Aurel Niculescu
9,281 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.
Cadillac STS-V Almost Became a Digital Wagon, Turned Out Sporty Coupe In the End
6 Oct 2021, 07:53 UTC · By: Aurel Niculescu / With all things going crossover, SUV, and truck around us, it’s normal to imagine that nothing else will cut it. But that’s not the way automotive pixel masters seem to think, and act accordingly. In the truly diverse scenery...
Menacing 650-HP 1966 Mustang Looks Supercharged-Ready for Street and Drags
6 Oct 2021, 07:12 UTC · By: Aurel Niculescu / Shawn Davis, the affable and knowledgeable host of the AutotopiaLA channel on YouTube, has us accustomed to a lot of custom GMs and Mopars. But now and then a Blue Oval pops up to make an impression. Just about anything goes for Davis an...
Ford Explorer ST Drags Dodge Durango Hellcat and the Unthinkable Happens, Twice
6 Oct 2021, 06:14 UTC · By: Aurel Niculescu / According to reports, the Ford Explorer range is the best-selling SUV series of all time in America. Meanwhile, the Durango is the only SUV in the current performance-oriented Dodge family. And they’re both models that shouldn’t be trif...
Mustang RTR Series 1 Limited Edition Pack Comes Back for 2021MY, Costs $7,495
5 Oct 2021, 15:18 UTC · By: Aurel Niculescu / It’s been a while since we last heard of the Ford Performance – RTR Vehicles collaboration for the Mustang Series 1 limited edition kit. But fortunately, the conversion pack is making an affordable comeback. Although one could sho...
1956 Chevy Corvette Shows a 385-HP Nassau Blue Case of Best of Both Worlds
5 Oct 2021, 13:52 UTC · By: Aurel Niculescu / Few automobiles are readily available to offer the timeless looks of a classic icon combined with the modern technological advancements of the past decades. But this Nassau Blue over white 1956 C1 Corvette might fit the bill. Almost perfectly...
Lewis Hamilton Has Taken a Fast “Second Job” As Classic Delivery Van Driver
5 Oct 2021, 13:04 UTC · By: Aurel Niculescu / British racing driver currently competes in Formula One for Mercedes-AMG, has won no less than seven World Drivers Championship titles. That’s Lewis Hamilton in a motorsport nutshell. If we care to expand on his racing exploits, we coul...
Lambo Aventador Ultimae Imagined As Modern Classic With 1971 Countach Flavour
5 Oct 2021, 12:35 UTC · By: Aurel Niculescu / The last hurrah for the Aventador V12 series has been presented in the form of the 780 ps/769 horsepower Ultimae. Although some regions will count it as a forbidden fruit, the rest of the world will receive just 600 examples. A mere 350 coupes...
Netflix Hit Series Prompts Crazy Automotive Icons Reimagining of Statues (RLGL)
5 Oct 2021, 11:16 UTC · By: Aurel Niculescu / Riddled with endless possibilities, the virtual artists’ imagination land is sensible to all the latest hits and trends. So, after the milk crate challenge, pixel masters are now mesmerized by “Squid Games.” Just like with t...
Unbridled Chevy Chevelle Showcases Digitally Tubed Rear and Pair of Wing Turbos
5 Oct 2021, 10:28 UTC · By: Aurel Niculescu / Once labeled as “America's most popular mid-size car,” Chevrolet’s Chevelle series perfectly fits the bill of gone but not forgotten gems. And it’s a very nimble classic, going from traditional restorations to virtually...
Minty Widebody Lambo Huracan Spits Digital Flames, Has Raw Forged Carbon “Flesh”
5 Oct 2021, 09:48 UTC · By: Aurel Niculescu / Presented via an online reveal back in December 2013 and then released into the wild at the Geneva Motor Show the following year, Lamborghini’s Huracan is starting to grow a bit long in the tooth. No worries, here is a digital automotive tune...
2022 Mitsubishi Outlander Unibody Truck Virtually Hijacks Santa Cruz Bed Tricks
5 Oct 2021, 09:00 UTC · By: Aurel Niculescu / Folks dwelling across the northern regions of the American continent are just recently getting a renewed taste for the bite-sized pickup trucks. But these compacts have been all the rage in South America for years. Many automakers argued there...
CGI Chrysler PT Cruiser Revival Goes Plum Crazy, Has Two Doors and Hellcat Oomph
5 Oct 2021, 08:07 UTC · By: Aurel Niculescu / Retro-modern cars from the 2000s are so quirky that people still remember them. They weren’t any good, hence their untimely disappearance, but they sure attracted the attention of everyone. Chrysler had the PT Cruiser or the Prowler, C...
2022 GMC Hummer EV Edition 1 Early Review Hits All Crazy “Supertruck” Points
5 Oct 2021, 07:20 UTC · By: Aurel Niculescu / With the first deliveries of the $112k Edition 1 looming, the 2022 GMC Hummer EV is entering the usual procedures. And that also means journalists get to check up on the “supertruck” capabilities during the traditional first drives. ...
C7 Chevy Corvette ZR1 Drags R35 Nissan GT-R, Grudge Race Is As Close As It Gets
5 Oct 2021, 06:16 UTC · By: Aurel Niculescu / Sometimes, the best way to experience quarter-mile coolness is to be as close as possible to the action and see a couple of traditional contenders ducking it out for eternal glory. Or, at least, to settle a grudge. Motorsport battles are highl...
One-Owner Caracas Red 1994 Mitsubishi 3000GT Is a Cheap Entry Into JDM Territory
4 Oct 2021, 12:52 UTC · By: Aurel Niculescu / While never as successful as some of its 1990s competitors (Nissan’s Z series or Toyota’s Supra are the usual suspects), the Mitsubishi 3000GT isn’t without its fans. Although, it might not have turned out to be a flourishing inve...
Single Cab Jeep Gladiator Isn't Outrageous, but Its CGI Ford Godzilla Swap Certainly Is
4 Oct 2021, 12:13 UTC · By: Aurel Niculescu / Jeep’s modern (JT) incarnation of the Gladiator pickup truck nameplate shed its heritage for a mid-size appearance based on the four-door Wrangler. But that doesn’t mean its larger SJ predecessor doesn’t linger on in memory. ...
Dually Ford Ranger Imagined as Beefy Wide Truck Also Comes With Subtle Upgrades
4 Oct 2021, 10:46 UTC · By: Aurel Niculescu / Although everybody understands it might never happen in real life, sometimes CGI creations are way too credible for their own good. Case in point, this virtual T6 Ford Ranger with dually rear wheels. Separately from the international versions...
Wide and Low Dodge Ram SRT-10 Shows Viper Tribute Vision Ahead of DIY Build
4 Oct 2021, 10:42 UTC · By: Aurel Niculescu / Many people still choose – for various (cool) reasons – to start tinkering with their favorite ride in a traditional garage-built DIY fashion. But that doesn’t mean they shouldn’t take full advantage of what the modern world...
Tesla smart City Car Is the Undesirable CGI Product of the Model “S3XY” Family
4 Oct 2021, 09:59 UTC · By: Aurel Niculescu / Some automotive pixel masters love to showcase their vision based on contemporary rides. Others have their signature art style. A few even dwell the imagination land with a retro purpose. And then there are the ones going for the shock value. ...
ZJ and WJ Jeep Grand Cherokees Should Turn Out Trackhawk in Real Life As Well
4 Oct 2021, 09:02 UTC · By: Aurel Niculescu / Over the past months Jeep thoroughly took care of the high-end part of its range. So, we now have all-new WS and WL generations of the Wagoneer/Grand Wagoneer and Grand Cherokee/ Grand Cherokee L. Given the track record of the Detroit automak...