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.
Richard Petty Drives Plymouth Belvedere GTX on the Goodwood Hill Climb
30 Jun 2014, 16:27 UTC · By: Mircea Panait / Just like the Plymouth Belvedere GTX, Richard Petty is another household name of everything involving the octane-rich world of NASCAR. Thanks to the Goodwood Festival of Speed that took place this last weekend, both icons were finally reunited afte...
Each GM Ignition Switch Death to Be Compensated With At Least $1 Million
30 Jun 2014, 15:45 UTC · By: Mircea Panait / The compensation expert hired by General Motors to come up with the compensation plan for the 13 people that died in crashes linked to the infamous defective ignition switch fiasco declared that the manufacturer will award families that lost their ...
2018 Jeep Wrangler to Adopt Dedicated Platform and Aluminum Body Shell
30 Jun 2014, 14:34 UTC · By: Mircea Panait / Since the Willys Military Jeep was converted for civilian use back in 1944, 'Jeep' became a household name for the most capable off-roader money can buy. Even though it's not as the gifted as the Willys or CJ when the going gets roug...
Renault Megane RS 275 Trophy-R Priced From €45,000
30 Jun 2014, 13:40 UTC · By: Mircea Panait / In the world of compact hot hatchbacks, the current king of the hill is Renault's manic RS 275 Trophy-R. You might remember that this special edition of the already fast Megane RS managed to set the new front-wheel drive track record on the in...
1,325 HP Shelby Turbine Indy Car Up for Auction · Video
30 Jun 2014, 11:56 UTC · By: Mircea Panait / Over the years, the Indianapolis 500 was a curious boiling pot of motorsports exotica. The 1967 STP Oil Treatment Special "Wooshmobile" comes to mind, but that turbine-powered machine failed to win three laps before the checkered flag dro...
Chinese SUV Featured in Transformers 4 Will Hit US Showrooms in 2015
30 Jun 2014, 09:54 UTC · By: Mircea Panait / Most of you that went to see the latest installment of the Transformers saga might be disappointed with the hideously bad acting and slightly unexciting storyline, but the movie was saved by the robotic dinosaur riding Optimus Prime and his party o...
GM VP Aware Of Ignition Switch Fiasco Since 2005
30 Jun 2014, 08:59 UTC · By: Mircea Panait / Earlier in June, Mary Barra vowed in front of House and Senate members that GM will get its act together, with the main focus of the moment being to fix the "deep underlying cultural problems" uncovered by investigators. However, an old e...
1954 Ferrari 375-Plus Sold For $18,3 Million · Video
30 Jun 2014, 08:06 UTC · By: Mircea Panait / Out of all the uber gorgeous and blistering fast racing Ferraris of the 1950s and 1960s, most of us remember the automaker's Magnum Opus - the 250 GTO, along with the mid-engined 250 Le Mans and 330 P. However, there is one hideously overlook ...
Plymouth Cuda With Just 2k Miles On the Clock For Sale · Video
29 Jun 2014, 15:51 UTC · By: Mircea Panait / Widely regarded as one of the most revered nameplates from the golden era of muscle cars, the Hemi Cuda is a paramount example of style and all-American V8 grunt. It's no wonder a convertible was sold for $3,5 million recently at auction, but ...
Renault Introduces Megane, Scenic Limited Editions
29 Jun 2014, 14:45 UTC · By: Mircea Panait / Renault United Kingdom is now offering an exclusive Limited Edition for the Megane in Hatch, Sport Tourer and Coupe guise, as well as for the Scenic and Grand Scenic family-friendly MPVs. Even though they're priced £500 more than th...
Lada Niva Urban Breaks Cover
29 Jun 2014, 14:04 UTC · By: Mircea Panait / 37 years after the Lada Niva was introduced, this Renault 5 on stilts has been treated with a subtle facelift. AvtoVAZ designers haven't modified too much on the back to basics off-road vehicle also known as the VAZ-2121, but the minor nip and...
Next-Gen S80 to Receive 2015 Volvo XC90 Cabin Design
28 Jun 2014, 12:42 UTC · By: Mircea Panait / Most of us agree that the upcoming Volvo XC90 will be the car to write a new chapter in the Swedish manufacturer's long and illustrious history. At first glance, the uber cool exterior styling will be responsible for the model's sales vol...
GM Announces Four New Recall Operations Covering 506k Vehicles
28 Jun 2014, 11:44 UTC · By: Mircea Panait / Was there a single week in 2014 without General Motors to announce a new recall operation? With the tally now well over 20 million glitchy vehicles, a further 506,873 cars have been recently called back over various faults in four different campaig...
Dacia Sandero Rendered As a Hot Hatchback Looks Cool
28 Jun 2014, 10:58 UTC · By: Mircea Panait / Since it was introduced back in 2007, the Sandero slowly but steadily won over the hearts of many Europeans in the market for a cheap and practical supermini. Compared to platform brother Logan, the Dacia Sandero is slightly more appealing because ...
Tesla Model S Customer Smashes Windshield of New Car With a Wrench
27 Jun 2014, 18:00 UTC · By: Mircea Panait / Have you ever been so mad with Tesla Motors that you smashed the windshield of your brand spanking new Tesla Model S with a wrench? We didn't and maybe you didn't either, but Yu Xinquan did just that out of sheer frustration with the...
MG3 Trophy Championship Concept Unveiled
27 Jun 2014, 17:05 UTC · By: Mircea Panait / Developed by specialist engineers to celebrate the British manufacturer's 90th anniversary, the MG3 Trophy Championship concept is the ultimate iteration of the MG3. Compared to the rather boring supermini, this club racing special is an MG3 l...
HPE700 Corvette Stingray Test-Driven by Mr. Hennessey Himself
27 Jun 2014, 16:09 UTC · By: Mircea Panait / There are lots of American tuning houses in the wonderful world of steroid-pumped Chevrolet Corvettes, but few names echo as loud as Hennessey Performance. For quite a few years now, the Texas-based shop has churn out an unquantifiable number of bu...
Tony Fernandes Bids Caterham F1 Goodbye, Closes Twitter Account After Announcement
27 Jun 2014, 15:03 UTC · By: Mircea Panait / Twitter is literally burning with 102 octane race-spec fuel after Tony Fernandes tweeted that "F1 hasn't worked, but love Caterham Cars." Anyway you look at it, this cryptic tweet from the Malaysian-British entrepreneur appears to si...
1968 Ford Mustang GT 428 Cobra Jet Can Be Yours For $109k · Video
27 Jun 2014, 14:07 UTC · By: Mircea Panait / Back when Detroit was still a flourishing city and America's car building nucleus, the Blue Oval's best-selling coupe was the iconic Mustang. However, 340 CID Darts and Barracudas along with big-block Camaros and Firebirds were easily kic...
Mitsubishi Attrage to Be Sold As Rebadged Chrysler in China
27 Jun 2014, 13:19 UTC · By: Mircea Panait / Have you ever imagined that day would come, that day when Chrysler badges will be glued on a Japanese sedan built in Thailand and sold in China? Don't worry, neither did we, but this questionable and uninspired move intends to boost Chrysler&#...