Aurel Niculescu
9,193 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.
Chausson X550 Gracefully Crams Motorhome Features in the Space of a Camper Van
23 Jun 2021, 09:14 UTC · By: Aurel Niculescu / People usually love great camper conversions that strive to deliver the absolute best features. And French motorhome expert Chausson wants to strike the proper balance with its X550 model that “is neither a van nor a motorhome.” Of cour...
“Ugly Duckling” 1989 Jeep Wrangler Budget Build Is Actually a V8 Burnout Machine
23 Jun 2021, 08:19 UTC · By: Aurel Niculescu / Shawn Davis, the cordial host of the AutotopiaLA YouTube channel doesn't necessarily delve deep into the truck side of the custom market. But whenever he does, we can be sure that he's got a great reason to do so. This time around, i...
2022 Porsche 911 GTS Arrives for $136,700, Fits Snugly Between Carrera S and GT3
23 Jun 2021, 07:25 UTC · By: Aurel Niculescu / Once a new generation of the legendary 911 is on its merry way, one can easily bet on Porsche’s ability to expand the range in just about every conceivable direction. As such, the gap that appeared between the regular 911 Carrera S and the mo...
Lambo Huracan Gains Second Pair of Doors and Trunk From Audi RS6 in Wild Render
22 Jun 2021, 14:21 UTC · By: Aurel Niculescu / Station wagons might be out of fashion for many car buyers that have been mesmerized by crossovers, SUVs, and pickup trucks on the market today. But that doesn’t mean they’re also forgotten, as automakers continue to deliver enticing fa...
2021 Ford Broncos Are Popping All Around, Including Next to Gen 1 and Wrangler
22 Jun 2021, 13:13 UTC · By: Aurel Niculescu / With production finally ramping up and the first 2021 Ford Bronco 2-Door and 4-Door examples heading out to dealerships, it’s clear that we’re going to see a sixth-generation overload in the following weeks. And, of course, when time is...
Low-Mileage 2005 Mercedes-Benz C 55 AMG Is a Great Supercharged Sleeper
22 Jun 2021, 12:14 UTC · By: Aurel Niculescu / Mercedes-Benz started fresh with the second-generation C-Class (W203) at the turn of the 21st century, but it wasn’t until the mid-generation refresh that an accompanying AMG version arrived. Back then, the original C32 AMG was replaced with...
2022 Kia Soul Gets the New Badge and Subtle Updates, Price Now Hiked to $19,190
22 Jun 2021, 10:51 UTC · By: Aurel Niculescu / The South Korean automaker is on the traditional model year update spree. So far, we have seen the Seltos, Stinger (with new Scorpion special edition), as well as the popular Telluride adopt 2022MY garments. Now it’s time for the 2022 Soul cr...
BMW M5 CS and Mercedes-AMG GT 63 S Autobahn Sprint Race Takes Both to 180 MPH
22 Jun 2021, 10:49 UTC · By: Aurel Niculescu / As far as business sedans are concerned, you really can’t go wrong with either the BMW 5 Series or any of its German rivals. But when the affairs need to be mixed with high-performance pleasure, there’s no way around the bush. One needs...
Whipple Stick Shift Mustang Cobra Seems to Gap All, Fox Body Shows It's Not True
22 Jun 2021, 09:43 UTC · By: Aurel Niculescu / The Blue Oval’s SVT Cobra “love affair” with the Mustang lasted across just two generations. In the meantime, fans have seen a few interesting iterations, starting with the very rare final-year Fox Body version and culminating wit...
Post Malone's Secret Car Collection Location Hides All-White Surprises and More
22 Jun 2021, 08:50 UTC · By: Aurel Niculescu / Better known by his Post Malone stage name, Austin Richard Post has both the money and sense of fashion to come up with a garage collection that any automotive enthusiast would envy. Luckily for the American singer, its location is a well-kept secr...
Jeep's Mysterious “40.4” Teaser Brings a Lot More Bronco Questions Than Answers
22 Jun 2021, 07:53 UTC · By: Aurel Niculescu / The Stellantis brand has recently announced that the 2021 Jeep Grand Cherokee L started shipping to dealers. It then jumped on social media to post a bewildering image showcasing an odd sequence of numbers, along with an arrow pointing towards the...
2022 Audi RS3 Sedan and Sportback to Receive First-Ever RS Torque Splitter
22 Jun 2021, 07:14 UTC · By: Aurel Niculescu / A few days ago, Audi gave us the first look at the camouflaged prototypes of the 2022 RS3 Sedan and Sportback through a massive Audi Sport car meeting. Now the automaker is using technology to further entice the fan community to the impending arriv...
2022 Ford Bronco and Maverick Orders, Scheduling, and Production Dates Revealed
21 Jun 2021, 14:53 UTC · By: Aurel Niculescu / With the first 2021 Bronco dealer demo vehicle already at home to mesmerize fans and more reservation holders reporting happily their orders have entered the “Bronco has been built” status, things are finally moving along nicely in the ...
An 18-Year-Old Built This 1982 Ford F-100 Bullnose Sleeper to Hide SVT Surprises
21 Jun 2021, 14:14 UTC · By: Aurel Niculescu / Produced for the 1980 to 1986, the seventh generation F-Series brought the first complete styling makeover since way back in 1964. It came to the market with a completely new chassis and body, as well as the signature design that brought upon the B...
Bentley's Pikes Peak GT3 Racer Has a Steering Wheel That Can Be Used for Gaming
21 Jun 2021, 13:27 UTC · By: Aurel Niculescu / The virtual and real worlds of automotive racing are starting to become so intertwined that companies are now producing accessories that can be used with equal confidence in both environments. And, following in the footsteps of BMW Motorsport SIM R...
One-of-Forty 2008 Mercedes-Benz CL 65 AMG Fondly Remembers a Special Anniversary
21 Jun 2021, 12:23 UTC · By: Aurel Niculescu / Although it’s sometimes rather hard to believe, the greatest grand tourers will probably shine under any circumstances. Including when presented against a desert backdrop that would be more appropriate for an off-roader, rather than a luxury ...
Mazda RX-7 Gets Rendered as a Lifted Wankel Ready to Join the Crossover Party
21 Jun 2021, 11:26 UTC · By: Aurel Niculescu / Frankly, with just about everything across the automotive world currently revolving around all things crossovers, SUVs, and pickup trucks, it’s no wonder digital artists get easily convinced by their fans to lift anything. Case in point, this...
Dodge Charger Goes Digitally Wild on the Tuning Arena With Mid-Engine Brabus DNA
21 Jun 2021, 11:12 UTC · By: Aurel Niculescu / First introduced on the U.S. market way back in 1966, the Dodge Charger proved quite the chameleon throughout its seven-generation lifespan. Over the years, one could have a Charger as a muscle car, a little hatchback, a full-size sedan, or even as...
Vortec-Swapped 1955 GMC 100 Show and Street Truck Lived to Tell the Story, Twice
21 Jun 2021, 09:57 UTC · By: Aurel Niculescu / While GMC’s Blue Chip series (which is similar to Chevy’s Task Force models) timeline starts way back in 1955, this particular example’s heartwarming tale “only” begins some years later, around 1968. Back then, its own...
2022 Toyota Land Cruiser J300 Aims to Impress With Turbo V6 Acceleration Test
21 Jun 2021, 09:03 UTC · By: Aurel Niculescu / After countless leaks, the 2022 Toyota Land Cruiser J300 went live earlier this month to prove rumors were right. As such, fans needed to say goodbye to the naturally aspirated V8 engine, replaced by the need to downsize with something that’s...