autoevolution
 

Aurel Niculescu

9,222  ARTICLES

Staff Writer
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Once upon a time there was a little boy that didn't know his age but dreamed of reaching high in the sky alongside the absolute best aviators. He was passionate about reading books (action and Sci-Fi), grew up with many great authors and soon discovered the mirage of cinema.

There he understood anything is possible if you work hard and passionately strive to follow your imagination. This is how at the age of 16 he managed to fulfill the first dream – flying alone in a glider plane. He was no Tom Cruise, of course, so young adulthood brought him back to reality.

With every kick in the familiar *utt comes a chance to step forward, so a seemingly unimportant ad in one of his favorite automotive magazines brought a dilemma - follow through with the current job or dare to achieve greatness by deploying (previously) unknown literary skills.

Since 2006, he’s been perfecting them at Automondial, Supercar, Cox, Autoshow, Autopro, Auto Motor & Sport, and more magazines plus their online versions. After driving some of the best and worst cars in Europe and around the world, he’s part of the autoevolution team, where he aims to develop his best-ever form.
2023 Aston Martin DBX707 Informally Becomes Most Powerful Luxury Pickup
2023 Aston Martin DBX707 Informally Becomes Most Powerful Luxury Pickup

1 Mar 2022, 08:20 UTC · By: Aurel Niculescu / When it was presented early last month, the 2023 Aston Martin DBX707 was quickly labeled by the British automaker as “the world’s most powerful luxury SUV.” The distinction was particularly important, though. The flagship of...

 
Stock Shelby GT500 Drags Challenger Hellcat, There's a Secret Behind Every Win
Stock Shelby GT500 Drags Challenger Hellcat, There's a Secret Behind Every Win

1 Mar 2022, 07:42 UTC · By: Aurel Niculescu / The age-long question of who wins a drag race stock-for-stock between a feisty Blue Oval and a quick Mopar gets a quartet of answers during just one night of action. Complete with owner explanations. The videographer behind the Drag Racing an...

 
Renault Arkana Ditches X6 Clone Looks for CGI Shadow Line and Lifted Sedan Vibe
Renault Arkana Ditches X6 Clone Looks for CGI Shadow Line and Lifted Sedan Vibe

28 Feb 2022, 22:34 UTC · By: Aurel Niculescu / Little did BMW know or even cared that one day even Renault would have an X6 impersonator. Some will say about the French Arkana that it is yet another coupe-SUV clone. Others will not agree, at least virtually. Not long now (March 8th, 2022)...

 
Virtual R34 Skyline GT-R “Sunny Ute” Seems Like a Cheap El Camino JDM Build
Virtual R34 Skyline GT-R “Sunny Ute” Seems Like a Cheap El Camino JDM Build

28 Feb 2022, 22:04 UTC · By: Aurel Niculescu / Curiously enough, the fifth-generation Nissan Skyline GT-R (R34) not only sparks ample pop culture legends. It is also a darling of the automotive virtual artists... for all the quirky reasons. Way fewer R34s were produced when compared to th...

 
Stealthy 2020 Lambo Aventador SVJ Roadster Might Not Care About Ship Fires
Stealthy 2020 Lambo Aventador SVJ Roadster Might Not Care About Ship Fires

28 Feb 2022, 14:16 UTC · By: Aurel Niculescu / After the incredible loss at sea – due to a fire – of the transport ship Felicity Ace there is even talk of Lamborghini reopening the Aventador production lines to re-build the destroyed examples. But there is also an easier way to get ...

 
2022 Nissan Frontier PRO-4X and GMC Canyon AT4 Face Snow, Ice... Cardboards
2022 Nissan Frontier PRO-4X and GMC Canyon AT4 Face Snow, Ice... Cardboards

28 Feb 2022, 13:33 UTC · By: Aurel Niculescu / What happens when the regular string of feisty drag and roll races get interrupted by Lady Winter? Well, for Sam, the host of the Sam CarLegion channel on YouTube, it is time for some plain old snow and ice fun. With a boxy twist. Fans o...

 
J.Lo's “Landyacht,” a Rolls-Royce Drophead With Bespoke West Coast Customs Pulse
J.Lo's “Landyacht,” a Rolls-Royce Drophead With Bespoke West Coast Customs Pulse

28 Feb 2022, 12:24 UTC · By: Aurel Niculescu / Jennifer Lynn “J.Lo” Lopez, the great American singer, actress, and dancer who is an example of arduous work and talent paying off big time, is no stranger to the custom automotive world. Complete with a WCC twist, it seems. Does ...

 
1968 AMC AMX Going Through the CGI-to-Reality Process Will Become a “Short King”
1968 AMC AMX Going Through the CGI-to-Reality Process Will Become a “Short King”

28 Feb 2022, 10:59 UTC · By: Aurel Niculescu / There has always been something mesmerizing (and a little self-interested) about two-door, two-seater sports cars. However, few of them have been produced on U.S. soil. That is odd, right? Everyone around the world knows about “America&...

 
Hudson “Mr. Green Hornet” Rides Slammed Into an SRT Demon CGI Aftermarket World
Hudson “Mr. Green Hornet” Rides Slammed Into an SRT Demon CGI Aftermarket World

28 Feb 2022, 09:38 UTC · By: Aurel Niculescu / Not long now and among Stellantis’ flurry of electrified vehicles, there is also going to be a Dodge Hornet. Alas, that one is allegedly vastly different from AMC’s original Hudson Hornet. We really should not even count it as a p...

 
440CI 1979 Dodge Durango Three-Row SUV Comes From a Different Chrysler-Jeep Past
440CI 1979 Dodge Durango Three-Row SUV Comes From a Different Chrysler-Jeep Past

28 Feb 2022, 08:59 UTC · By: Aurel Niculescu / Back in the day when not everything was about crossovers, SUVs, or pickup trucks a three-row sport utility vehicle was not exactly adventure material. But someone has decided to reconstruct the past. Abimelec Arellano, the virtual artist better...

 
BMW M8 Morphs Into a German Mid-Engine Supercar to Answer C8 Corvette’s Z06 Dare
BMW M8 Morphs Into a German Mid-Engine Supercar to Answer C8 Corvette’s Z06 Dare

28 Feb 2022, 08:15 UTC · By: Aurel Niculescu / Today, America has taken the world by storm with its cool mid-engine C8 Corvette. It is not only a particularly good mid-engine sports car. But it is also getting ready to give Euro supercars a record-breaking FPC run for their money. Let us ...

 
G-Body Shuffle Turbo Chevy Impala Drags Camaro ZL1 and CTS, Stranger Things Happen
G-Body Shuffle Turbo Chevy Impala Drags Camaro ZL1 and CTS, Stranger Things Happen

28 Feb 2022, 07:20 UTC · By: Aurel Niculescu / While the event was referencing the premium representative of the GM household, Cadillac Attack (January 28th-29th, 2022) was not just about Caddys. Everyone was welcomed, including “twisting pretzels.” Well, that was the ironic w...

 
2023 Ford Ranger Raptor Coming to North America Better Sport More 3.0 V6 Oomph
2023 Ford Ranger Raptor Coming to North America Better Sport More 3.0 V6 Oomph

27 Feb 2022, 11:34 UTC · By: Aurel Niculescu / As expected, Blue Oval aficionados with a penchant for high-performance mid-size pickup trucks are getting an all-new Ranger Raptor. Some will acquire it sooner, others more powerful... This week has been glorious for Raptor enthusiasts that ...

 
This Is the Proper Way to Flaunt a Crimson Cadillac Escalade Around the Mansion
This Is the Proper Way to Flaunt a Crimson Cadillac Escalade Around the Mansion

27 Feb 2022, 09:34 UTC · By: Aurel Niculescu / Even if processing enhancements were applied, there is nothing like capturing the right colors at the perfect moment. Just look at this Infrared Tintcoat Caddy and its surroundings! Frankly, we gasped for air the very first moment we encounter...

 
Toyota 2000GT “Racing Spec” Is Reimagined JDM Classic Ready to Defy Conventions
Toyota 2000GT “Racing Spec” Is Reimagined JDM Classic Ready to Defy Conventions

27 Feb 2022, 08:34 UTC · By: Aurel Niculescu / Just a handful of Toyota 2000GTs were produced during the late 1960s. As such, this classic grand tourer has become a major collectible. One that does not bode well for the world of customization. However... The real-world trials and tribulat...

 
1948 Chevy Thriftmaster Sushi Truck With Beautiful Patina Is a Slammed Optimist
1948 Chevy Thriftmaster Sushi Truck With Beautiful Patina Is a Slammed Optimist

26 Feb 2022, 11:34 UTC · By: Aurel Niculescu / Well, way before the Silverado or the C/K series, and before Chevy’s Task Force, there was the Advance Design series. Also called in many other ways. Though none of them rhymed with a Sushi song, or “every day good day.” Until now...

 
Alfa Romeo Giulietta GTA Springs Back to CGI Life in True Italian Hot Hatch Form
Alfa Romeo Giulietta GTA Springs Back to CGI Life in True Italian Hot Hatch Form

26 Feb 2022, 07:34 UTC · By: Aurel Niculescu / After years of neglect, the 2023 Alfa Romeo Tonale hopes to bring the crossover SUV goodies to an Italian automaker in dire need of some customer affection. And that gave people a lot of ideas. Stellantis’ sporty subsidiary with a massi...

 
Satin Black Lamborghini Aventador Has Signature Red Forgiatos to Match Interior
Satin Black Lamborghini Aventador Has Signature Red Forgiatos to Match Interior

25 Feb 2022, 22:34 UTC · By: Aurel Niculescu / From being one of Kim Kardashian’s newest favorite cars to getting blown up by an artist, there is nothing a Lamborghini cannot achieve. So, do we need to wonder why these are aftermarket darlings? For example, it turns out that the man...

 
Mulliner Bacalar Is No British Purist With Digital JDM Stance and Gold Wheels
Mulliner Bacalar Is No British Purist With Digital JDM Stance and Gold Wheels

25 Feb 2022, 22:04 UTC · By: Aurel Niculescu / Bentley is preparing to say goodbye to its flagship W12 engine as part of the electrified revolution. And just hold your breath. Because it is going to be a massive coachbuilt treat from Mulliner. Logically, after the Bacalar, Bentley will al...

 
2023 Hyundai Accent Unofficially Hits Sixth Iteration, Looks Like a Baby Elantra
2023 Hyundai Accent Unofficially Hits Sixth Iteration, Looks Like a Baby Elantra

25 Feb 2022, 14:35 UTC · By: Aurel Niculescu / Back in the day, Hyundai was seen as a sensible South Korean automaker that produced adequate if bland models that were quite affordable. Today, there is just one single reminder of the era left in the U.S. lineup. Hyundai and Kia represent a...

 

Stories by Aurel Niculescu