autoevolution
 

Aurel Niculescu

9,026  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.
Ford Maverick Digitally Returns to SUV Roots, Looks Practical and Off-Road Ready
Ford Maverick Digitally Returns to SUV Roots, Looks Practical and Off-Road Ready

14 Dec 2021, 11:50 UTC · By: Aurel Niculescu / With an overwhelming response for your bite-sized unibody pickup truck comes great franchise responsibility. At least according to Ford’s CEO Jim Farley, who recently hinted the 2022 Maverick might become a new sub-brand with more (affordable...

 
CGI Widebody Toyota GR86 Has a Ducktail Even Porsche's 911 Would Be Proud Of
CGI Widebody Toyota GR86 Has a Ducktail Even Porsche's 911 Would Be Proud Of

14 Dec 2021, 10:59 UTC · By: Aurel Niculescu / Toyota just made our day with a massive roster of battery electric vehicles (most of them in concept form, though). That’s great and sustainable news, but it’s not all. Virtual artists would also like to chip in, though in a slightly mo...

 
Unofficial 2023 Volkswagen Amarok Has Ranger DNA Spliced With Atlas Genes
Unofficial 2023 Volkswagen Amarok Has Ranger DNA Spliced With Atlas Genes

14 Dec 2021, 10:06 UTC · By: Aurel Niculescu / When Ford announced the first details about its all-new generation 2023 Ranger mid-size pickup truck, it was obvious a VW sibling was just around the corner. But of course, virtual artists aim to be faster than OEMs. Well, at least on this pa...

 
Koenigsegg Jesko Morphs Into 600-HP Mid-Engine Supercar to Fight America's Z06
Koenigsegg Jesko Morphs Into 600-HP Mid-Engine Supercar to Fight America's Z06

14 Dec 2021, 09:25 UTC · By: Aurel Niculescu / There was a time when Old Continent supercars were used as templates for carving up the next great American sports car. Now, with the advent of Chevrolet’s C8 Corvette Z06, it might be the mid-engine way around. General Motors probably ...

 
750-HP Porsche 911 Turbo S Becomes 2021's Fastest Christmas Tree Delivery Car
750-HP Porsche 911 Turbo S Becomes 2021's Fastest Christmas Tree Delivery Car

14 Dec 2021, 08:48 UTC · By: Aurel Niculescu / Texas tuning powerhouse (and limited-series supercar maker) Hennessey Performance upholds its “grand yuletide tradition” of delivering a roaring Christmas cheer. And this year it cues John Hennessey's ride. Not to be the one ...

 
This Ford Mustang Is Allegedly the Quickest Stock Pulley GT500 Down the 1/4 Mile
This Ford Mustang Is Allegedly the Quickest Stock Pulley GT500 Down the 1/4 Mile

14 Dec 2021, 07:58 UTC · By: Aurel Niculescu / General Motors has the C8 Corvette for bragging rights, but that one is now in the mid-engine league. Traditional front-engine RWD American muscle car enthusiasts need to settle for a Mustang GT500 or the variety of Challenger Hellcats. The B...

 
Mopar Your Six-Pack 440 V8 Power With a Stunning 1969 Dodge Coronet Super Bee
Mopar Your Six-Pack 440 V8 Power With a Stunning 1969 Dodge Coronet Super Bee

13 Dec 2021, 14:36 UTC · By: Aurel Niculescu / Generalist classic muscle car aficionados know all about Dodge’s Chargers and Challengers. But diehard fans might point out royal crowns were also called “coronets.” And their automotive equivalent was the Super Bee. Dodge&r...

 
Unique Rolls-Royce Cullinan Black Badge Is Secretly a Mandarin, Floats on 26s
Unique Rolls-Royce Cullinan Black Badge Is Secretly a Mandarin, Floats on 26s

13 Dec 2021, 13:53 UTC · By: Aurel Niculescu / Everyone knows the competition in the all-new ultra-luxury SUV segment is heating up. Now that more and more rivals are being cooked up, it’s all right if customers take special, precautionary measures. For example, let’s say you ...

 
T-Top 1985 Ford Mustang Digitally Begs to Be Driven, Will Have Its Wish Granted
T-Top 1985 Ford Mustang Digitally Begs to Be Driven, Will Have Its Wish Granted

13 Dec 2021, 13:10 UTC · By: Aurel Niculescu / So beloved, yet so convoluted. The Ford Mustang story is truly amazing, from every point of view. Most importantly, it’s an enduringly ongoing one. And not just when current iterations are taken into account. The original Mustang set up...

 
2022 Chevy Malibu Is Not Dead Yet, Morphs Into Sleek Coupe to Keep Itself Fresh
2022 Chevy Malibu Is Not Dead Yet, Morphs Into Sleek Coupe to Keep Itself Fresh

13 Dec 2021, 12:46 UTC · By: Aurel Niculescu / Unlike Ford, for example, Chevrolet still has a couple of passenger cars in its lineup. Probably to make us feel like there’s more of them, they can even be configured for both 2021 and 2022 model years. Not that we are siding with GM o...

 
Audi RS e-tron GT Avant Looks Like a Christmas Tree, Has Virtual Space for One
Audi RS e-tron GT Avant Looks Like a Christmas Tree, Has Virtual Space for One

13 Dec 2021, 11:17 UTC · By: Aurel Niculescu / Audi is just one of the legacy automakers trying to beat Tesla at its high-performance EV game. Still, one might have the urge to recommend them to audaciously improve the recipe, not just mimic it. Tesla has already reached incredible new he...

 
Lowered 2022 Lexus LX Is a Gray-Haired CGI Master in Ninja “Shadow Line”
Lowered 2022 Lexus LX Is a Gray-Haired CGI Master in Ninja “Shadow Line”

13 Dec 2021, 10:32 UTC · By: Aurel Niculescu / Some virtual artists like to make their taste known... from the Moon. Others dwell in the shadows, quite literally. Such as Russian pixel master Nikita Chuicko (aka kelsonik on social media). When on duty, he is the CGI brush behind some...

 
4x4 Chevy OBS Turns Lamborghini Countach Impersonator for Shot at 1980s Madness
4x4 Chevy OBS Turns Lamborghini Countach Impersonator for Shot at 1980s Madness

13 Dec 2021, 09:46 UTC · By: Aurel Niculescu / Ever since Lamborghini decided to present the limited-edition, modernized Countach LPI 800-4, it’s been a rollercoaster ride for the Italian automaker’s aficionados. But what a virtually incredible journey. As far as a select few ...

 
4x4 Four-Door Nissan GT-R and Slammed R35 Are Virtually Ready for Extreme Racing
4x4 Four-Door Nissan GT-R and Slammed R35 Are Virtually Ready for Extreme Racing

13 Dec 2021, 09:10 UTC · By: Aurel Niculescu / Even diehard fans of the R35 Nissan GT-R might agree the Japanese sports car has been growing long in the tooth. For a while, already. But it turns out that, at least digitally, there are many solutions to keep it fresh. Let’s face it. ...

 
2021 Ford Bronco First Edition With Simple Whipple Tuning Gets Impressively Faster
2021 Ford Bronco First Edition With Simple Whipple Tuning Gets Impressively Faster

13 Dec 2021, 08:24 UTC · By: Aurel Niculescu / It’s finally been a while since 2021 Ford Broncos have been spending time together with owners. Naturally, the reinvented sixth-generation off-road SUV has thus become a major darling of the aftermarket community. Just in case one doesn...

 
Wheelie '68 Ford Mustang 398 FE Drags Chevy Tri-Five for Classic Bragging Rights
Wheelie '68 Ford Mustang 398 FE Drags Chevy Tri-Five for Classic Bragging Rights

13 Dec 2021, 07:30 UTC · By: Aurel Niculescu / Many classic American car aficionados will say the 1969s are the best. Still, some might disagree. Bullitt fans, for example, will always prioritize an original ‘68 Mustang above all else. Even when racing. The first-generation Ford Mus...

 
Mercedes-Benz 300 SL Gullwing Replica Has LS1 V8 Power and Other Corvette Secrets
Mercedes-Benz 300 SL Gullwing Replica Has LS1 V8 Power and Other Corvette Secrets

12 Dec 2021, 11:34 UTC · By: Aurel Niculescu / First things first. Germany’s Mercedes-Benz 300 SL is undoubtedly a legend. No matter how hard people try and replicate it, that car is an absolute genius level. That being said, it doesn’t mean one can’t enjoy any of its clones. ...

 
Vintage Surfing Builds Are Now Getting Dwarfed by Lifted Ford Bronco Siblings
Vintage Surfing Builds Are Now Getting Dwarfed by Lifted Ford Bronco Siblings

12 Dec 2021, 09:34 UTC · By: Aurel Niculescu / Just in case the 2022 SEMA Show slipped by without a visit, one could give the rundown quite easily. It was all the usual aftermarket panache and custom glamour. Plus, a sizeable dose of Ford Bronco overload. Never mind that Ford itself broug...

 
What If Lambo's Urus Was Two Decades Old and BMW's OG 8 Series Was Revived Now?
What If Lambo's Urus Was Two Decades Old and BMW's OG 8 Series Was Revived Now?

12 Dec 2021, 08:34 UTC · By: Aurel Niculescu / Unlike other virtual artists, Marouane Bembli, the pixel master behind the thesketchmonkey account on social media, usually takes us behind the scenes to see the process of transforming cars. Though, not always. Some automotive CGI exper...

 
Off-Roaders Are on Fire or Freezingly Cool These Days. Even the Pint-Sized Ones
Off-Roaders Are on Fire or Freezingly Cool These Days. Even the Pint-Sized Ones

11 Dec 2021, 11:34 UTC · By: Aurel Niculescu / When it comes to all-terrain ability, few vehicles can compete with Toyota’s Land Cruiser, Jeep’s Wrangler, or Suzuki’s Jimny. Interestingly, one might observe a kind of ladder, as far as dimensions are concerned. But how about th...

 

Stories by Aurel Niculescu