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Dragos Chitulescu

1,485  ARTICLES

Personal motto:

Do, or Do Not. There is no try!

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I have been obsessed with cars and motorcycles for as long as I can remember. From agreeing with dentist appointments only in exchange for diecast cars, to buying diecast cars with my lunch money in elementary school, to spending hours and hours playing any video games with cars and bikes in it.

The Fast and the Furious series has had quite an impact on me back in the day, and Tokyo Drift made me realise that drifting would be one day a part of my life, and that I would also absolutely have to go to Japan and experience the amazing car scene over there for myself.

A few years later I was graduating from the MyWay Drift School in Hungary, and actively being involved in the professional drifting scene in Europe. Attending the SEMA Show for a few years in a row only added to my love for cars, and experiencing Japan first hand on two different occasions ultimately almost had me relocate so that I could go immerse myself deeper into the drifting scene.

Instead, I chose to follow up on two other dreams, and I ended up spending a good chunk of my life savings buying a rotary powered, 1991 Mazda RX-7 FC3S Turbo II, which I had been actively dreaming about for more than a decade. And because the love for two wheels never faded either, I even went on to ride a few race bikes around the local racetrack, alongside with buying a 1999 Suzuki SV650-S for daily adventures.

I have been actively working on various media projects, mostly revolving around motorsports since 2009, and joining Autoevolution has come as sort of a natural progression, as I aim to share my love for cars and motorcycles with the world and further experience more of what the automotive industry has got to offer.
The Hunt Is on Thanks to the New Hot Wheels Collector Edition Nissan
The Hunt Is on Thanks to the New Hot Wheels Collector Edition Nissan

18 Mar 2024, 11:18 UTC · By: Dragos Chitulescu / Three months into 2024, the list of highly desirable Hot Wheels cars is getting longer and longer. You'll see new castings and recolors in each ongoing series. And that gives collectors plenty of options, as long as they have the budget to kee...

 
Horia Used to Work on Helicopters But Now Plans to Race a BMW i4 at Pikes Peak
Horia Used to Work on Helicopters But Now Plans to Race a BMW i4 at Pikes Peak

17 Mar 2024, 09:13 UTC · By: Dragos Chitulescu / An inside joke in the racing community goes something like this: how do you become a millionaire in motorsports? The answer is to start as a billionaire. That's the sad reality, as even the most affordable sports will cost tens of thousands of...

 
Hot Wheels NHRA Is a Set of Six Epic Gazz-Guzzling 1/4-Mile Racers
Hot Wheels NHRA Is a Set of Six Epic Gazz-Guzzling 1/4-Mile Racers

16 Mar 2024, 17:03 UTC · By: Dragos Chitulescu / My phone rang early yesterday morning. "Sir, I've got a package for you." I wasn't sure what the man was talking about. But 30 minutes later, I opened a small box with a Hot Wheels Team Transport collectible inside. I had ordere...

 
Nissan GT-R Drags Tesla Model X Plaid, You Don't Need Google to Tell You Who Wins
Nissan GT-R Drags Tesla Model X Plaid, You Don't Need Google to Tell You Who Wins

16 Mar 2024, 10:35 UTC · By: Dragos Chitulescu / I wonder how long until the Internet has had enough drag races between road-going vehicles. The trend has been going on for a few years now. And it's strange to think that professional drag racing is declining when this format is doing so well...

 
Collection of Three Corvette ZR1s Could Cost up to $430,000
Collection of Three Corvette ZR1s Could Cost up to $430,000

16 Mar 2024, 08:13 UTC · By: Dragos Chitulescu / I have interviewed well over 100 people in the automotive industry during my career as a motoring journalist. I've had things to learn from each one of them. Naturally, some have had a more profound effect on me than others. One of the peo...

 
Mattel Comes Up With $99 Solution and Hot Wheels Fans Don't Seem Happy About It
Mattel Comes Up With $99 Solution and Hot Wheels Fans Don't Seem Happy About It

14 Mar 2024, 11:55 UTC · By: Dragos Chitulescu / I think one of the major problems of the modern world is that we care too much about ourselves and too little about everyone else around us. Individualism does nothing for the development of humankind as a species. It only deepens our problems. ...

 
New Hot Wheels 1972 Skyline H/T 2000GT-R Is a US-Only Trophy
New Hot Wheels 1972 Skyline H/T 2000GT-R Is a US-Only Trophy

12 Mar 2024, 19:14 UTC · By: Dragos Chitulescu / Everyone is raving about the Oscars these days. I only care about the topic because Godzilla: Minus One won an award for the first time in history. Other than that, Hollywood has been disappointing for several years. But every empire has ups an...

 
Twin Turbo Silverado Drag Races Audi R8 in 2,700-hp Battle
Twin Turbo Silverado Drag Races Audi R8 in 2,700-hp Battle

11 Mar 2024, 16:53 UTC · By: Dragos Chitulescu / My next-door neighbor paints cars for a living and has been asking for a go in the RX-7 for some time now. So when I asked him to come along, he was eager to do so. But his facial expression changed as soon as I accelerated from a gravel-covered su...

 
My 1991 RX-7 Found a New Home 40 Miles From Sports Car Heaven
My 1991 RX-7 Found a New Home 40 Miles From Sports Car Heaven

10 Mar 2024, 19:25 UTC · By: Dragos Chitulescu / Change is inevitable. It's the only thing you can count on in this world. Twenty years ago, I was becoming increasingly eager to leave for college. I yearned for the big city. And for over a decade, I loved the noise, size, and chaos of it all...

 
Golden Hot Wheels Chase Car Shows Up in 56th Anniversary Mix
Golden Hot Wheels Chase Car Shows Up in 56th Anniversary Mix

9 Mar 2024, 18:03 UTC · By: Dragos Chitulescu / Yesterday, my godfather and I drove to a motorcycle dealer three hours away to pick up his new ATV. Once we got there, two things attracted my attention. One was the MV Agusta Superveloce 800, and the other was a diecast replica of an SxS vehicle. ...

 
2024 Hot Wheels Premium Collector Set Reveals a New 911
2024 Hot Wheels Premium Collector Set Reveals a New 911

9 Mar 2024, 09:46 UTC · By: Dragos Chitulescu / The other day, my neighbor visited and brought his daughter, too. She's in love with all things Hot Wheels, and I knew I'd make her day if I opened up a big case of them. She immediately picked a Honda Civic and a Fantasy Treasure Hunt an...

 
Hot Wheels NFT Series Sounds Like a Gold Mine Thanks to Seven Treasure Hunts
Hot Wheels NFT Series Sounds Like a Gold Mine Thanks to Seven Treasure Hunts

9 Mar 2024, 08:36 UTC · By: Dragos Chitulescu / I drove to the nearest city yesterday to renew my passport. After wrapping things up, I visited local toy stores to search for new Hot Wheels cars. And I was ecstatic to find the black 944 from the Porsche series, despite its non-premium status. ...

 
Monster Trucks Are Coming to Your Living Room This Year
Monster Trucks Are Coming to Your Living Room This Year

7 Mar 2024, 11:07 UTC · By: Dragos Chitulescu / I woke up to a delightful surprise this morning. As the title says, Monster Trucks are returning to our living rooms. Of course, not literally; that would be a disaster. But with some luck, the virtual world could provide just as big a kick as the ...

 
Audi TT RS Drag Races Lucid Air Sapphire, It's a Silent Victory
Audi TT RS Drag Races Lucid Air Sapphire, It's a Silent Victory

4 Mar 2024, 19:06 UTC · By: Dragos Chitulescu / The average life expectancy of a man is about 75 years old, although it varies from country to country. With any luck, that means I will live up until around 2064. If most people drove sub-100-hp cars 40 years ago, I wonder if we'll all have 1...

 
Six Reasons Why the Hot Wheels NFT Garage Is Great
Six Reasons Why the Hot Wheels NFT Garage Is Great

3 Mar 2024, 12:20 UTC · By: Dragos Chitulescu / I attended my first car meet of the year yesterday. One of my friends, who owns an RX8, brought me a gift. It was the Matchbox Mazda Autozam AZ-1. I had been looking for it for some time now but to no avail. To be truly happy, you must find joy...

 
Eight Upcoming Hot Wheels Items We're Eager to See
Eight Upcoming Hot Wheels Items We're Eager to See

29 Feb 2024, 15:29 UTC · By: Dragos Chitulescu / There are many ways of having fun with your Hot Wheels collection. Some people like to look at them. Most of us enjoy showing off to friends who are visiting. You can also buy Mattel's tracks and go wild. But diecast photography can make t...

 
Free Gran Turismo 7 Update Adds Three More Cars to the Game
Free Gran Turismo 7 Update Adds Three More Cars to the Game

29 Feb 2024, 13:45 UTC · By: Dragos Chitulescu / Since my nephew discovered my PS5 and PS VR2 setup, he has been eager to get more seat time in Gran Turismo 7. Kids these days are mostly playing silly games on their mobile phones, so GT7 must feel immense to him. And I admit it has grown on me, t...

 
2024 Hot Wheels Case G Reveals Seventh Super Treasure Hunt of the Year
2024 Hot Wheels Case G Reveals Seventh Super Treasure Hunt of the Year

29 Feb 2024, 10:56 UTC · By: Dragos Chitulescu / I visited two different toy stores yesterday. After browsing hundreds of Mainline models, I found the '89 Mercedes-Benz 560 SEC AMG. I sold my Metalflake Silver one a few months ago and wanted it back. It's almost as good as a Premium cas...

 
New Hot Wheels Release Is a Great Mix of Off-Road, Rally, and Tuner Cars
New Hot Wheels Release Is a Great Mix of Off-Road, Rally, and Tuner Cars

27 Feb 2024, 20:19 UTC · By: Dragos Chitulescu / Tomorrow, I will visit several toy stores for new Hot Wheels cars. I haven't been lucky with my hunting sessions in a while now. And I noticed several new Car Culture items have been popping up nationwide. Speaking of which, the new 2-packs ar...

 
Wondering Which Parts of a Car Are the Most "Attractive"? Science Has the Answer
Wondering Which Parts of a Car Are the Most "Attractive"? Science Has the Answer

27 Feb 2024, 15:21 UTC · By: Dragos Chitulescu /  I must have taken tens of thousands of photos of cars over the years. Some are hidden in an archive and may never see the light of day. The truth is, I'm no pro photographer. But I have developed a technique to get that right shot with e...

 

Stories by Dragos Chitulescu