Aurel Niculescu
9,208 ARTICLES
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.
“Bosozoku” 1982 Toyota Crown Shows Digital Take on Old Super Saloon Credentials
15 Jan 2022, 07:34 UTC · By: Aurel Niculescu / Japan’s youth subculture called “bosozoku” is traditionally associated with outrageously customized motorcycles. But in America and across other parts of the world it is often common to also hear people mistake heavily modified ca...
Green 1993 Ford Bronco Doesn't Need Spring to Flaunt Eddie Bauer Affordability
14 Jan 2022, 14:50 UTC · By: Aurel Niculescu / As a reminder, Eddie Bauer is an American clothing store chain established way back in 1920. It is present not just in stores or online, but also on anything from eyewear to furniture, and until 2010 on FoMoCos. A little over a decade ago, fo...
Audi Q4 e-tron Ditches Compact SUV Genes For Plump 7-Seat Sliding Door Morphing
14 Jan 2022, 14:00 UTC · By: Aurel Niculescu / If there are such beautiful beings as minivan-passionate soccer moms who believe vehicle life is Mopar or nothing, this Plum Crazy-like seven-seater might be right up their alley. Although... it kind of sports an Audi badge. And it’s an EV in...
GT-R Skyline-Engined Fairlady Z432 CGI-Arrives Wide and Low to Entice Nissan
14 Jan 2022, 13:13 UTC · By: Aurel Niculescu / When discussing some of the most exquisite and rare Japanese cars ever built in OEM form, the original S30 Nissan Fairlady Z (aka Datsun 240/260/280Z) needs to be among them. Not just any incarnation but rather in Z432 form. Imagine such deli...
Timeless Shelby Cobra 427 Digitally Rides on Apparently Modern Acrylic Wheels
14 Jan 2022, 12:30 UTC · By: Aurel Niculescu / If treated right, plastic parts will lend a decidedly futuristic appearance to any car, instead of a cheaply made one. But we should not think for a moment that polymer materials are not timeless. At least as far as the modern industrial age is con...
Virtual 2022 Citroen 2CVe Seems Like a Natural Addition to Fashionista EV Line
14 Jan 2022, 11:46 UTC · By: Aurel Niculescu / Without being utterly expensive, some of Citroen’s EVs have a decidedly fashionable allure. Take the little Ami or the vintage E-Mehari for example. Or even the 2022 2CVe. Wait, what? The quirky little Ami is a two-passenger electric qu...
Tubed Chassis 1971 Plymouth Cuda Feels Beyond “MALICIOUS” in Slammed CGI
14 Jan 2022, 10:44 UTC · By: Aurel Niculescu / Does anyone wonder how a 1971 Plymouth Barracuda might end up looking like the most menacingly derelict restomod ever? But it’s not the “fault” of the cool pony/muscle car. First based on the Chrysler A-body and produced for...
Subaru's Tokyo Auto Salon Concept Looks Primed to Begin New 1,073-HP STI E-RA
14 Jan 2022, 10:08 UTC · By: Aurel Niculescu / Like Toyota and Lexus, their rivals and partners from Subaru also had a major outing prepared for the 2022 edition of Tokyo Auto Salon. With major EV and Subaru Tecnica International twists. Both Subaru and their Subaru Tecnica International ...
Widebody Citroen DS “Slammed Baguette” Digitally Shows Exposed Hemi V8 Sauce
14 Jan 2022, 09:37 UTC · By: Aurel Niculescu / Referred to as arguably one of the most innovative cars ever built, Citroen’s original DS truly is something that transcends legends. So, is there another word beyond sacrilege to describe this? Presented to the world almost seven decad...
Toyota GRMN Yaris Limited-Edition Hot Hatch Premieres at the Tokyo Auto Salon
14 Jan 2022, 08:40 UTC · By: Aurel Niculescu / Toyota Gazoo Racing just premiered a little tarmac and dirt hoot at the 2022 edition of Tokyo Auto Salon. But a few major caveats are standing in the way of jolly old fun, unfortunately. Toyota’s motorsport arm is diligently taking care...
Dodge Charger SRT 392 Drags Lexus RC-F and Almost Forgets to Show Who's Boss
14 Jan 2022, 07:26 UTC · By: Aurel Niculescu / There are many forms of “this versus that.” But as far as automotive drag strips are concerned, the endless possibilities are slightly narrowed down to a few “tons” of choices. Even when only considering the prepped sur...
Outlandishly CGI-Modded Pagani Huayra BC Trains for Riot Night of Canyon Carving
13 Jan 2022, 10:47 UTC · By: Aurel Niculescu / Pagani’s Huayra might be old by contemporary new car standards, as it was unveiled back in January 2011. But as far as exotic hypercars are concerned, this one is as fresh as a newborn. After all, Pagani has kept its Zonda predecessor a...
Unofficial Chrysler Airflow Cabriolet Finally Nails the Open-Top Crossover Design
13 Jan 2022, 10:02 UTC · By: Aurel Niculescu / Years of neglect have passed over Chrysler. Luckily, their Airflow Vision and Airflow concepts from CES 2020 and 2022 are finally signaling a chance of mentality. Just do not bet that it’s a quick one. Once a domineering force across th...
2022 Ford Maverick Transforms Into Equally Practical yet Absolutely Swankier SUV
13 Jan 2022, 09:26 UTC · By: Aurel Niculescu / All truth be told, Blue Oval fans got both positive and negative sales news earlier this year. The Mustang lost its throne to Dodge’s Challenger. Meanwhile, Ford’s Maverick got crowned as king of the compact truck segment. Among others....
Low and Wide 2022 Subaru WRX Coupe CGI-Axes Crosstrek Leaven and Two Doors
13 Jan 2022, 08:49 UTC · By: Aurel Niculescu / It is probably safe to say that last year we had a couple of JDM heroes giving their fans some huge mixed feelings. One would be the Acura Integra Prototype and the other Subaru’s second-generation WRX. It is even safer to assume that s...
Modern Buick GSX Stage 1 Rebirth Fancies Camaro-Based Return to Fighting Mopars
13 Jan 2022, 07:53 UTC · By: Aurel Niculescu / Back when Pontiac’s GTO Judge, Oldsmobile's 4-4-2 W-30, or the Chevy Chevelle SS ruled GM’s classic era of American muscle cars, there was also an interesting entry from Buick. So, how about a modern CGI return? Buick, just ...
Tuned Dodge Charger Drags Shelby GT500 and Hellcats, It Is Quite and Evenly Close
13 Jan 2022, 07:08 UTC · By: Aurel Niculescu / The rivalry between Mopars and Blue Ovals has been well documented and known for decades. Naturally, sometimes one of the competitors does not play the bone stock game. But all is fair in love and quarter-mile wars... Logic dictates that an O...
1972 Oldsmobile Cutlass 442 Mixes 455 V8 and Yellow Attire With Affordability
12 Jan 2022, 13:53 UTC · By: Aurel Niculescu / Because of several converging factors, the original muscle car era was under huge duress at the start of the crazy 1970s. And it affected many legends, including Oldsmobile’s famed “4-4-2.” Classic GM car fans with a knack fo...
Slammed Chevy Camaro Enjoys Quiet Desert Sunset in Virtual Muscle Car Portrait
12 Jan 2022, 13:25 UTC · By: Aurel Niculescu / Just taking a single look at the iconic “father” figure of the original Camaro might not be enough to help us understand the dire estate of the current iteration. So, let’s take a second, third, fourth... Sure, many factors ...
Pagani Huayra Gets Virtual Refresh, Looks Ready for Another Decade of Wonders
12 Jan 2022, 12:27 UTC · By: Aurel Niculescu / An equally outrageous yet stunningly glamorous successor to Pagani’s Zonda, its Huayra supercar appeared a little over a decade ago as a 2012 model year. Now, it’s time for a digital, unofficial refresh. Created as the mid-engine ...