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.
Ferrari Unveils World's Fastest Roller Coaster
Ferrari Unveils World's Fastest Roller Coaster

7 May 2010, 14:56 UTC · By: Dan Mihalascu / Ferrari has revealed in Barcelona, the venue of this weekend's Formula 1 Spanish Grand Prix, the fastest roller coaster on the planet. The Formula Rossa can accelerate to 240 km/h and hits 62 mph in 2 seconds, faster than any Ferrari road c...

 
Vettel Tops Second Free Practice in Barcelona
Vettel Tops Second Free Practice in Barcelona

7 May 2010, 14:22 UTC · By: Dan Mihalascu / Red Bull’s Sebastian Vettel set the quickest time in the second practice for the Spanish Grand Prix, followed by his team-mate Mark Webber and Michael Schumacher, third in first practice too. Although McLaren set the pace in the first pra...

 
BMW Won’t Extend Its Cooperation with PSA, Magazine Says
BMW Won’t Extend Its Cooperation with PSA, Magazine Says

7 May 2010, 13:44 UTC · By: Dan Mihalascu / BMW AG is not planning to extend its joint projects with PSA Peugeot Citroen beyond the current engine partnership, according to a report from Germany’s Auto Motor und Sport magazine, quoted by the Automotive News Europe. "A further c...

 
Renault Modernizes Its Cordoba Plant in Argentina
Renault Modernizes Its Cordoba Plant in Argentina

7 May 2010, 12:57 UTC · By: Dan Mihalascu / On March 15, 2010 Renault opened a new production line at its Santa Isabel plant located in Cordoba, Argentina. The new, flexible production line was completed in five weeks and is able to produce four vehicles: Clio, Symbol, Kangoo, and a new mode...

 
UK New-Car Market Up 11.5 Percent in April
UK New-Car Market Up 11.5 Percent in April

7 May 2010, 10:37 UTC · By: Dan Mihalascu / New-car sales in the United Kingdom rose 11.5 percent in April 2010 compared to April 2009. The market continued to grow for a 10th consecutive month fueled by cheaper credit and an improved economy. Industry body the Society of Motor Manufactu...

 
Hamilton Fastest in Barcelona First Practice
Hamilton Fastest in Barcelona First Practice

7 May 2010, 10:22 UTC · By: Dan Mihalascu / Lewis Hamilton set the fastest time of the first practice session for this weekend’s Spanish Grand Prix in Barcelona. Hamilton’s team mate, Jenson Button, set the second-fastest time of the 90-minute session, half a second behind Hamilt...

 
Solberg Leads Rally New Zealand at the Start of Day Two
Solberg Leads Rally New Zealand at the Start of Day Two

7 May 2010, 09:26 UTC · By: Dan Mihalascu / Petter Solberg will start day two of Rally New Zealand in the lead, after a dramatic debut of round five of the World Rally Championship on the stages north of host city Auckland. Sebastien Loeb, the championship leader (by 40 points), is more t...

 
Opel Releases Corsa Dedicated to Germany's National Football Team
Opel Releases Corsa Dedicated to Germany's National Football Team

7 May 2010, 08:49 UTC · By: Dan Mihalascu / Opel has released a limited edition version of its Corsa supermini dedicated to the German national soccer team. Germany has qualified for the final tournament of the 2010 FIFA World Cup in South Africa that will kick of in Johannesburg’s Soc...

 
Schumacher Relaxed Despite Media Critics
Schumacher Relaxed Despite Media Critics

7 May 2010, 07:59 UTC · By: Dan Mihalascu / Michael Schumacher declared he is not affected by the critics in the media, insisting he is not motivated to succeed in Formula One by the approval of pundits and headline-writers. The German admitted he was "very angry" at himself after ...

 
VW to Bring Two New Golf GTIs at Worthersee Tour 2010
VW to Bring Two New Golf GTIs at Worthersee Tour 2010

7 May 2010, 07:20 UTC · By: Dan Mihalascu / Volkswagen will showcase two new Golf GTIs at Worthersee Tour 2010, the traditional annual GTI meet in Austria. Although VW released only one photo, depicting the Golf GTI Adidas edition, it confirmed also the unveiling of an extreme GTI, dubbed th...

 
Ferrari Offers Alonso a Blue T-Shirt
Ferrari Offers Alonso a Blue T-Shirt

7 May 2010, 06:46 UTC · By: Dan Mihalascu / This weekend’s Spanish Grand Prix will be the first for Fernando Alonso as a Ferrari driver, the Spaniard having replaced this season the WRC departed Kimi Raikkonen. And even with Fernando Alonso-mania in full swing, the grandstands at Circu...

 
Fiat Uno Ecology Concept Revealed
Fiat Uno Ecology Concept Revealed

6 May 2010, 14:53 UTC · By: Dan Mihalascu / Fiat has unveiled a concept study of the new Fiat Uno, called the “Uno Ecology”, just days after the official presentation of its new supermini in Brazil. As its name suggests, the Uno Ecology is a green car that uses renewable material...

 
170 HP TDI Engine for the Audi TT Coupe and Roadster
170 HP TDI Engine for the Audi TT Coupe and Roadster

6 May 2010, 14:09 UTC · By: Dan Mihalascu / The refreshed Audi TT Coupe and Roadster equipped with the 2.0 TDI diesel will go on sale in Europe this summer. Prices in Audi’s home market start from EUR34,850 for the Coupe and EUR35,900 for the Roadster. Audi revealed that since its m...

 
Italy 2010 Car Sales to Drop 17% as Incentives End
Italy 2010 Car Sales to Drop 17% as Incentives End

6 May 2010, 13:32 UTC · By: Dan Mihalascu / Car sales in Italy will fall 17 percent this year as government incentive programs end, auto industry research organization Promotor announced. “There are signs of recovery, but not enough to offset the lack of incentives,” Gian Prim...

 
Renault and PSA To Repay State Loans Early
Renault and PSA To Repay State Loans Early

6 May 2010, 12:40 UTC · By: Dan Mihalascu / French carmaker PSA Peugeot Citroen plans early repayment for part of a state loan given by the French government last year to help it through the financial crisis, Chief Executive Philippe Varin announced in a speech on Wednesday. "Having ...

 
New Audi A7 Sportback to Get RS Version
New Audi A7 Sportback to Get RS Version

6 May 2010, 11:17 UTC · By: Dan Mihalascu / Audi’s incoming A7 Sportback is undergoing the final stages of development, preparing for the world premiere at the Paris motor show this September. According to Autocar, UK sales will start in March 2011 and a V10-powered RS version will top...

 
Ford Australia Posts AU$13 Million Profit for 2009
Ford Australia Posts AU$13 Million Profit for 2009

6 May 2010, 10:30 UTC · By: Dan Mihalascu / Ford Australia president Marin Burela has announced a net after-tax operating profit of AU$13 million for 2009, the first positive result of the company since 2005. The official promised further gains in profitability in 2010 and beyond, but it is ...

 
Cadillac CTS-V Is the "2010 Car of Texas"
Cadillac CTS-V Is the "2010 Car of Texas"

6 May 2010, 09:53 UTC · By: Dan Mihalascu / The Cadillac CTS-V has been named the 2010 Car of Texas by the Texas Auto Writers Association, after getting the first place at the group’s Spring Challenge. The event pitted the latest models in the U.S. market against each other in a ser...

 
Volvo's Crash-Test Laboratory in Torslanda Turns 10 This Year
Volvo's Crash-Test Laboratory in Torslanda Turns 10 This Year

6 May 2010, 09:20 UTC · By: Dan Mihalascu / On March 29 2000 Volvo Cars inaugurated a new crash test laboratory in Torslanda, Sweden. One of the most advanced facilities of its kind at the time of the launch, the lab had a busy time during its ten years of existence. Almost 3,000 full-sca...

 
Mercedes-Benz to Introduce New V6 and V8 Petrol Engines
Mercedes-Benz to Introduce New V6 and V8 Petrol Engines

6 May 2010, 08:55 UTC · By: Dan Mihalascu / Mercedes-Benz will introduce a new range of more powerful and more efficient V6 and V8 petrol engines across their model lineups starting this autumn. For the V6, the main changes are a new narrow-angle block, while the V8's capacity is red...

 

Stories by Dan Mihalascu