autoevolution
 

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.
2015 Winnebago Brave RV Revealed <span>· Video</span>
2015 Winnebago Brave RV Revealed · Video

8 Jun 2014, 16:28 UTC · By: Mircea Panait / One of America's most popular motorhomes is making a comeback in the shape of the 2015 model year Winnebago Brave. Harking back to its swinging 60s predecessor, the latest iteration of the Brave is adorned with the hallmark eyebrow above the w...

 
10k Jeep Vehicles Recalled Over Cruise Control Software Glitch
10k Jeep Vehicles Recalled Over Cruise Control Software Glitch

7 Jun 2014, 16:31 UTC · By: Mircea Panait / After we informed you just the other day that rougly 21,000 Ram ProMaster full-size vans are recalled over an electrical corrosion issue, the Chrysler Group returns with a new call back operation covering 10,700 vehicles. A routine internal qual...

 
GM Recall Saga Continues: 90k Vehicles Affected
GM Recall Saga Continues: 90k Vehicles Affected

7 Jun 2014, 16:10 UTC · By: Mircea Panait / As if General Motors didn't have enough on its head already, the manufacturer announced recently three extra safety recalls and a non-compliance call back operation, all of which were reported to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administrat...

 
Ram Patenting Two-Way Tailgate Design
Ram Patenting Two-Way Tailgate Design

7 Jun 2014, 12:10 UTC · By: Mircea Panait / Pickup fans, rejoice! A handful o patent drawings filed by the Chrysler Group hint that the next-generation Ram truck will utilize a radical two-way split tailgate design. According to the United States Patent Office, the patent was filed Februr...

 
Ram ProMaster Recalled Over Electrical Corrosion Issue
Ram ProMaster Recalled Over Electrical Corrosion Issue

6 Jun 2014, 18:06 UTC · By: Mircea Panait / Even though it's produced at Chrysler's manufacturing facility in Saltillo, Mexico, the 2014 Ram ProMaster shows its Italian origins with the latest recall involving the full-size van based on the Fiat Ducato. Specifically, 21,000 vans...

 
2015 Volvo XC90 Gets Bowers & Wilkins Audio System
2015 Volvo XC90 Gets Bowers & Wilkins Audio System

6 Jun 2014, 16:40 UTC · By: Mircea Panait / Bowers & Wilkins teamed up with the Swedish carmaker to create an exquisite audio system which will equip the all-new 2015 Volvo XC90. The renowned British audio equipment company used the most demanding acoustic environments to fine tune the u...

 
Decent Shelby Cobra Replica for Sale on eBay
Decent Shelby Cobra Replica for Sale on eBay

6 Jun 2014, 15:29 UTC · By: Mircea Panait / A well-built, decent-looking and dirt-cheap Cobra replica is one of the most rare sights on eBay Motors these days. With only 3,700 miles on the clock and a correct Shelby Cobra 427 S/C fiberglass bodyshell reinforced with Kevlar, this $29,750 repl...

 
2015 Chevrolet Malibu Gets OnStar 4G LTE First
2015 Chevrolet Malibu Gets OnStar 4G LTE First

6 Jun 2014, 14:00 UTC · By: Mircea Panait / General Motors has officially confirmed that the eight-generation Chevrolet Malibu will receive a suite of updates for the 2015 model year. However, the headline is that the refreshed mid-size sedan will be the first GM vehicle fitted with the OnSt...

 
2014 Volkswagen Polo 1.2 TSI First Drive
2014 Volkswagen Polo 1.2 TSI First Drive

6 Jun 2014, 13:18 UTC · By: Mircea Panait / As far as the VW Polo is concerned, the German supermini was always a case of "Honey, I've shrunk the Golf." And that statement stands true even after 39 years of continuous production alongside its bigger, C-segment-leading brother....

 
2015 Buick Verano Drops Manual Gearbox Option
2015 Buick Verano Drops Manual Gearbox Option

6 Jun 2014, 12:52 UTC · By: Mircea Panait / GM's premium automobile brand announced that the Verano compact sedan will lose the six-speed stick shift transmission option for the 2015 model year. Thus, the tri-shield automaker's entry-level model will be available only with a six-sp...

 
2015 Chrysler 200 Commercial: "Born Makers"
2015 Chrysler 200 Commercial: "Born Makers"

6 Jun 2014, 12:00 UTC · By: Mircea Panait / Chrysler partnered up with Dallas-based advertising agency The Richards Group to make the "Born Makers" advertising campaign for the automaker's all-new 200 mid-size sedan. Slated to debut in the United States this Saturday, June 7th...

 
Sublime Green 2015 Dodge Challenger SRT Hellcat Spotted
Sublime Green 2015 Dodge Challenger SRT Hellcat Spotted

6 Jun 2014, 09:24 UTC · By: Mircea Panait / We've already shown you a set of videos depicting the brawny 2015 Dodge Challenger SRT Hellcat sporting red and silver exterior paint jobs. However, the Chrysler Group's pride and joy has recently been spotted wearing a Hulk-green hue, pr...

 
2015 Chevrolet Corvette Z06 Packs 650 Horsepower
2015 Chevrolet Corvette Z06 Packs 650 Horsepower

6 Jun 2014, 08:07 UTC · By: Mircea Panait / After five long months since Chevrolet took the wraps off the all-new 2015MY Corvette Z06, the Detroit manufacturer has finally announced the specs of its halo sports car's meanest version yet: the blown LT4 V8 churns out 650 horsepower and 6...

 
Chevrolet Camaro ZL1, Cadillac CTS-V Recalled Over Defective Supercharger
Chevrolet Camaro ZL1, Cadillac CTS-V Recalled Over Defective Supercharger

4 Jun 2014, 17:09 UTC · By: Mircea Panait / This just in: General Motors announced the supercharger bolted atop the 6.2-liter V8 powerplant fitted to the Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 and Cadillac CTS-V might not work properly. According to the Detroit carmaker, defective blowers can be easily identi...

 
Epic Fail: GM Sent Recall Notices To Victims' Families
Epic Fail: GM Sent Recall Notices To Victims' Families

4 Jun 2014, 16:20 UTC · By: Mircea Panait / It's common knowledge that the 2.6 million General Motors vehicles fitted with defective ignition switches caused at least 13 fatalities, although an independent analysis hikes that figure to a minimum 74 fatally injured. However, sending reca...

 
Ford and Samsung Team Up to Make Next-Gen Batteries
Ford and Samsung Team Up to Make Next-Gen Batteries

4 Jun 2014, 15:28 UTC · By: Mircea Panait / When two of the most revered global brands join forces, it's certain something really good is gonna come out from that kind of union. After a 10-year-long research effort, Ford and Samsung revealed the first result of their technological partn...

 
2015 Ford Transit Offers Best-In-Class Configuration Options <span>· Video</span>
2015 Ford Transit Offers Best-In-Class Configuration Options · Video

4 Jun 2014, 14:09 UTC · By: Mircea Panait / America's best-selling van for 35 years - the Ford E-Series, will be replaced this summer when the all-new Transit is slated to arrive in showrooms nationwide. Boasting better gas mileage than its predecessor, best-in-class gas engine torqu...

 
Lamborghini Countach Sold for $1.2 Million
Lamborghini Countach Sold for $1.2 Million

4 Jun 2014, 12:15 UTC · By: Mircea Panait / A 1975 Lamborghini Countach LP400 Persicopa changed hands for a whopping $1.21 million (€880,000; £716,000) last Sunday at the Bonham's 7th annual Greenwhich collector car auction. The winning bidder managed to beat out over a dozen...

 
2.3L EcoBoost-Powered Lincoln MKC Rated 18 MPG City
2.3L EcoBoost-Powered Lincoln MKC Rated 18 MPG City

4 Jun 2014, 10:28 UTC · By: Mircea Panait / The American carmaker announced that the all-new Lincoln MKC powered by the top-of-the-range 2.3-liter EcoBoost engine will return 18 mpg city/26 mpg highway/21 mpg combined. Further more, the entry-level front-wheel drive 2.0-liter turbo model sta...

 
Lightness Is This Ford Fusion's Mantra <span>· Video</span>
Lightness Is This Ford Fusion's Mantra · Video

4 Jun 2014, 08:39 UTC · By: Mircea Panait / When it comes to modern automobiles, weight is the biggest performance inhibitor of everything in-between practical superminis all the way to the most track-focused supercars. Carbon fiber and other ultra-lighweight materials are utilized by a hand...

 

Stories by Mircea Panait