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.
Volvo to Export China-Only S60L Stateside in 2015
17 Jun 2014, 16:06 UTC · By: Mircea Panait / This just in from the rumor mill: the Swedish carmaker is planning to export the long wheelbase version of the S60 to the United States and Russia, with the first examples slated to be delivered as early as 2015. However, this is not the first ...
Dodge Challenger SRT8 Supercharged by O.CT Tuning to 556 HP
17 Jun 2014, 14:50 UTC · By: Mircea Panait / If the 6.4-liter HEMI propelling the Dodge Challenger SRT8 seems a tad underpowered by modern standards, there's a way you can pump up your V8's credentials with added Germanic quality... Cue Austrian auto customization shop O.CT Tunin...
GM India Unveils Chevrolet Spark Limited Edition
17 Jun 2014, 13:49 UTC · By: Mircea Panait / In case you didn't know, General Motors India is still selling the former generation Spark/Matiz city car due to the low purchasing power of the typical Indian motorist. Nevertheless, cheap and cheerful city dwellers are also entitled to recei...
Pentastar V6 Still Prone to Cylinder Head Failure
17 Jun 2014, 12:21 UTC · By: Mircea Panait / After Chrysler replaced the cylinder heads on 7,500 vehicles equipped with the Pentastar V6 back in 2012, the automaker announced it will extend the warranty coverage on each and every car fitted with the 3.6-liter six-cylinder to 10 years or 150,0...
Jia Yue Focus Sedan Spotted In China
17 Jun 2014, 11:32 UTC · By: Mircea Panait / The Chinese knockoff of the former generation Ford Focus sedan has been caught on film bearing the Jia Yue badge. Built by the Ford - Chang'an Automobile Group joint venture, the Jia Yue Focus sedan will be officially presented to the Chinese ...
GM to Drill Holes Into the Keys of 3.4 Million Vehicles
17 Jun 2014, 09:33 UTC · By: Mircea Panait / Yup, you heard that right. General Motors' latest recall involves over 3 million cars which will have their keys reworked… with an electric drill! The fix involves adding a plastic insert to the ignition key and drilling a 4x6-mm hole t...
2015 Ford S-Max Reveals Itself Bit By Bit
17 Jun 2014, 08:13 UTC · By: Mircea Panait / Since the S-Max Concept was unveiled last year at the Frankfurt Motor Show, every cool mom and dad thought "Gee, looks rather posh and it would be a great runaround for the whole family." Young parents need not to fret because the pre-pro...
Ford Torino King Cobra Prototype Advertised For $549,900 · Video
16 Jun 2014, 18:17 UTC · By: Mircea Panait / If you want to own a very collectible piece from the golden era of NASCAR, then this 1970 Ford Torino King Cobra prototype might be the kind of car you've been looking for. Formerly owned by the infamous Bud Moore, this one of two prototypes w...
Plymouth Hemi Cuda Convertible Takes $3.5 Million At Auction · Video
16 Jun 2014, 16:57 UTC · By: Mircea Panait / We've reported before that a highly sought after Plymouth Hemi Cuda Convertible is expected to fetch a whopping $4 million at a Seattle auction event. That 1971 Cuda finished in blue didn't hit the estimated selling price, but still chang...
Fiat-Chrysler Merger Goes Official
16 Jun 2014, 15:43 UTC · By: Mircea Panait / The Board of Directors of Fiat S.p.A. announced that it has approved the plan governing the merger of Fiat into a wholly owned subsidiary. The new entity will be renamed Fiat Chrysler Automobiles N.V., with FCA to become the holding company. If ...
Chrysler TorqueFlite 8-Speed Auto Fitted To More Than 1 Million Vehicles
16 Jun 2014, 14:53 UTC · By: Mircea Panait / Since it was introduced on a handful of models back in 2011, the Chrysler Group installed the ZF-sourced TorqueFlite 8HP transmission in more than a million vehicles. When compared with its five and six-speed predecessors, the eight-speed auto is e...
GM to Phase Out Light-Duty Full-Size Vans
16 Jun 2014, 13:56 UTC · By: Mircea Panait / This may come as a surprise, but General Motors intends to drop the 1500 light-duty versions of the Chevrolet Express and GMC Savana for 2015. GM's product manager for full-size vans declared for an online publication that the 1500-series &quo...
Shelby Prototypes And Concepts Up for Sale
16 Jun 2014, 12:35 UTC · By: Mircea Panait / Shelby American Inc. is a company specialized in creating over-steroidized versions of Ford-branded vehicles such as the iconic Mustang. Every car built by the custom performance carmaker is borderline unique, all the more reason we got enthusiasti...
Tesla Model S Long Wheelbase to Debut Later This Year
16 Jun 2014, 11:33 UTC · By: Mircea Panait / The EV manufacturer is currently developing a LWB variant of its acclaimed Model S luxury sedan. The same Tesla Motors insider that offered this piece of info to the eco-friendly folks over at Gas 2 also hinted that the long wheelbase variant could...
Ford Lowers Fuel Economy Ratings For Six Models
16 Jun 2014, 09:20 UTC · By: Mircea Panait / The Blue Oval identified an error with fuel economy ratings for certain vehicles through internal testing, notifying the EPA about the findings. After the agency itself retested the vehicles, Ford announced that it will make goodwill payments to ow...
Tesla Motors To Construct Manufacturing Plant in Europe
16 Jun 2014, 08:13 UTC · By: Mircea Panait / Even though work on the 10 million square feet Gigafactory hasn't commenced yet, Tesla wants to extend its operations with a new factory in Europe. According to Elon Musk, the European assembly plant will see the green light once Tesla sales i...
Mitsubishi Lancer Receives Minor Updates For the 2015 Model Year
15 Jun 2014, 16:58 UTC · By: Mircea Panait / The Japanese sedan is returning for the 2015 model year with an assortment of minor upgrades meant to make life easier for the person behing the wheel. Every model, from the entry-level Mitsubishi Lancer 2.0L ES to the heart-pounding Turbo Ralliart...
Alfa Romeo 4C Launch Edition Arrives In US Dealers This Summer
14 Jun 2014, 08:51 UTC · By: Mircea Panait / The Italian marque's two-seater model will spearhead Alfa Romeo's return to the United States of America with exquisite European sports car design, supercar-level performance and state-of-the-art powertrain technology. Until the standard ...
2015 Ford Mustang Configurator Goes Online
13 Jun 2014, 20:30 UTC · By: Mircea Panait / The moment every Stang enthusiast has been waiting for has finally arrived! The Blue Oval fired up the 2015 Ford Mustang configurator, and boy you're in for an extended trip down customizing lane. Let's start with the cheapest Mustangs...
2015 Ford Mustang GT Gains 100 Pounds Over Outgoing Model
13 Jun 2014, 19:12 UTC · By: Mircea Panait / The Mustang Weightgate scandal comes to a close thanks to a Florida dealer that released the 2015 Ford Mustang Dealer Source Book on the Internet. Unfortunately, official power figures of all three drivetrain options are listed as 'TBD', ...