autoevolution
 

Dan Mihalascu

302  ARTICLES

Personal motto:

"When you're racing, it's life. Anything that happens before or after is just waiting." (Steve McQueen's character from the Le Mans movie, 1971)

editor photo
Fascinated by automobiles since he could barely walk, Dan quickly started dismantling toy cars only to reassemble them (eventually), much to his mother’s despair. After learning how to read, he began collecting piles of car magazines, again driving his mom mad.

Finally, something good came out of his passion as he decided to turn it into a career. Since he was better at writing than changing spark plugs, he chose to study journalism instead of becoming a mechanic - thank God for that! And while most of his college colleagues fantasized about winning the Pulitzer prize, all he wanted was to drive cars and write about them. He started doing that right after graduation when he landed his first job as a car magazine writer.

When his mom thought he finally got settled, Dan started racing and entered his first hill climb event at 26 in a Peugeot 205 GTi. The debut went pretty good but the second race ended with a totaled car. Of course, he blamed that on the poor choice of tires in the wet. Being too fired up and inexperienced to keep a cool head on a damp course never crossed his mind as actually being the problem. While the racing bug never really went out of his system, Dan ended his racing career after two seasons amid financial difficulties and his family’s persistence that motorsport was not worth the risk of dying. Tragically, two of his colleagues lost their lives in crashes during that period.

He never really stopped writing, though. After a long hiatus that saw him work as a writer and editor for several international car news websites, Dan has returned to autoevolution, the place that kick-started his writing career for a global audience more than a decade ago. He has taken up a new role as a coordinating editor, and his obsessive attention to detail and quest for factual accuracy should serve him well in his daily tasks. Unless he spends too much time to find the perfect choice of words, that is.
Mercedes GP Brings EUR2 Million Motorhome in Monaco
Mercedes GP Brings EUR2 Million Motorhome in Monaco

11 May 2010, 08:51 UTC · By: Dan Mihalascu / Mercedes Grand Prix has unveiled in Monaco its new motorhome that will be used starting this weekend’s Grand Prix of the Principality. In Spain, Mercedes GP used a motorhome usually seen in the DTM paddocks, because of the tight turnaroun...

 
Volvo Targets Sales of 7,000 Cars a Year in Australia
Volvo Targets Sales of 7,000 Cars a Year in Australia

11 May 2010, 08:02 UTC · By: Dan Mihalascu / Volvo estimates sales of 7,000 cars a year in Australia in the following years, based on new models and injection of fresh resources from new owner Geely. According to Just Auto, Volvo’s target for this year is 5,000 units, a figure based ...

 
Toyota Risking Another $16.4 Million Fine for Delayed Recall
Toyota Risking Another $16.4 Million Fine for Delayed Recall

11 May 2010, 07:21 UTC · By: Dan Mihalascu / Toyota waited nearly a year in 2005 to recall trucks and SUVs in the US with faulty steering rods, despite issuing a similar recall in Japan and receiving dozens of reports from American motorists about rods that snapped without warning, an Associa...

 
Audi A1 Orders Could Top 50,000 Units in 2010
Audi A1 Orders Could Top 50,000 Units in 2010

11 May 2010, 06:42 UTC · By: Dan Mihalascu / Orders for the A1 subcompact car could exceed the 50,000 units of planned production this year, according to Audi. The A1 is directed first of all at young people, an attractive target group since it rejuvenates a brand's image and can build l...

 
Mercedes GP CEO: Schumacher's "Sparkle" Is Back
Mercedes GP CEO: Schumacher's "Sparkle" Is Back

10 May 2010, 14:44 UTC · By: Dan Mihalascu / Mercedes GP CEO Nick Fry believes that Schumacher’ fourth place finish in Spain shows the German is back on track after the disappointing Chinese Grand Prix. "The sparkle is back," Fry answered when asked by Autosport if Schumach...

 
Ford to Build First Hybrid Models for Europe in Valencia
Ford to Build First Hybrid Models for Europe in Valencia

10 May 2010, 14:00 UTC · By: Dan Mihalascu / Ford will build its first hybrid models for Europe at its Valencia plant, with an investment of up to $36 million, partly funded by the Spanish government. The factory will also build the seven-seat C-Max MPV for North America, the automaker c...

 
Peugeot Wins Chaotic Spa 1000 Kms Race
Peugeot Wins Chaotic Spa 1000 Kms Race

10 May 2010, 13:45 UTC · By: Dan Mihalascu / The Peugeot factory team took first and second place in the second round of the Le Mans Series championship, the Spa 1000 Kms, after a chaotic race which included a red flag caused by a major power blackout! The incident, which knocked out the t...

 
Peugeot 5008 Is Diesel Car of the Year, Magazine Research Says
Peugeot 5008 Is Diesel Car of the Year, Magazine Research Says

10 May 2010, 13:20 UTC · By: Dan Mihalascu / Peugeot won four categories and the prestigious overall award for Car of the Year in the Diesel Car Magazine awards 2010. After winning Best MPV and Car of the Year for 2010, Peugeot also came first in two of the newest categories: Best Crossov...

 
Alfa Romeo Giulietta, Safety-Car for the Superbike World Championship
Alfa Romeo Giulietta, Safety-Car for the Superbike World Championship

10 May 2010, 12:19 UTC · By: Dan Mihalascu / The Alfa Romeo Giulietta will act as a safety-car in the Superbike World Championship, starting next round at Monza. The Giulietta will be responsible for track safety starting from the fifth round of the Superbike World Championship, scheduled bet...

 
SEAT Will Bring an Ibiza Bocanegra ST to the Worthersee Tour 2010
SEAT Will Bring an Ibiza Bocanegra ST to the Worthersee Tour 2010

10 May 2010, 10:45 UTC · By: Dan Mihalascu / SEAT drivers from across Europe will join the GTI Meeting in southern Austria from May 12 to 15 to show off their cars in the open areas around lake Worthersee. More than 100,000 visitors are expected to show up, and SEAT will be supporting its fan...

 
Citroen’s LCV Sales Up 47 Percent in April in the UK
Citroen’s LCV Sales Up 47 Percent in April in the UK

10 May 2010, 10:12 UTC · By: Dan Mihalascu / Citroen’s LCV sales recorded a 47.58 percent increase in April in the United Kingdom, enabling the French company to gain a 9 percent share of the market. Strong performance from Nemo, Berlingo, Dispatch and Relay models this spring saw Citro...

 
Ferrari Could Sell a Hybrid Sportscar by 2015
Ferrari Could Sell a Hybrid Sportscar by 2015

10 May 2010, 09:44 UTC · By: Dan Mihalascu / Ferrari could launch a hybrid car by the year 2015, according to the Italian sportscar maker’s CEO, Amedeo Felisa. However, in an interview with British magazine Autocar, Felisa revealed this was not exactly Ferrari’s wish. The official...

 
Dacia Won't Move Upmarket, Renault Promises
Dacia Won't Move Upmarket, Renault Promises

10 May 2010, 08:41 UTC · By: Dan Mihalascu / Dacia, Renault’s successful budget brand, is not planning to move upmarket. The global marketing boss in charge of Dacia’s roll-out has promised that the Romanian brand won’t change its profile. Many bargain car marques eventually...

 
Red Bull Asked Vettel to Pull Out of the Spanish Grand Prix
Red Bull Asked Vettel to Pull Out of the Spanish Grand Prix

10 May 2010, 08:05 UTC · By: Dan Mihalascu / Sebastian Vettel has revealed he was asked to pull out of the race by his Red Bull team before finishing the Spanish Grand Prix in third place. With 15 laps to go, the Red Bull driver suffered braking problem and made a pitstop so that the damag...

 
Button Upset by Schumacher's Move
Button Upset by Schumacher's Move

10 May 2010, 07:11 UTC · By: Dan Mihalascu / Jenson Button criticized Michael Schumacher after their on-track battle in the Spanish Grand Prix. Mercedes' Schumacher defended his position hard for many laps as McLaren's quicker Button tried to overtake him in Barcelona. Button had...

 
Renault Wind Prices and Trims for France Revealed
Renault Wind Prices and Trims for France Revealed

10 May 2010, 06:44 UTC · By: Dan Mihalascu / Renault’s smallest convertible, the Wind, has officially gone on sale, with two trim levels available at launch. The Dynamique and Exception trim versions will be joined by a limited edition model from June 1, called the Wind Collection. T...

 
Vettel Dominates Final Practice for the Spanish Grand Prix
Vettel Dominates Final Practice for the Spanish Grand Prix

9 May 2010, 09:59 UTC · By: Dan Mihalascu / The final session of practice at the Barcelona circuit was once again dominated by the Red Bull team, which grabbed the first two places at the end of the 90 minutes of action. Sebastian Vettel led the way with a 0.704-second advantage over team-ma...

 
Skoda to Showcase Fabia RS+ and Octavia RS+ at Worthersee
Skoda to Showcase Fabia RS+ and Octavia RS+ at Worthersee

8 May 2010, 09:54 UTC · By: Dan Mihalascu / Next week’s GTI tuning event at Worthersee is promising to be a real treat for Volkswagen Group fans. VW will bring two special Golf GTIs, Audi will showcase seven custom Audi A1s and Skoda will also be present at the tuning show with two new...

 
Aston Martin to Introduce the V12 Vantage in the U.S.
Aston Martin to Introduce the V12 Vantage in the U.S.

8 May 2010, 09:40 UTC · By: Dan Mihalascu / Although initially Aston Martin didn’t intend to bring the V12 Vantage to the U.S. market, the British sportscar maker is planning to introduce this model in the fourth quarter of 2010, according to Inside Line. Based on the 2007 V12 Vant...

 
Hyundai May Shift Santa Fe Production to Kia U.S. Plant
Hyundai May Shift Santa Fe Production to Kia U.S. Plant

8 May 2010, 09:38 UTC · By: Dan Mihalascu / Hyundai Motor Company is having difficulties meeting demand for its U.S.-built vehicles and may hand over production of its Santa Fe SUV to sister company Kia Motor Corporation, according to the Automotive News. Hyundai’s only U.S. plant i...

 

Stories by Dan Mihalascu