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.
Volkswagen Polo BiFuel Available from EUR16,325
Volkswagen Polo BiFuel Available from EUR16,325

12 May 2010, 14:46 UTC · By: Dan Mihalascu / Since the market launch of the new Polo in March last year, Volkswagen received over 310,000 orders for the small car. Now a new version becomes available, the Polo BiFuel, which can operate either on LPG gas, or on gasoline. When in LPG mode, t...

 
Alonso Leads Driver Standings under 2009 Points System
Alonso Leads Driver Standings under 2009 Points System

12 May 2010, 14:07 UTC · By: Dan Mihalascu / If Formula 1 kept the points system used in 2009, Fernando Alonso would currently be the world championship leader. Before this season began, the FIA changed the points system so that two extra finishers per race would score points, while the po...

 
Ferrari to Reduce Work Force by 9% and Idle Production
Ferrari to Reduce Work Force by 9% and Idle Production

12 May 2010, 13:14 UTC · By: Dan Mihalascu / Ferrari is planning to eliminate 9 percent of its work force after Maserati reduced orders for engines. The Maranello-based sportscar maker, which employs about 3,000 people, is also seeking to idle production. Workers walked out for four hours ...

 
Volkswagen Starts Building DSG Transmissions in China
Volkswagen Starts Building DSG Transmissions in China

12 May 2010, 12:33 UTC · By: Dan Mihalascu / Volkswagen began today in China the production of the dual clutch transmission, marking a further milestone for Volkswagen Group China in its quest to become the ecological leader among automakers in China. “The start of DSG production in ...

 
Renault Signs Trina Solar as Official Partner
Renault Signs Trina Solar as Official Partner

12 May 2010, 10:44 UTC · By: Dan Mihalascu / The Renault F1 Team announced that Trina Solar, a leading integrated manufacturer of solar photovoltaic (PV) products from ingots to modules has become an official partner of the team. The new partnership is expected to increase Trina Solar’s...

 
Red Bull's Rivals Ally to Uncover Austrian Team's Secrets
Red Bull's Rivals Ally to Uncover Austrian Team's Secrets

12 May 2010, 10:20 UTC · By: Dan Mihalascu / Red Bull's three title rivals are reportedly conspiring against the Austrian team with the goal to end the dominance of the RB6 car. According to Germany's Bild-Zeitung tabloid, the three rival teams have decided to collaborate after S...

 
Monaco Traffic Just an "Extra Challenge" for Alonso
Monaco Traffic Just an "Extra Challenge" for Alonso

12 May 2010, 09:40 UTC · By: Dan Mihalascu / Ferrari’s Fernando Alonso does not agree with the McLaren drivers’ claims that traffic is set to make Monaco a “disaster” and “nightmare” this weekend. With four more cars than in 2009 on the grid this season,...

 
FIA Raises Monaco’s Chicanes Kerbs to Slow Down Drivers
FIA Raises Monaco’s Chicanes Kerbs to Slow Down Drivers

12 May 2010, 09:19 UTC · By: Dan Mihalascu / Higher kerbs have been installed at key sections of the Monaco circuit ahead of this week's Formula One race. The decision was taken after the FIA decided that higher kerbs would stop drivers from cutting through them at high speed, thus impro...

 
Land Rover to Launch Its First Diesel Hybrid in 2013
Land Rover to Launch Its First Diesel Hybrid in 2013

12 May 2010, 08:46 UTC · By: Dan Mihalascu / Land Rover announced it would launch its first hybrid model in 2013, according to Car Magazine. The new Range_e is a hybrid prototype that demonstrates how hybrid technology will be put to work on a Range Rover Sport platform. Testing of the die...

 
Seven Audi R8 LMS Will Compete in the Nurburgring 24 Hours
Seven Audi R8 LMS Will Compete in the Nurburgring 24 Hours

12 May 2010, 07:55 UTC · By: Dan Mihalascu / This weekend, more than 200 cars will take on the Nurburgring 24 Hours race, including seven Audi R8 LMS cars entered by the Audi customer teams ABT Sportsline, Black Falcon and Phoenix Racing. More than 200,000 spectators are expected to turn o...

 
Mercedes-Benz Showing Future B-Klasse Range to U.S. Customers
Mercedes-Benz Showing Future B-Klasse Range to U.S. Customers

12 May 2010, 07:25 UTC · By: Dan Mihalascu / Mercedes-Benz is testing U.S. consumers’ reactions as it reviews design choices for a new range of entry-level models, Automotive News reveals. There are three variants under consideration: a crossover, a sporty coupe and a sedan. They are...

 
Audi A4, A5 and Q5 to Receive 8-Speed Auto Gearbox
Audi A4, A5 and Q5 to Receive 8-Speed Auto Gearbox

12 May 2010, 06:59 UTC · By: Dan Mihalascu / The latest generation A8 luxury limousine and the Q7 full-size SUV were the first vehicles to benefit from Audi’s new eight-speed gearbox. Now, the new automatic transmission will be made available to other models as well, as the German autom...

 
Hamilton's Crash Caused by Wheel Rim Failure
Hamilton's Crash Caused by Wheel Rim Failure

11 May 2010, 14:43 UTC · By: Dan Mihalascu / McLaren has confirmed that Lewis Hamilton’s crash in the penultimate lap of the Spanish Grand Prix was caused by a wheel rim failure. The accident happened while the Brit was cruising comfortably for a second-place finish behind Aussie Mark W...

 
Toyota Reduces Its Operating Loss in Europe
Toyota Reduces Its Operating Loss in Europe

11 May 2010, 14:13 UTC · By: Dan Mihalascu / Toyota Motor Europe managed to drastically lower its operating loss through aggressive cost cutting despite a sharp sales decline in the fiscal year ending in March, according to the Automotive News Europe. Toyota’s operating loss in Europ...

 
Auto Execs Await Major Payouts
Auto Execs Await Major Payouts

11 May 2010, 13:54 UTC · By: Dan Mihalascu / 2010 should be a good year for auto executives. After automakers’ stocks fell to record lows in 2009, many of them are now set to receive substantial net payouts as a result of the drastic increase in stock values, according to Leftlanenews. ...

 
Mercedes-Benz Global Sales Up 15 Percent in April
Mercedes-Benz Global Sales Up 15 Percent in April

11 May 2010, 13:24 UTC · By: Dan Mihalascu / Mercedes-Benz reported double-digit sales increase in April, with customer deliveries totaling 93,100 units, an increase of 15 percent compared to April 2009 (80,700). “We are very satisfied with our sales development in April,” says...

 
Teams Ask Bridgestone Not to Quit F1
Teams Ask Bridgestone Not to Quit F1

11 May 2010, 12:56 UTC · By: Dan Mihalascu / Bridgestone is showing signs of performing a dramatic U-turn and staying in Formula One beyond 2010. Currently, the Japanese supplier is due to leave at the end of the season, potential replacements including Michelin, Pirelli, Avon, Kumho and poss...

 
Hyundai Considering Full-Size Pickup Truck, Website Says
Hyundai Considering Full-Size Pickup Truck, Website Says

11 May 2010, 10:48 UTC · By: Dan Mihalascu / Hyundai is considering an entry into the full-size pickup segment, according to sources of PickupTrucks.com website. The Korean automaker, which has improved its position on the American car and crossover markets by introducing new products, r...

 
GM Negociating with Google to Develop Ford/Microsoft SYNC Rival
GM Negociating with Google to Develop Ford/Microsoft SYNC Rival

11 May 2010, 10:12 UTC · By: Dan Mihalascu / General Motors is negotiating with Internet search giant and new smartphone marketer Google to develop in-car telematics able to compete with Ford and Microsoft's Sync/MyFord systems, according to sources quoted by Truck Trend. These source...

 
Hamilton Fears Backmarkers Will Ruin Monaco Grand Prix
Hamilton Fears Backmarkers Will Ruin Monaco Grand Prix

11 May 2010, 09:25 UTC · By: Dan Mihalascu / Backmarkers will make the Monaco race "very tough" for F1's faster cars, according to Lewis Hamilton. Reporters asked the McLaren driver if he thought the slow Virgin, Lotus and HRT runners would hinder the pacesetters this week...

 

Stories by Dan Mihalascu