Mircea Panait
20,325 ARTICLES
Personal motto:
"If in doubt, flat out." - Colin McRae
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.
General Motors Recall Saga Continues With 6 New Campaigns
23 Jul 2014, 18:50 UTC · By: Mircea Panait / We're in the 30th week of the year and General Motors' recall tally approaches the 30 million mark. As if that wasn't enough of a handful, the manufacturer recently announced that it's calling back 717,950 vehicles in 6 separate...
Mercedes-Benz C-Class Cabriolet A205 Interior Unveiled
23 Jul 2014, 17:55 UTC · By: Mircea Panait / Since the German manufacturer started to take out the ragtop version of the C-Class for testing, the development mules were always wearing camouflage both inside and out. But now we know that the upcoming Mercedes-Benz C-Class Cabriolet will get a ...
Tesla Model S Tuned by Unplugged Performance Looks Rakish
23 Jul 2014, 16:55 UTC · By: Mircea Panait / In the world of zero emissions automobiles, there aren't a lot of companies there to offer owners the ability to customize their tree hugging rides. But with an upmarket electric vehicle such as the Tesla Model S, there are a couple of firms t...
Jaguar XJ Facelift Tested on the Nurburgring Nordschleife
23 Jul 2014, 16:04 UTC · By: Mircea Panait / Jaguar has been testing the facelifted XJ full-size luxury sedan since the beginning of the year. More recently, engineers have taken the lofty British bruiser to the Green Hell in Germany, which basically means that the 2015 Jaguar XJ is currently...
Ferrari 375 MM Spider Is Looking For a New Owner · Video
23 Jul 2014, 14:54 UTC · By: Mircea Panait / Coachbuilt in very limited numbers from 1953 to 1955, the 375 MM series of cars is regarded as one of Ferrari's most stellar creations. Only a dozen or so Pininfarina-bodied Spider variants were made and now there's one looking for a new,...
Chrysler 300 SRT Goes Bling-Bling with 24-inch Forgiato Wheels
23 Jul 2014, 13:54 UTC · By: Mircea Panait / If you're a passionate fan of rap music videos and those huge donk wheels fitted to virtually any car appearing in them, then you might be interested in this rather blingy Chrysler 300 SRT luxury sedan. As standard, the full-size luxur...
DD Customs Tunes the Chevrolet Camaro SS to 467 Horsepower
23 Jul 2014, 12:34 UTC · By: Mircea Panait / If you're a muscle car fan and the Chevy Camaro's 426 horses produced by the standard 6.2-liter V8 motor are not enough to float your boat, then fret not. German tuning company DD Customs has managed to squeeze 467 horses from a 2010 MY C...
Kumar Galhotra Appointed Lincoln President
23 Jul 2014, 11:44 UTC · By: Mircea Panait / This announcement has been made by Mark Fields, the Blue Oval's new CEO. It's been less than a month side Mark took over the Ford Motor Company's reigns from Alan Mulally, yet the new numero uno is already trying to get Ford's l...
GM to Invest $800M in Michigan Facilities, Adding 1,750 Jobs
23 Jul 2014, 09:57 UTC · By: Mircea Panait / It's a widely known fact that the two-peninsula state is the melting pot of General Motors operations. Although the auto giant has a lot of facilities in this region, GM plans to invest $800 million in order to modernize its factories througho...
Jeep Commander, Grand Cherokee Recalled Over Ignition Switch Fault
23 Jul 2014, 09:05 UTC · By: Mircea Panait / It's not like only GM has hit it low with those millions of vehicles called back over very diverse safety or non-compliance defects. Now Chrysler is recalling almost 800k SUVs over the same problem that took GM to court - potentially hazardous...
Evita's Cadillac Fleetwood 75 Limousine Heading to Auction
22 Jul 2014, 18:17 UTC · By: Mircea Panait / To be offered at auction at the Salon Prive event on September 4th, this is one of the most special 1951 Cadillac Fleetwood Series 75 in existence. As it happens, this limo was the ride of former Argentinian President Juan Peron and his wife, Evita...
2015 Ford F-150 Specs: 4 Engines, 8,500-lbs Towing Capacity · Video
22 Jul 2014, 17:10 UTC · By: Mircea Panait / You've been waiting long enough, so here's what you've been expecting to hear - the 2015 Ford F-150 comes with two new V6 engines and a 4,942-lbs (2,241 kgs) curb weight, translating to a 732-lbs (332 kilos) improvement compared to t...
Second-Generation Renault Koleos Confirmed, Slated to Debut in 2016
22 Jul 2014, 16:26 UTC · By: Mircea Panait / Designed by Renault, developed by Nissan and introduced in 2007, the Koleos compact SUV has never really cut the sales volume mustard, not even with the 2011 facelift. Furthermore, Renault has withdrawn the Koleos from its United Kingdom lineup bac...
2015 Hyundai Tucson Starts From $21,500
22 Jul 2014, 15:24 UTC · By: Mircea Panait / Hyundai Motor America just announced that the updated 2015 model year Tucson is now available in dealerships nationwide, holding a base price of just $21,500. Also known as the ix35 and JM on other markets, the latest iteration of the crossover is ...
Ferrari 275 GTB/C Speciale by Scaglietti Heads to Auction
22 Jul 2014, 14:23 UTC · By: Mircea Panait / It's the direct successor of the legendary 250 GTO, it's the first Fezza fitted with independent rear suspension and this Grigio Scurro Metalizatto is only one of three Ferrari 275 GTB/C Speciale by Scaglietti ever made. Ladies and gentle...
Ferrari 599 SA Aperta For Sale in California
22 Jul 2014, 12:55 UTC · By: Mircea Panait / Before the F12 Berlinetta came along, the 599 GTB Fiorano was Ferrari's V12 flagship. A couple of very interesting variants were based on this car. One of them is the 599 GTO track-bred monster, while the other is the car we're talking ab...
2015 Ford Falcon XR8 Teased
22 Jul 2014, 11:58 UTC · By: Mircea Panait / Dear Ford Australia, stop using hashtags on Facebook because they do nothing to help additional exposure. Thanks! Moving on - after teasing the 2015 Ford Falcon a couple of times already, the manufacturer's Aussie arm dropped a teaser of the p...
2015 Cadillac ATS-V Spied Wearing Less Disguise · Video
22 Jul 2014, 10:09 UTC · By: Mircea Panait / Our team of carparazzi have spied the heavily anticipated 2015 Cadillac ATS-V a number of times near and on the Nurburgring Nordschleife circuit. With this latest set of spy photos, we now know a bit more about what's in store for potential bu...
2015 Ford F-150 Aluminum Bed Intrigues Potential Buyers
22 Jul 2014, 09:15 UTC · By: Mircea Panait / Global research company UBS has made a study about what potential buyers think about the 2015 Ford F-150's aluminum construction. After sampling 800 truck drivers, more than half of them declared that they're likely to buy the all-new lig...
Dodge Challenger SRT Hellcat Production to Begin This Fall
22 Jul 2014, 08:31 UTC · By: Mircea Panait / Just a few months after taking the wraps off the new Dodge Challenger 392 HEMI Scat Pack Shaker at the New York Auto Show, the newly consolidated Dodge and SRT brands have launched the most powerful stock muscle car the world has ever seen - the 20...