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Mircea Panait

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Personal motto:

"If in doubt, flat out." - Colin McRae

Senior Contributor
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Little did he knew back then, but a 1:43 scale model of a Ferrari 250 GTO is what sparked Mircea’s interest for cars when he was just a kid. Despite studying mathematics and informatics in high school and economics in university, Mircea turned his passion for all things automotive into a job.
 
Interning for Top Gear was his first foray in automotive journalism, and not long after that, a full-time position was opened for Mircea to seal the deal. Just about three years later, autoevolution became his new home.
 
Especially interested in American ponies and muscle cars, Mircea also finds the Japanese domestic market appealing thanks to the quirkiness of kei cars. Full-size pickups like the Ram 1500 and off-roaders such as the Ford Ranger Raptor and Jeep Gladiator Rubicon are much to his liking as well.
 
A self-described master of pasta and an avid CCG player, Mircea’s past-time activities include playing his Epiphone Les Paul Special Vintage Edition electric guitar, discovering the wonders of the Carpathian mountains by foot, and driving to the Black Sea to get a well-deserved tan.
Watch the BMW M2 Lap the Nurburgring Nordschleife in 7:38.23
Watch the BMW M2 Lap the Nurburgring Nordschleife in 7:38.23

17 Mar 2024, 03:08 UTC · By: Mircea Panait / Back in August 2023, the second-generation M2 lapped the most grueling racetrack of them all in 7:33.90 with BMW M development engineer Jorg Weidinger behind the wheel. Seven months later, Sport Auto test driver Christian Gebhardt managed a respect...

 
This Corvette SUV Rendering Will Offend Enthusiasts
This Corvette SUV Rendering Will Offend Enthusiasts

17 Mar 2024, 03:02 UTC · By: Mircea Panait / Back in January 2023, the largest automaker of the Detroit Big Three confirmed that $579 million will be invested in the Flint Engine Operations to prepare said plant for the sixth-gen small block. Timing and product details haven't been relea...

 
The Highest-Revving Production Cars of 2024
The Highest-Revving Production Cars of 2024

16 Mar 2024, 16:13 UTC · By: Mircea Panait / Not that long ago, internal combustion engines capable of spinning north of 10,000 revolutions per minute were restricted to hi-po motorcycles and racing cars. The four-pot Honda CBR250RR comes to mind with its 19,000-rpm redline, whereas the McLar...

 
Ford Performance Debuts 810-HP Supercharger Kit for 2024 Ford Mustang GT and Dark Horse
Ford Performance Debuts 810-HP Supercharger Kit for 2024 Ford Mustang GT and Dark Horse

15 Mar 2024, 21:07 UTC · By: Mircea Panait / Similar to General Motors, the Ford Motor Company has locked out much of the aftermarket from tuning the 2024 model year Mustang. Even so, those who believe that 480 to 500 horsepower is not enough can easily bump things up to 810 ponies with a sup...

 
The $169,000 Range Rover Sport Park City Edition Will Number Only Seven Units
The $169,000 Range Rover Sport Park City Edition Will Number Only Seven Units

15 Mar 2024, 20:04 UTC · By: Mircea Panait / Rolled out in May 2022 for the 2023 model year, the latest and greatest Range Rover Sport of them all has gained a very special variant for 2024 in the form of the Park City Edition. Limited to seven units, the newcomer is named after the Utah city...

 
Dyno Test: G87 BMW M2 With VR Tuned ECU Tuning Box Kit Lays Down 522 Wheel Horsepower
Dyno Test: G87 BMW M2 With VR Tuned ECU Tuning Box Kit Lays Down 522 Wheel Horsepower

15 Mar 2024, 18:09 UTC · By: Mircea Panait / Everyone and their dog knows the S58 twin-turbo I6 from the M division is underrated like crazy. BMW claims the G87-generation M2 produces 453 horsepower and 406 pound-feet (550 Nm), but dyno testing reveals that said numbers are closer to what the...

 
2024 Nissan GT-R US Lineup Welcomes Limited-Run Skyline Edition and T-spec Takumi Edition
2024 Nissan GT-R US Lineup Welcomes Limited-Run Skyline Edition and T-spec Takumi Edition

15 Mar 2024, 16:06 UTC · By: Mircea Panait / While Nissan prepares the 2025 model year GT-R for the Japanese market, Nissan further confirmed two limited-production variants for the US market in the form of the Skyline Edition and T-spec Takumi Edition. How limited? Somewhat expected of the J...

 
Volkswagen ID. Buzz GTX Coming March 21, AWD Electric Van Packs 335 HP
Volkswagen ID. Buzz GTX Coming March 21, AWD Electric Van Packs 335 HP

15 Mar 2024, 02:20 UTC · By: Mircea Panait / The ID. Buzz will receive a hot version dubbed ID. Buzz GTX on March 21. Other than said reveal date and a teaser photo, the Volkswagen Commercial Vehicles division didn't share any information. However, we already know what's in the offi...

 
BMW Japan Bids Manual M3 Farewell With MT Final Edition
BMW Japan Bids Manual M3 Farewell With MT Final Edition

15 Mar 2024, 01:14 UTC · By: Mircea Panait / BMW board member Frank Weber made it clear that we'll need to buy manual M cars for the M division to keep the manual transmission alive. Speaking to Italian motoring publication Quattroruote, the BMW official further confirmed that demand for...

 
Hyundai Elantra N Proves Faster Than BRZ tS, MX-5 RF Club, Civic Si on Autocross Course
Hyundai Elantra N Proves Faster Than BRZ tS, MX-5 RF Club, Civic Si on Autocross Course

14 Mar 2024, 23:59 UTC · By: Mircea Panait / Edmunds has recently tested four affordable performance cars from zero to 60 miles per hour (97 kilometers per hour) and on an autocross course. The Honda Civic Si, which is the most affordable of the bunch at $29,100 before destination, comes with...

 
Ford Recalls F-Series Super Duty Replacement Headlights for Being Too Bright
Ford Recalls F-Series Super Duty Replacement Headlights for Being Too Bright

14 Mar 2024, 23:00 UTC · By: Mircea Panait / Ford has recalled 1,505 replacement headlight assemblies due to a manufacturing issue. Said headlights, which fit the 2017 to 2019 model year F-Series Super Duty line of pickup trucks, exceed the maximum light output allowed under Federal Motor Veh...

 
Lamborghini Huracan Successor Imagined With Lanzador Concept Styling Cues
Lamborghini Huracan Successor Imagined With Lanzador Concept Styling Cues

14 Mar 2024, 21:55 UTC · By: Mircea Panait / 2024 is the final year of the Huracan. The yet-unnamed successor – which is referred to as LB63x – is due in the second half of 2024 for the 2025 model year with a plug-in hybrid twin-turbo V8 setup, a Revuelto-derived chassis, and Revu...

 
Ford Recalls Nearly 10,000 Bronco Four-Door SUVs Over Malfunctioning Child Safety Lock
Ford Recalls Nearly 10,000 Bronco Four-Door SUVs Over Malfunctioning Child Safety Lock

14 Mar 2024, 21:12 UTC · By: Mircea Panait / Four-door Bronco sport utility vehicles produced between November 28, 2023 and December 17, 2023 have been recalled for potentially malfunctioning child safety locks. Ford became aware of this condition at the tail end of last year. Back on Dece...

 
2025 Hyundai Santa Cruz Facelift Spied With Camouflaged Interior
2025 Hyundai Santa Cruz Facelift Spied With Camouflaged Interior

14 Mar 2024, 21:02 UTC · By: Mircea Panait / Hyundai Motor America is currently testing what appears to be the 2025 Santa Cruz in series-production spec. The facelift should go live during the summer months, with first customer deliveries in the United States market expected in the fall. ...

 
Certain 2020 Ford Explorer SUVs Recalled for Rearview Camera Issue
Certain 2020 Ford Explorer SUVs Recalled for Rearview Camera Issue

14 Mar 2024, 19:00 UTC · By: Mircea Panait / Just under 2,000 examples of the 2020 Ford Explorer have been produced with rearview cameras that may distort the rearview image or fail to display the image due to insufficient electrical conductivity within the printed circuit board. The sport ut...

 
Honda Recalls Passport and Ridgeline for Potential Loss of Steering Control
Honda Recalls Passport and Ridgeline for Potential Loss of Steering Control

14 Mar 2024, 18:08 UTC · By: Mircea Panait / American Honda Motor Co. identified a manufacturing issue affecting the 2023 model year Passport and Ridgeline. As it happens, the inner ball joint housing may have been fastened below the correct torque specification, which may result in detachmen...

 
Genesis Recalls 3.3L TT V6-Powered G90, G80, G70 for Increased Fire Risk From Oil Leak
Genesis Recalls 3.3L TT V6-Powered G90, G80, G70 for Increased Fire Risk From Oil Leak

14 Mar 2024, 16:02 UTC · By: Mircea Panait / Hyundai Motor America issued a safety recall for 28,439 vehicles from the Genesis luxury brand, with said vehicles coming in the form of the full-size G90, mid-size G80, and sportier G70. Assembled in South Korea between June 2016 and September 202...

 
335-HP Volkswagen ID.7 GTX Tourer Coming With ChatGPT Integration
335-HP Volkswagen ID.7 GTX Tourer Coming With ChatGPT Integration

13 Mar 2024, 20:58 UTC · By: Mircea Panait / With 335 horsepower on deck from two electric drive units, the Volkswagen ID.7 GTX Tourer is punchier than the 315-horsepower Golf R Variant and more powerful than the Passat Variant PHEV as well. The brand's most powerful wagon yet will not c...

 
Volkswagen ID.3 GTX Revealed, 322-HP Electric Hot Hatchback Is RWD Exclusively
Volkswagen ID.3 GTX Revealed, 322-HP Electric Hot Hatchback Is RWD Exclusively

13 Mar 2024, 19:39 UTC · By: Mircea Panait / Cupra, the standalone brand that could replace Spanish automaker SEAT in the Volkswagen Group's portfolio after 2030, unleashed its first series-production electric hot hatchback in February 2024. The Cupra Born VZ now has a sibling with Volks...

 
New Volkswagen Phideon for Chinese Market Spied Testing in Northern Europe
New Volkswagen Phideon for Chinese Market Spied Testing in Northern Europe

13 Mar 2024, 18:23 UTC · By: Mircea Panait / During the Ferdinand Piech era, the Volkswagen lineup welcomed the poor-selling Phaeton. Twinned with the Audi A8 and Bentley Continental Flying Spur on the Volkswagen Group's D1 platform, the luxury sedan was discontinued in 2006 for the US a...

 

Stories by Mircea Panait