Aurel Niculescu
9,283 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.
Cyber-Tuned 2023 Nissan Z “Widebody Fairlady” Looks Ready to Battle Any Supra
8 Oct 2021, 09:53 UTC · By: Aurel Niculescu / Following a lengthy and iconic lineage of previous generations, the 2023 Nissan Z is almost ready to hit intended markets and prove its mettle. Sitting in a sports car sweet spot, it’s going to be a tough nut to crack. When trying to fi...
Virtual Lexus ES “Estate” Tries to Prove Wagons Still Deserve a Second Chance
8 Oct 2021, 08:53 UTC · By: Aurel Niculescu / The current model lineup of Japanese automaker Lexus doesn’t include a single station wagon. But that’s a golden opportunity for a certain virtual artist that has embarked on a CGI quest of “touring the world.” With al...
Cadillac Escalade Squats Down to Station Wagon Level, Looks Totally Believable
8 Oct 2021, 08:15 UTC · By: Aurel Niculescu / Sometimes, an obsession doesn’t necessarily translate into something bad. For example, this virtual artist has a few passions that sometimes get carried to extremes. Luckily, they’re just CGI in nature. Jim, the pixel master behin...
2021 Ford Bronco Base Gets Stuck in Sticky Off-Road Comparison to Custom Badlands
8 Oct 2021, 07:35 UTC · By: Aurel Niculescu / While even the most basic 2021 Bronco comes with AWD, it makes a ton of difference in real-world off-roading scenarios to have a better-prepared trim. Ford knows that, and so do the aftermarket outlets. A Base two-door Bronco goes for just $2...
Dodge Charger Hellcat Drags C8 Corvette, 3 Series, and RS 3 for Bus-Length Glory
8 Oct 2021, 06:26 UTC · By: Aurel Niculescu / Although some of the muscle cars in question are proper legends, people still love to make fun of them. The Mustangs have their fails, while Dodge’s Hellcats are deemed heavy and powerful... but still unable to deliver a proper dragstrip laun...
Low-Mile 2012 Lexus LFA Auction Goes Berserk, Almost Hits the $700k Sweet Spot
7 Oct 2021, 13:54 UTC · By: Aurel Niculescu / We don’t see many collaborations between car and motorcycle brands achieve their true potential, but it’s clear that Yamaha and Toyota knew what they were after back in the 1960s. Then, it was Lexus’ turn to call for help some dec...
Brazen Dodge Challenger “Pimp Hellcat” Fuses Matching Forgiatos and Gold Camo
7 Oct 2021, 13:19 UTC · By: Aurel Niculescu / Style – just like beauty – is always in the eye of the beholder, of course. And with the third-generation Challenger growing so long in the tooth, it’s obvious why Dodge owners are going to extremes. And custom car shops are happi...
Virtual G82 BMW M4 Competition Facelift Axes Divisive Grille in Favor of M8 DNA
7 Oct 2021, 12:24 UTC · By: Aurel Niculescu / Times are hard for automotive fans with Bavarian white-and-blue blood in their veins, as BMW seems intent on seeing its styling polemics through the very end. But if they don’t seem to care about the public’s opinion, there are always s...
2023 Kia Stinger GT Tries to Virtually Drift Its Way Into an All-New Generation
7 Oct 2021, 11:16 UTC · By: Aurel Niculescu / On the edge of the EV precipice as it undergoes its major reinvention, Kia is one of those sprawling automakers that doesn’t care about the state of the automotive world as it continues to thrive. But, eventually, it will have to cut on the c...
Unofficial BMW M3 Touring Is Accurately Portrayed as Nurburgring Grocery Hero
7 Oct 2021, 10:26 UTC · By: Aurel Niculescu / Just recently, the upcoming sixth-generation M3 Touring (G81) was again teased by the Bavarian automaker sporting its full camouflage attire. But, compared to recent spy shots of prototypes, there was a twist. Not a major one, although it doe...
Laid-Out, Matte Nissan Skyline ER34 Has Subtle Tommykaira GT-R Digital Vibes
7 Oct 2021, 09:59 UTC · By: Aurel Niculescu / Nissan's Skyline nameplate has such a massive heritage (including under the original Prince parent) that it’s probably now beyond the pursuit of financial success. But how about owner happiness? Well, that is an entirely different ...
Unofficial 2023 BMW M2 Active Tourer Manages the Unthinkable, Grille Looks OK
7 Oct 2021, 09:22 UTC · By: Aurel Niculescu / Because there aren’t that many novelties with the second-generation (U06) 2 Series Active Tourer, BMW again opted for a controversial design. Yes, the mega-grille is of course on point. No matter the backlash surrounding the double-coff...
Video: Already Scarce, Brand-New Trailered C8 Corvettes Now Going Out in Blaze of Fire
7 Oct 2021, 08:41 UTC · By: Aurel Niculescu / Ever since it was first announced with a game-changing powertrain configuration, the mid-engined C8 Chevrolet Corvette has been one of the hottest subjects around the automotive world. Well, that’s a sad pun right there... Anyone tracki...
808-HP Hennessey Mustang GT Does Glorious Supercharged Donuts Ahead of Delivery
7 Oct 2021, 07:46 UTC · By: Aurel Niculescu / A lot of the recent work performed by Hennessey Performance Engineering has revolved around America’s coolest trucks, such as the 2021 Ram 1500 TRX and 2021 Ford F-150 Raptor. But muscle cars are still important in Texas. The Lone Star ...
Nitrous Chevy Malibu Drags Wheelstanding Olds G-Body, Dents Have the Upper Hand
7 Oct 2021, 06:56 UTC · By: Aurel Niculescu / General Motors’ G architecture – aka the G-body – made its first appearance at the sunset of the 1960s and reappeared to live a fruitful life during the 1980s. The cool thing is that it continues to have a massive presence even no...
1970 Dodge Super Bee Six-Pack 440 Hides Something Fishy Under Original Hemi Color
6 Oct 2021, 13:50 UTC · By: Aurel Niculescu / When something sounds – or in this case looks – too good to be true, be wary of the tell-tale signs. That could be exemplified with a 1970 Dodge Super Bee, although it also needs further investigation before nailing a final verdict. ...
Blake Snell's Unique Mercedes-Maybach GLS 600 Looks Befittingly Matte on 24s
6 Oct 2021, 12:50 UTC · By: Aurel Niculescu / After a quick music intermezzo to depict Nelly’s custom black-on-black Rolls-Royce Dawn, the good folks over at Champion Motoring are back in the athlete world. Fortunately, without another murdered-out example. Even Floyd Mayweather op...
2023 Acura Integra Revival Accurately Portrayed Based on Recent Teaser Shots
6 Oct 2021, 12:01 UTC · By: Aurel Niculescu / Acura probably chose the most appropriate venue to surprise everyone with the news that it’s bringing back the Integra nameplate. After the Pebble Beach Concours D’Elegance shock, things are now on the usual teaser track. After in...
Original Volkswagen Scirocco Seeks to Lead a Contemporary Widebody Digital Life
6 Oct 2021, 11:27 UTC · By: Aurel Niculescu / Back when Volkswagen was making glorious cars with cool monikers, its sporty Scirocco was named after a Mediterranean breeze (with hurricane-level moments). So, it was quite akin to its wind namesake. Usually, the VW Scirocco was a three-door...
Fast, Furious Widebody Mazda RX-7 Meets NFS Art in Digital Split-Wing Tribute
6 Oct 2021, 10:29 UTC · By: Aurel Niculescu / Sometimes one doesn’t need a quirky design to make itself noticed in the automotive world. For Mazda, it suffices to stuff inside the engine bay a lightweight Wankel rotary engine. The Japanese company’s RX-7 will forever go down ...