Aurel Niculescu
9,240 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.
Virtual Ram TRX 6x6 “Jurassic Park” Is How Steven Spielberg Would Roll in 2021
22 Jul 2021, 13:38 UTC · By: Aurel Niculescu / Stellantis’ American side of the business doesn’t change generations too often these days, and probably in turn delivers some of the most amazing vehicles on the planet. The Dodge Challenger Demon, the Jeep Trackhawk, the Hellcat Charge...
Spotted 2022 Ford Maverick and F-150 Show Crimson Paint and Size Differences
22 Jul 2021, 12:47 UTC · By: Aurel Niculescu / While the F-150 is by no means the largest pickup truck offered by the Blue Oval, it’s the one that will be most compared to the all-new 2022 Ford Maverick. Yes, the Ranger is also in between, but it seems that many fans don’t like its ...
Lifted 1986 Chevy K10 Stands Minty Tall, Doesn't Want to Hide the Stroker V8
22 Jul 2021, 11:55 UTC · By: Aurel Niculescu / Some people might feel the need to stand out in a crowd even when their vehicle is involved in all sorts of remote, wilderness-based activities. Well, this minty green 1986 Chevrolet K10 will surely fit the task with its nature-inspired paintjob an...
Dynamo Taxi Becomes First Black Cab EV, Conversion Based on Tame Nissan e-NV200
22 Jul 2021, 10:38 UTC · By: Aurel Niculescu / While the London Electric Vehicle Company, aka LEVC, is preoccupied with converting the TX Black Cab into the VN5 commercial van or the leisure-ready e-Camper, a different company was ready to snatch a precious title. So, the Dynamo Motor Company h...
Red Tesla Model S Plaid vs. Crimson Raven Comparison Shows the Widening Gap
22 Jul 2021, 09:50 UTC · By: Aurel Niculescu / Everyone is running rampant about the performance of Tesla’s new Model S Plaid on the quarter-mile. So, how does DragTimes' Brooks Weisblat stand out in a crowd with his crimson example? No, he’s not going down the drag strip again...
2022 Nissan Pathfinder Is Tech-Ready for Summer Road Trips, Unlike the Original
22 Jul 2021, 08:55 UTC · By: Aurel Niculescu / Early last month, Nissan signaled the impending arrival at nationwide dealerships of the “ruggedly redesigned, refined, and rebuilt” 2022 Pathfinder. The fifth-generation has a starting MSRP of $33,410 and it can even tow up to 6,000 lb...
Nitrous Big Block Chevelle Drags All-Motor Cutlass, Winner Blows the Rear Window
22 Jul 2021, 08:09 UTC · By: Aurel Niculescu / Just in case you fancy old-school muscle drag racing in stock form, then it’s better to look away. It’s not that we’re not dealing with classic nameplates. The Chevrolet Chevelle and Oldsmobile Cutlass are as vintage as they get. ...
1,017-HP RENNtech R3 Pack Cranks the AMG E 63 Wagon to 2.9s Vacation Beast Mode
22 Jul 2021, 06:57 UTC · By: Aurel Niculescu / Getting a lot of performance and functionality without (major) compromises is always tricky to navigate, especially when one has a family to attend to... and carry luggage for. So, the fifth-generation (W213) Mercedes-Benz E-Class Wagon might be a ...
Custom Expedition and Redtail RTC Camper Is the Proper Way to Road Trip Safely
21 Jul 2021, 14:44 UTC · By: Aurel Niculescu / It’s been about a year since the groundbreaking Redtail Overland RTC solar-powered rooftop camper was presented to the world and it turns out that at least someone is enjoying what this pricey (but cool) hard-side has to offer. Of course, it ...
1955 Chevy 3100 Stepside Was in Furry Rough Shape, Turns Orange Marvel in a Year
21 Jul 2021, 14:07 UTC · By: Aurel Niculescu / Chevrolet’s Advance-Design light and medium-duty trucks came almost immediately after the war (1947) as the company’s first major redesign of the pickup series. So, even a final model year like this 1955 Chevy 3100 (a half-ton) Stepside...
2021 Porsche Taycan 4S Becomes Retro Spaceship With Help From Custom 22-Inchers
21 Jul 2021, 12:52 UTC · By: Aurel Niculescu / Starting early this year, Porsche finally established an entire range of versions for the Taycan series, with the base Taycan RWD dipping below the $100k mark. The next item up the MSRP ladder is the $103,800 Taycan 4S, which might be enough of a h...
Slammed 2021 Ford Bronco Seems Totally Out of Place, Still Looks Virtually Cool
21 Jul 2021, 11:57 UTC · By: Aurel Niculescu / Because it took around a year for the Blue Oval to start the first deliveries of the 2021 Ford Bronco after the official presentation, it’s only logical that people filled the void with a lot of imaginative creations. But don’t count on...
Restored 1969 Chevy C10 Looks Ready for Work and Adventure, Hides Stroker Trick
21 Jul 2021, 11:22 UTC · By: Aurel Niculescu / The “Summer of ‘69” might be famous because of Bryan Adams and the countless love/coming of age stories that unfolded with the single in the background. But, for us, it’s all about the automotive wonders of the era. Such as ...
Mercedes-Benz S 580 e Plug-In Hybrid to Start Electrified Travels From €123,736
21 Jul 2021, 10:39 UTC · By: Aurel Niculescu / After Mercedes-Benz recently updated the W223 S-Class family of engines with the addition of the S 580 4 Matic mild-hybrid option, now it’s time to also meet the PHEV version. Both variants are readily available to order with short and long w...
Tuned Aston DBS Superleggera Elegantly Travels the Autobahn at “Just” 200 MPH
21 Jul 2021, 09:54 UTC · By: Aurel Niculescu / Aston Martin just revealed a completely new online configurator experience. And the new generation tool (running the Unreal Engine and Nvidia’s RTX on Google Cloud) was also joined by a few tasteful 2022 model year upgrades. Unfortunately, th...
1973 Ford Courier Gets a Regular Car Review Because Compact Trucks Are the Rage
21 Jul 2021, 09:02 UTC · By: Aurel Niculescu / While a few years ago automakers did not even want to be reminded of such things as compact trucks, right now the segment seems like the fountain of youth for getting even more pickup sales. And it’s probably owed to the upcoming rivalry betw...
Aston Martin Presents New Unreal Configurator, 2022MY Upgrades Across the Board
21 Jul 2021, 08:04 UTC · By: Aurel Niculescu / The British carmaker has just revealed one of its key assets for the brand’s “Project Horizon” transformation plan. And it’s not a brand-new model, but a next-generation online configurator that was specifically designed to ...
9s Chevy Cobalt Wheelies to Impress Original Camaro SS, Blown Wonder Is Unfazed
21 Jul 2021, 07:18 UTC · By: Aurel Niculescu / While Cobalt is usually the chemical element with the symbol “Co” and the atomic number 27 that’s primarily used for special alloys and lithium-ion batteries, it’s also the name of an obscure General Motors compact car. The ...
Dealer Reveals Its Favorite Accessories for a Cool 2021 Ford Bronco Summer
20 Jul 2021, 12:59 UTC · By: Aurel Niculescu / One might discard the Town and Country Blue Oval dealership in Birmingham, Alabama as just one in a sea of partners. But the reality is their social media presence is way better than the average. And they’re also in the habit of touching some...
Full Jesko Walkthrough With Christian von Koenigsegg Includes a “Bit” of Hooning
20 Jul 2021, 12:05 UTC · By: Aurel Niculescu / Instead of enjoying a relaxing summer vacation, Koenigsegg showed a sample of what they have been working on during the past months. It was an absolute beast of an orange hypercar, as the Swedish company signaled the impending start of series produ...