autoevolution
 

Dragos Chitulescu

1,499  ARTICLES

Personal motto:

Do, or Do Not. There is no try!

Contributor
editor photo
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.
Like Selling Water to a Thirsty Man: Hot Wheels Japan Historics
Like Selling Water to a Thirsty Man: Hot Wheels Japan Historics

10 Feb 2024, 14:54 UTC · By: Dragos Chitulescu / I am my father's son. And we're both collectors. He's into old coins; I'm into diecast cars. Whenever we have important guests, we pull out boxes of collectibles to give them "a tour" of our hobby. And we each have our...

 
750S Drag Races 720S, the McLaren Wins
750S Drag Races 720S, the McLaren Wins

10 Feb 2024, 10:46 UTC · By: Dragos Chitulescu / Winter is almost over. And you know what that means! Racing season is upon us! The first meet of the year is just around the corner. And I'll attend my first track day in the RX-7 in either March or April. But I've also considered a ne...

 
5 Best Hot Wheels Treasure Hunt Cars of 1996
5 Best Hot Wheels Treasure Hunt Cars of 1996

10 Feb 2024, 08:46 UTC · By: Dragos Chitulescu / A good friend returned after living outside the country for over ten years. I invited him over for a session of Gran Turismo 7. And he offered to bring over some of his old rap albums. In high school, he taught me so many things about the genre. ...

 
Exclusive Hot Wheels Version of a '71 AMC Javelin AMX Will Cost $25
Exclusive Hot Wheels Version of a '71 AMC Javelin AMX Will Cost $25

6 Feb 2024, 10:15 UTC · By: Dragos Chitulescu / The other day, I spotted my former RLC Skyline GT-R on the Hot Wheels market. The guy who had bought it from me listed it for the same price. One year after the purchase, he sold it for the same amount. He just wanted to get rid of it as fast a...

 
All-Subaru Drag Race Lines Up 2,000-HP Worth of Cars, Two of Them Need a Tow
All-Subaru Drag Race Lines Up 2,000-HP Worth of Cars, Two of Them Need a Tow

5 Feb 2024, 13:45 UTC · By: Dragos Chitulescu / Reliability is of crucial importance for people who are thinking about buying a new car. A vehicle that won't need unique parts for several years will help save some money. But finding the most reliable one can be an immensely challenging miss...

 
11 Years of Hot Wheels Replica Entertainment: Batman Is King
11 Years of Hot Wheels Replica Entertainment: Batman Is King

4 Feb 2024, 19:09 UTC · By: Dragos Chitulescu / Godzilla: Minus One is one of the hottest movies of 2023. It reached a gross worldwide of over $100 million. And it has an Oscar nomination. That's a first in Godzilla movie history! Some people even said it's better than Nolan's Opp...

 
2024 Hot Wheels Exotic Envy Has Six Cars for You if You're Lucky Enough
2024 Hot Wheels Exotic Envy Has Six Cars for You if You're Lucky Enough

3 Feb 2024, 20:56 UTC · By: Dragos Chitulescu / I've just moved from the city I had lived in for the past 15 years. I am starting a new life in the countryside. That means I had to carry all my diecast collection across almost 200 miles (321 km). Even though I had sold half of it before ...

 
Hot Wheels Boulevard 25-Car Set Will Likely Cost About $170
Hot Wheels Boulevard 25-Car Set Will Likely Cost About $170

3 Feb 2024, 12:34 UTC · By: Dragos Chitulescu / Most car manufacturers will build and offer a vehicle in different trim levels. You could think of it as repackaging. But each trim provides various options to suit different people. Meanwhile, Mattel has a different approach to things. It'...

 
Ferrari SF90 Drag Races 296 GTB and 812 Superfast, Looks Like a Safe Bet
Ferrari SF90 Drag Races 296 GTB and 812 Superfast, Looks Like a Safe Bet

3 Feb 2024, 11:18 UTC · By: Dragos Chitulescu / There were two major news in the F1 world this week. F1 rejected Andretti's application. And that's sad. But most people were even more shocked about Lewis Hamilton's move to Ferrari. Wouldn't it be epic if he scored one final W...

 
5 Best Hot Wheels Treasure Hunt Cars of 1997
5 Best Hot Wheels Treasure Hunt Cars of 1997

3 Feb 2024, 08:46 UTC · By: Dragos Chitulescu / One of my favorite animated sitcoms, Family Guy, celebrated its 25th anniversary a few days ago. I've only been watching it for about ten years now. But my history with South Park goes back to circa 2005. The show has had its challenging momen...

 
Realistic Hot Wheels AI Renderings Come With a Warning
Realistic Hot Wheels AI Renderings Come With a Warning

31 Jan 2024, 20:49 UTC · By: Dragos Chitulescu / We live in strange times. Thirty years ago, smartphones weren't even around. Twenty years ago, the thought of an all-electric automotive industry seemed like a page from the distant future. And now, here we are, facing the wonders and dangers ...

 
Fast Driver, Slow Car Is Still a Good Combo on the Nurburgring
Fast Driver, Slow Car Is Still a Good Combo on the Nurburgring

31 Jan 2024, 19:34 UTC · By: Dragos Chitulescu / I have driven hundreds of vehicles in the past 15 years. The slowest only had 45 horsepower. The fastest had over 500. But I vividly remember the second-generation Suzuki Swift Sport. It was a relatively slow car but rewarding at the limit. I ha...

 
Baja Trophy Truck Drag Races Rock Bouncer, Look at Them Go
Baja Trophy Truck Drag Races Rock Bouncer, Look at Them Go

31 Jan 2024, 18:10 UTC · By: Dragos Chitulescu / I recently test-drove the new Mazda MX-30 R-EV. Its top speed is lower than you might think. But it gets there really fast. That raises a question. Do we need to drive at 200 mph (320 kph) to have fun? The answer to that is straightforward if y...

 
Taxi Life Game Is Coming Right Up, Is It What We Asked For?
Taxi Life Game Is Coming Right Up, Is It What We Asked For?

31 Jan 2024, 16:40 UTC · By: Dragos Chitulescu / I was recently walking through a toy store when I saw something shocking. There was a cashier play set on sale for $40. Is this what kids these days aspire to? Or is this what companies aim to teach them from a young age? I realize we all have d...

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

31 Jan 2024, 15:20 UTC · By: Dragos Chitulescu / A friend asked me something unexpected the other day: "Can you teach my seven-year-old son how to become an influencer?" I didn't know whether I should be humbled or appalled. So many kids think this is the way to go, but I'm st...

 
5 Most Expensive Hot Wheels Super Treasure Hunt Cars of 2023
5 Most Expensive Hot Wheels Super Treasure Hunt Cars of 2023

31 Jan 2024, 13:53 UTC · By: Dragos Chitulescu / Last night, I noticed an interesting post on a Hot Wheels Facebook group. Someone noted that the new Porsche sets had arrived in several toy stores around town. I drove there this morning only to find someone had bought them all. After a certai...

 
Tuned BMW 540i Drag Races M5, Bet on the Factory Engineers
Tuned BMW 540i Drag Races M5, Bet on the Factory Engineers

28 Jan 2024, 19:06 UTC · By: Dragos Chitulescu / Please repeat after me: building a project car is a neverending process. Buy one with that in mind, and you'll be less miserable at the end of the day. It will be easier if your bank account looks like your phone number. Just think of it th...

 
5 More Hot Wheels Six-Wheelers the World Forgot About
5 More Hot Wheels Six-Wheelers the World Forgot About

28 Jan 2024, 17:51 UTC · By: Dragos Chitulescu / Recently, Richard Rawlings posted a video of the ultimate Humvee on his Instagram account. Not only did it have a Hellcat engine, but it also had six wheels. The slammed look only made it better. And this could easily win the Hot Wheels Legends Tou...

 
2023 Hot Wheels Super Treasure Hunt Set Will Sell Like Hot Cakes
2023 Hot Wheels Super Treasure Hunt Set Will Sell Like Hot Cakes

27 Jan 2024, 21:22 UTC · By: Dragos Chitulescu / I have only found two Super Treasure Hunt cars in my years of collecting Hot Wheels. The first was the HKS Honda Civic Type R. The second was the Lotus Evija. I sold both vehicles for about $120 combined, so I'm not upset about letting them go...

 
Hot Wheels Boulevard Is Back for 2024 With Five Special Cars
Hot Wheels Boulevard Is Back for 2024 With Five Special Cars

27 Jan 2024, 15:59 UTC · By: Dragos Chitulescu / I have decided to slow down my Hot Wheels collection. I won't buy any new Mainline models except rotary-powered ones or Porsches. And I will be focusing on premium vehicles instead. But first, I still need to sell about 50 more collectibles. ...

 

Stories by Dragos Chitulescu