the Quarter Mile
Drag Race: BMW M440i, C 43, S4, Stinger GT All Clock 12 Seconds in the Quarter Mile

15 Jun 2024, 19:35 UTC · By: Mircea Panait / Sam CarLegion has recently pitted four six-cylinder performance cars against each other to see which is king of the hill from a dig and from a rolling start. All four are based on rear-drive platforms, but these variants all feature AWD. The lis...

 
Watch the Ferrari SF90 XX Stradale Lap the Hockenheimring Grand Prix Circuit in 1:43.47
Watch the Ferrari SF90 XX Stradale Lap the Hockenheimring Grand Prix Circuit in 1:43.47

15 Jun 2024, 01:04 UTC · By: Mircea Panait / The most extreme road-going Ferrari yet has recently lapped Hockenheimring's Grand Prix circuit in a blistering 1:43.47 with racing driver Christian Gebhardt behind the wheel. This, in turn, puts the SF90 XX Stradale on the same level as the 9...

 
Porsche Taycan 4S Drag Races Tesla Model 3 Performance, It's Unbelievably Close
Porsche Taycan 4S Drag Races Tesla Model 3 Performance, It's Unbelievably Close

15 Jun 2024, 01:02 UTC · By: Mircea Panait / Porsche's first series-production electric vehicle comes in many flavors. The car sourced by CSL AutoTime of Thailand for a series of drag races at their usual filming location is the pre-facelift Taycan 4S, which means that it's gifted w...

 
Honda Civic Type R Drag Races Hyundai Elantra N, Care To Guess Which Is Quicker?
Honda Civic Type R Drag Races Hyundai Elantra N, Care To Guess Which Is Quicker?

14 Jun 2024, 22:49 UTC · By: Mircea Panait / The Civic Type R and Elantra N both feature 2.0-liter turbocharged inline-four engines, but as it happens, the Honda is that little bit punchier. With curb weight being pretty similar between the Civic Type R and Elantra N, it shouldn't be sur...

 
Ferrari SF90 Replacement Spied With Rear Light Bar
Ferrari SF90 Replacement Spied With Rear Light Bar

14 Jun 2024, 21:07 UTC · By: Mircea Panait / Back in August 2023, the Prancing Horse of Maranello started testing chassis mules of the SF90's replacement. Allegedly dubbed SF100 and reportedly codenamed F173M, the newcomer has been recently spotted with production-intent parts. Pictur...

 
2025 Fiat Grande Panda Debuts With Boxy Design, Two Powertrain Choices
2025 Fiat Grande Panda Debuts With Boxy Design, Two Powertrain Choices

14 Jun 2024, 20:04 UTC · By: Mircea Panait / The current Panda rolled out in 2011 and will continue production at Pomigliano d'Arco for a few more years under the Pandina moniker. The A-segment hatchback will be joined by the all-new Grande Panda, which stands out from the old model in m...

 
New Audi RS 7 Avant Spied With Plug-In Hybrid Oomph, Rivals 2025 BMW M5 Touring
New Audi RS 7 Avant Spied With Plug-In Hybrid Oomph, Rivals 2025 BMW M5 Touring

14 Jun 2024, 18:25 UTC · By: Mircea Panait / BMW's new M5 will premiere this coming summer with a plug-in hybrid twin-turbo V8 powertrain rated at 700-plus mechanical ponies. Following in the footsteps of the V10-engined E60/E61 generation, the newcomer will be offered in two flavors: fo...

 
992 Porsche 911 GT3 RS Manthey Performance Kit Spied Testing, Flaunts Many Aero Upgrades
992 Porsche 911 GT3 RS Manthey Performance Kit Spied Testing, Flaunts Many Aero Upgrades

13 Jun 2024, 20:12 UTC · By: Mircea Panait / The folks at Manthey are currently developing their performance kit for the 992-generation Porsche 911 GT3 RS, which looks bloody fast on the world's most challenging racetrack. Pictured with plenty of aerodynamic upgrades at Germany's mo...

 
Cadillac Racing Car Drag Races Ferrari 296 GTB Assetto Fiorano, Forced Induction Wins
Cadillac Racing Car Drag Races Ferrari 296 GTB Assetto Fiorano, Forced Induction Wins

13 Jun 2024, 18:23 UTC · By: Mircea Panait / The Cadillac V-Series.R isn't your usual Caddy. Not based on a half-ton pickup truck and not powered by a series-production engine, V-Series.R is a hybrid endurance racer with a stupidly loud V8 engine. Contesting the IMSA SportsCar Championsh...

 
Audi Q8 e-tron and Q8 Sportback e-tron Recalled for Overtightened Brake Line
Audi Q8 e-tron and Q8 Sportback e-tron Recalled for Overtightened Brake Line

13 Jun 2024, 14:06 UTC · By: Mircea Panait / The Volkswagen Group of America has issued a recall for a small number of Q8 e-tron and Q8 Sportback e-tron vehicles produced for the 2024 model year. Manufactured in Belgium, the MLB Evo-based electric sport utility vehicles may feature overtighte...

 
2025 BMW M2 Coupe Debuts With More Power, New Paint Colors, iDrive 8.5, Higher MSRP
2025 BMW M2 Coupe Debuts With More Power, New Paint Colors, iDrive 8.5, Higher MSRP

13 Jun 2024, 01:46 UTC · By: Mircea Panait / BMW launched the second-gen M2 Coupe in the United States for model year 2023 with 453 horsepower and 406 pound-feet (550 Nm) to its name. For model year 2025, which comprises plenty of updates, the smallest M of them all has received an M4 Coupe-m...

 
650-Horse BMW iX M70 Flagship Electric Utility Vehicle Spied, Will Replace iX M60
650-Horse BMW iX M70 Flagship Electric Utility Vehicle Spied, Will Replace iX M60

13 Jun 2024, 00:15 UTC · By: Mircea Panait / The BMW Group produces quite a few electric utility vehicles at press time, of which the aesthetically challenged iX M60 is the most powerful of the bunch. Currently a 2025 model as per the automaker's US configurator, the flagship zero-emissi...

 
Aspark OWL SP600 Prototype Hits 273 MPH, Becomes World's Fastest Electric Hypercar
Aspark OWL SP600 Prototype Hits 273 MPH, Becomes World's Fastest Electric Hypercar

12 Jun 2024, 22:01 UTC · By: Mircea Panait / November 2022 saw Rimac Automobili release videos of the Nevera electric hypercar clocking 412 kilometers per hour (256 miles per hour) at the Automotive Testing Papenburg facility in Germany. As you might have guessed by now, the Nevera is the wor...

 
New MINI Cooper S 4-Door Priced at $33,200 in the US
New MINI Cooper S 4-Door Priced at $33,200 in the US

12 Jun 2024, 20:12 UTC · By: Mircea Panait / MINI's redesigned Cooper 4-Door is coming to the United States of America in 2025, with the first units of the entry-level Cooper C to arrive in showrooms no later than January 2025. The more powerful and pricier Cooper S will hit dealer lots ...

 
2025 Honda Civic Sedan Pricing Revealed, Hybrid Powertrain Tops 49 MPG Combined
2025 Honda Civic Sedan Pricing Revealed, Hybrid Powertrain Tops 49 MPG Combined

12 Jun 2024, 17:58 UTC · By: Mircea Panait / Honda revealed the current-gen Civic back in June 2021, and thus far, you couldn't have an 11th-generation Civic with a hybrid powertrain stateside. A missed opportunity? For sure, and it becomes even more apparent once you remember that Civic...

 
2023 Fisker Ocean Recalled Over Incorrectly Displayed Warning Lights
2023 Fisker Ocean Recalled Over Incorrectly Displayed Warning Lights

12 Jun 2024, 17:10 UTC · By: Mircea Panait / Assembled by Magna Steyr in Austria, the Fisker Ocean has been hit with a massive recall. Massive by Fisker standards, that is, because all 2023 models produced through December 31 of last year are included in said recall. Thankfully, the remedy co...

 
LaFerrari-Replacing 2025 Ferrari F250 Is Taking Shape, Packs Hybrid Twin-Turbo V6 Muscle
LaFerrari-Replacing 2025 Ferrari F250 Is Taking Shape, Packs Hybrid Twin-Turbo V6 Muscle

12 Jun 2024, 15:05 UTC · By: Mircea Panait / Expected to debut in the fall of 2024 for model year 2025, the F250 is Ferrari's long-awaited successor to the LaFerrari. Similar to its forerunner, it features a hybrid setup. But as opposed to the V12-powered LaFerrari, the yet-unnamed F250 ...

 

Stories by Mircea Panait