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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.
2024 Corvette E-Ray Drag Races Demon 170, Aventador, GT-R; Runs 10.6s Consistently
2024 Corvette E-Ray Drag Races Demon 170, Aventador, GT-R; Runs 10.6s Consistently

19 Apr 2024, 21:20 UTC · By: Mircea Panait / A massive fan of the C8, racing driver and United States Navy Reserve officer Jesse Iwuji took his 2024 Corvette E-Ray to the Texas Motorplex drag strip for a few quarter-mile digs. The only modification comes in the form of drag radials for the re...

 
2025 Ram 1500 RHO Teased Once Again, TRX Successor Packs Over 500 Horsepower
2025 Ram 1500 RHO Teased Once Again, TRX Successor Packs Over 500 Horsepower

19 Apr 2024, 19:53 UTC · By: Mircea Panait / The Stellantis-owned Ram truck brand has a surprise in store for April 25, although surprise may not be the right word to describe what's hiding under the desert camouflage tarp. Everyone and their dog knows that it's the six-cylinder RHO...

 
2025 Land Rover Defender OCTA Test Driver Sends It at the Nurburgring
2025 Land Rover Defender OCTA Test Driver Sends It at the Nurburgring

19 Apr 2024, 18:10 UTC · By: Mircea Panait / Jaguar Land Rover continues testing the Defender OCTA at the world's most grueling racetrack. Then again, what did you expect from JLR and the most powerful road-going Defender of all time? Coming courtesy of the CarSpyMedia YouTube channel...

 
Subaru Rolls Out UK-Exclusive Outback Touring X Limited Edition
Subaru Rolls Out UK-Exclusive Outback Touring X Limited Edition

19 Apr 2024, 17:06 UTC · By: Mircea Panait / Subaru isn't huge in the United Kingdom. According to SMMT data, the Subaru Corporation's automotive division moved 899 vehicles in this part of the world from January 2024 through March 2024, which puts it well below the likes of Porsche...

 
Kia EV9 and Niro EV Recalled for Improperly Tightened Differential Gear Bolts
Kia EV9 and Niro EV Recalled for Improperly Tightened Differential Gear Bolts

19 Apr 2024, 15:49 UTC · By: Mircea Panait / Based on completely different platforms, the family-sized EV9 and the compact Niro EV have been hit with a recall concerning the differential gear bolts within the gear drive unit. As it happens, four units of the EV9 and a further four units of th...

 
Jeep's New Electric SUVs Might Get Internal Combustion Versions, Says CEO Antonio Filosa
Jeep's New Electric SUVs Might Get Internal Combustion Versions, Says CEO Antonio Filosa

18 Apr 2024, 21:00 UTC · By: Mircea Panait / As you're well aware, Stellantis-owned Jeep isn't doing too great as of late. Sales in the 4x4 brand's home market dwindled from 973,227 deliveries in 2018 to a rather disappointing 642,924 deliveries last year, which prompted Stella...

 
GMC Teases All-New Terrain, Features Yukon-Like Front End
GMC Teases All-New Terrain, Features Yukon-Like Front End

18 Apr 2024, 20:01 UTC · By: Mircea Panait / Based on the GMC Sierra 1500, the 2025 GMC Yukon will be revealed later this year with a selection of pretty familiar powertrains. The front-end styling of the full-size family hauler carries over to the all-new Terrain, which – mechanically ...

 
New Mazda CX-80 SUV Debuts With Mild-Hybrid I6 Turbo Diesel and Plug-In Hybrid I4 Gasser
New Mazda CX-80 SUV Debuts With Mild-Hybrid I6 Turbo Diesel and Plug-In Hybrid I4 Gasser

18 Apr 2024, 18:14 UTC · By: Mircea Panait / Back in October 2021, the Mazda Motor Corporation confirmed a rear-biased platform and four nameplates of mid-size utility vehicles based on said architecture. The first one to be revealed was the CX-60, whose North American equivalent is the sligh...

 
Maserati Recalls Certain Ghibli and Quattroporte Sedans for Potential Fuel Leak
Maserati Recalls Certain Ghibli and Quattroporte Sedans for Potential Fuel Leak

18 Apr 2024, 17:07 UTC · By: Mircea Panait / Back in November 2021, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration published recall number 21V-872 concerning 409 units of the Maserati MC20, Ghibli, and Quattroporte. Said vehicles had been equipped with a fuel line sensor housing that may ...

 
Lingenfelter Magnuson Supercharged 2024 Corvette E-Ray Makes 734 Wheel Horsepower
Lingenfelter Magnuson Supercharged 2024 Corvette E-Ray Makes 734 Wheel Horsepower

18 Apr 2024, 16:08 UTC · By: Mircea Panait / Lingenfelter and Paragon teamed up for a supercharger package that promises insane power and torque for the already powerful 2024 Corvette E-Ray. Retailing at $35,000 installed, the supercharger package is backed by a three-year warranty for the Ma...

 
Ford Recalls Certain 2024 Maverick Vehicles for Incorrect Tire and Loading Information
Ford Recalls Certain 2024 Maverick Vehicles for Incorrect Tire and Loading Information

18 Apr 2024, 14:59 UTC · By: Mircea Panait / A handful of Maverick pickup trucks have been hit with a recall caused by a codification error. More specifically, the Dearborn-based automaker produced the subject vehicles with a TREAD label containing incorrect spare tire size, cold tire inflati...

 
2025 Toyota Camry Starting MSRP Confirmed, It's More Affordable Than Equivalent 2024 Model
2025 Toyota Camry Starting MSRP Confirmed, It's More Affordable Than Equivalent 2024 Model

17 Apr 2024, 20:53 UTC · By: Mircea Panait / Revealed in late 2023 with styling influences from the Prius, the ninth-gen Camry now has a price tag. As per Toyota's online configurator, the newcomer is $28,400 excluding the $1,095 freight charge as opposed to $26,420 for the 2024 Toyota C...

 
The 2024 Mercedes-AMG C 63 S E PERFORMANCE Retails at $83,900 in the US
The 2024 Mercedes-AMG C 63 S E PERFORMANCE Retails at $83,900 in the US

17 Apr 2024, 19:08 UTC · By: Mircea Panait / One of the most obnoxiously named cars in automotive history will arrive in dealerships nationwide this quarter. The 2024 Mercedes-AMG C 63 S E PERFORMANCE costs $83,900 before destination, which adds $1,150 to the final price. Except for a name...

 
NHTSA Upgrages Probe Into Inadvertent AEB Allegations From Honda CR-V and Accord Owners
NHTSA Upgrages Probe Into Inadvertent AEB Allegations From Honda CR-V and Accord Owners

17 Apr 2024, 18:08 UTC · By: Mircea Panait / The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration is aware of 2,876 reports involving vehicles with unique VINs from Honda owners alleging inadvertent activation of the Collision Mitigation Braking System. The federal watchdog asked American Honda...

 
Ferrari Spied Testing 812 GTS-Replacing Retractable Hardtop Convertible Grand Tourer
Ferrari Spied Testing 812 GTS-Replacing Retractable Hardtop Convertible Grand Tourer

17 Apr 2024, 16:59 UTC · By: Mircea Panait / At the beginning of May 2024, the Prancing Horse of Maranello will unleash the successor to the 812 Superfast. Internally referred to as F167 versus F152M for the outgoing series of twelve-cylinder grand tourers, the newcomer will obviously be offe...

 
Ford Recalls Maverick and Bronco Sport for Undetected Low Battery Charge
Ford Recalls Maverick and Bronco Sport for Undetected Low Battery Charge

17 Apr 2024, 16:07 UTC · By: Mircea Panait / The Ford Motor Company has issued a mammoth safety recall affecting 456,565 examples of the Maverick pickup truck and the mechanically similar Bronco Sport crossover. As it happens, the body and powertrain control modules may fail to detect when th...

 
2025 Aston Martin DBS Superleggera Caught With Production Exhaust Outlets
2025 Aston Martin DBS Superleggera Caught With Production Exhaust Outlets

17 Apr 2024, 00:09 UTC · By: Mircea Panait / Aston Martin continues testing the successor of the DBS Superleggera at the Nurburgring Nordschleife. The carparazzi have recently spied the most production-spec prototype thus far, a superb-looking machine with quad exhaust outlets rather than a d...

 
World's First Twin-Turbo 2024 Corvette E-Ray Clocks 9s in the Quarter Mile on Stock Tires
World's First Twin-Turbo 2024 Corvette E-Ray Clocks 9s in the Quarter Mile on Stock Tires

16 Apr 2024, 22:49 UTC · By: Mircea Panait / Roshan Poptani and the BoostDistrict crew turned a Corvette E-Ray into the world's first twin-turbocharged Corvette E-Ray in the span of two weeks. With little in the way of testing, the pictured sports car took to the Texas Motorplex for some...

 
2025 Lotus Eletre US Pricing Information Confirmed, Two Versions Available
2025 Lotus Eletre US Pricing Information Confirmed, Two Versions Available

16 Apr 2024, 21:40 UTC · By: Mircea Panait / Revealed with much pomp in 2022, the Eletre is the very first Lotus to come in the form of a sport utility vehicle. It's also the first Lotus to be manufactured in China. Hailing from Wuhan, the Eletre will reach customers in the United States...

 
Alpine A110 RS Continues Testing, Le Mans 24 Hours 2024 Premiere Mooted
Alpine A110 RS Continues Testing, Le Mans 24 Hours 2024 Premiere Mooted

16 Apr 2024, 20:03 UTC · By: Mircea Panait / In production since 2017, the Alpine A110 harks back to the original from the 1960s with a four-cylinder engine and rear-wheel drive. A superb-looking berlinetta that also happens to be very light by modern sports car standards, the overly expensiv...

 

Stories by Mircea Panait