Mircea Panait
20,321 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.
Mercedes-Benz Straight Six to Make A Comeback On E-Class, SL-Class, C-Class
4 Jul 2014, 15:34 UTC · By: Mircea Panait / The heavily anticipated twin-turbo straight six engines from Mercedes-Benz have been a recurring subject in the automotive rumor mill since late last year, but further details have emerged about the powerplants that'll replace the current line...
Tesla Aims to Become Leading Employer of US Veterans
4 Jul 2014, 14:22 UTC · By: Mircea Panait / The Palo Alto-based manufacturer is on a bit of a roll these days. After Tesla patents went open source and the Model X pure-electric drive crossover has been confirmed to be ready in early 2015, the manufacturer expressed its intention to become t...
Overfinch Range Rover Sport Is An Exquisite Piece of Kit
4 Jul 2014, 13:01 UTC · By: Mircea Panait / Lots of Chelsea tractors are roaming British roads these days, driven by all kinds of questionable characters like botoxed trophy wives and chavs with a passion for wearing sweatclothes 24/7. However, we're glad to report that the recently unv...
Roland Ratzenberger Would've Celebrated His 54th Birthday Today
4 Jul 2014, 11:57 UTC · By: Mircea Panait / The 1994 San Marino Grand Prix is best known as the darkest weekend in recent Formula 1 history. On lap 7, legendary Brazilian racing driver Ayrton Senna tragically lost his life after his Williams left the racing line in Tamburello corner, hitting...
Barn Find 1969 Mustang Mach 1 Needs Serious TLC
4 Jul 2014, 10:08 UTC · By: Mircea Panait / Some people do anything for love, including Meat Loaf, while some people are able to do pretty doubtful things for money. But us gearheads, we're driven by our appreciation for automobiles. Dan Bailey is a prime example of how far that appreci...
Automotive Grade Linux Set to Take On Apple CarPlay & Android Auto
4 Jul 2014, 08:37 UTC · By: Mircea Panait / After Apple revealed the quirky CarPlay in-vehicle infotainment interface and Google responded with Android Auto, the newly unveiled Automotive Grade Link is ready to deliver open source solutions for the connected car. AGL is the industry's f...
Nissan Pulsar Pricing Starts at £15,995 OTR
3 Jul 2014, 19:44 UTC · By: Mircea Panait / After the Almera ceased production in 2006, Nissan was out of the highly competitive compact hatchback segment in Europe. But the all-new Pulsar will soon change that when it'll go on sale this autumn, holding a U.K. price tag of £15,995...
Opel Corsa OPC Confirmed to Arrive in 2015
3 Jul 2014, 18:46 UTC · By: Mircea Panait / Since we acquired the first spy photos of the all-new Opel Corsa OPC back in September 2013, we had a hunch that the hottest version of the supermini would arrive on European roads in 2015, sporting at least 200 ponies to keep up with direct rivals...
Subaru Recalls 660k Cars Over Brake Line Rust Issue
3 Jul 2014, 17:21 UTC · By: Mircea Panait / Subaru is recalling an estimated 660,238 U.S. vehicles over brake lines prone to fail due to premature corrosion. All affected cars are located in 20 U.S. states that use salt to melt ice on the road during winter. The National Highway Traffic S...
Jackie Stewart's Marcos GT Xylon Offered at Auction
3 Jul 2014, 16:45 UTC · By: Mircea Panait / Sir Jackie Stewart is one of the most revered racing drivers of all time both in Great Britain and the rest of the world. So when the Flying Scot's first race car is offered at auction, you can bet that many fans of the three-time Formula 1 wo...
Cheaper Used Cars Pose Higher Fraud Risk, Study Finds
3 Jul 2014, 15:25 UTC · By: Mircea Panait / After analyzing 50 million used cars for sale by dealers from January 2012 to May 2014, a recent study from iSeeCars.com points out that low-priced vehicles are more prone to potential scams than second-hand cars bearing a higher sticker price. ...
AAA: 41 Million People On the Road On Independence Day
3 Jul 2014, 13:57 UTC · By: Mircea Panait / Just like any other year before, the federal holiday commemorating the adoption of the Declaration of Independence is a woeful day for Americans that want to visit their beloved via personal transport. Besides the frustrating traffic, drivers will ...
Only 3 American Cars Made the 2014 "American-Made Index"
3 Jul 2014, 12:36 UTC · By: Mircea Panait / A recent study based on automaker, dealership and National Highway Traffic Safety Administration data reveals a worrying fact about cars we thought as being as American as good ol' apple pie or Clint Eastwood. Based on the amount of parts cons...
Lola Mk6 GT Heads to Auction · Video
3 Jul 2014, 11:47 UTC · By: Mircea Panait / RM Auctions' Monterey event will see a high number of car collectors aggressively bidding against each other for all sorts of rare, beautiful exotica from days long past. One of these motors is the last of three Lola Mk6 GT racing cars ever pr...
2015 Ford Ranger Interior Spied
3 Jul 2014, 09:14 UTC · By: Mircea Panait / We've last seen the facelifted Ford Ranger while engineers were testing the pickup truck somewhere in Eastern Europe in XLT Double Cab guise. But that was then and this is now so here's the latest spy photos of the 2015 Ford Ranger spotte...
2015 Dodge Charger SRT Hellcat Spied Testing
3 Jul 2014, 08:00 UTC · By: Mircea Panait / After everyone's jaw dropped with bewilderment over the recently unveiled 707 horsepower and 650 lb-ft Dodge Challenger SRT Hellcat, the manufacturer prepares something similarly special for its fans - the 2015 Dodge Charger SRT Hellcat, recen...
Ford CEO Mark Fields Gets $1.75 Million Base Salary
2 Jul 2014, 20:50 UTC · By: Mircea Panait / The Blue Oval's new helmsman, Mark Fields, has been granted a big salary increase for its promotion from COO to CEO and elected member of the directors board. As chief operating officer he made $1.58 million (EUR 1.16 million), but now his bas...
2015 Cadillac ATS Receives ZF Lenksysteme Electric Power Steering
2 Jul 2014, 19:56 UTC · By: Mircea Panait / Although electric power steering systems don't have as many fans as the good ol' hydraulic assist, automotive technology is a fickle friend and this change is slowly but steadily becoming the industry standard. So how does the ZF Lenksyst...
Exclusive: 2015 Saleen 302 Mustang Available to Order, Further Details Dropped
2 Jul 2014, 19:02 UTC · By: Mircea Panait / After Saleen has teased Mustang fans with the first image of the upcoming 302 Mustang yesterday, we got curious regarding the offering and what other 2015 Ford Mustang-related goodies are in store from the American manufacturer. Maxwell Matthewson,...
Caterham F1 Team Sold to Swiss & Middle-Eastern Consortium, Caterham C120 Confirmed
2 Jul 2014, 16:40 UTC · By: Mircea Panait / This just in from Caterham - the British group has confirmed that it has sold its F1 team to a consortium of Swiss and Middle-Eastern investors. According to an official statement, all other Caterham Group brands "remain as core elements"...