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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.
Hennessey Supercharged C8 Corvette Stingray Convertible Lays Down 572 Wheel Horsepower
Hennessey Supercharged C8 Corvette Stingray Convertible Lays Down 572 Wheel Horsepower

11 Apr 2024, 23:02 UTC · By: Mircea Panait / Compatible with the 2020 through 2024 model year Chevrolet Corvette Stingray in either hardtop convertible or coupe form, the Hennessey H700 package gifts the mid-engined sports car's 6.2L small block with a high-flow centrifugal blower. In...

 
Aston Martin 5.2L Twin-Turbo V12 Will Go Hybrid, Says Lawrence Stroll
Aston Martin 5.2L Twin-Turbo V12 Will Go Hybrid, Says Lawrence Stroll

11 Apr 2024, 22:06 UTC · By: Mircea Panait / Remember James May? In his own voice, good news! Back when former Mercedes-AMG chief executive officer Tobias Moers was running Aston Martin, the British automaker's 5.2L twin-turbo V12 was planned for discontinuation. The initial cut-off date...

 
Subaru Rolls Out 2025 Outback and Legacy With More Standard Kit for the Limited
Subaru Rolls Out 2025 Outback and Legacy With More Standard Kit for the Limited

11 Apr 2024, 20:13 UTC · By: Mircea Panait / Subaru of America has just announced the prices and equipment changes for the 2025 model year Outback and Legacy. First and foremost, starting prices remain unchanged, meaning that Outback and Legacy start at $28,895 and $24,895 before destination....

 
Ford Recalls Bronco Sport and Escape for Injectors That May Crack and Leak Fuel
Ford Recalls Bronco Sport and Escape for Injectors That May Crack and Leak Fuel

11 Apr 2024, 19:00 UTC · By: Mircea Panait / Not to be confused with the Ranger-twinned Bronco, the Bronco Sport is more Escape than Bronco. It comes with a 1.5L three-cylinder turbo as standard, an EcoBoost engine shared with the more affordable Escape. As per documents published on the NHTS...

 
Bugatti Wraps Up Bolide Testing, First Customer Deliveries Will Take Place This Year
Bugatti Wraps Up Bolide Testing, First Customer Deliveries Will Take Place This Year

11 Apr 2024, 18:02 UTC · By: Mircea Panait / Bolide is not your usual Bugatti. Originally a concept, Bolide ultimately morphed into a limited-run track monster for the rich and famous. Closely related to the W16-engined Chiron, the go-faster machine started track testing in April 2023. Af...

 
Alfa Romeo Milano Would've Cost €10,000 More Had It Been Made in Italy Instead of Poland
Alfa Romeo Milano Would've Cost €10,000 More Had It Been Made in Italy Instead of Poland

11 Apr 2024, 16:50 UTC · By: Mircea Panait / Stellantis big kahuna Carlos Tavares defends the automaker's decision to build the all-new Milano in Poland. According to the chief executive officer of the colossus that brings together Fiat Chrysler and PSA, the Alfa Romeo-branded crossover ...

 
2025 BMW M5 Sedan and M5 Touring Sure Like Drifting on a Frozen Lake
2025 BMW M5 Sedan and M5 Touring Sure Like Drifting on a Frozen Lake

11 Apr 2024, 14:56 UTC · By: Mircea Panait / The F90 will be replaced this year with a plug-in hybrid twin-turbo V8 sedan. Codenamed G90, the newcomer will be joined by a station wagon that – believe it or not – will be sold in the US as well. BMW has recently published a video...

 
Maserati Teases New EV, Could It Be GranCabrio Folgore?
Maserati Teases New EV, Could It Be GranCabrio Folgore?

11 Apr 2024, 00:23 UTC · By: Mircea Panait / Maserati prepares to reveal something on April 15 at 8:00 pm CEST. As to what said vehicle is, the Italian automaker has provided a single clue. According to the video attached below, the newcomer is a Folgore, meaning that it's electric. S...

 
2025 Mercedes-Benz EQS Sedan Flaunts Revised Styling, Larger Battery, New Features
2025 Mercedes-Benz EQS Sedan Flaunts Revised Styling, Larger Battery, New Features

10 Apr 2024, 23:07 UTC · By: Mircea Panait / Pompously described as being the S-Class of electric vehicles, the EQS Sedan proved a commercial flop. In the United States, for example, Merc delivered 6,688 units last year, which is a drop of minus 40.8 percent compared to 2022. There are man...

 
Lamborghini's Forthcoming Huracan Replacement Spied Up Close, Might Be Called Temerario
Lamborghini's Forthcoming Huracan Replacement Spied Up Close, Might Be Called Temerario

10 Apr 2024, 19:58 UTC · By: Mircea Panait / 2024 is the final year of the Huracan, which rolled out in 2014 as the replacement for the commercially successful Gallardo. As opposed to 14,022 units produced over the span of 10 years, the Huracan clocked over 25,000 sales through January 2024. ...

 
2024 Alfa Romeo Milano Debuts With Polarizing Styling Cues, Elettrica Veloce Makes 237 HP
2024 Alfa Romeo Milano Debuts With Polarizing Styling Cues, Elettrica Veloce Makes 237 HP

10 Apr 2024, 18:27 UTC · By: Mircea Panait / Remember the MiTo subcompact hatchback? Based on the GM Fiat Small platform, the supermini was discontinued in 2018 with no successor in sight. Six years later, Stellantis-owned Alfa Romeo has finally launched a replacement in the form of the Milan...

 
Chevy Starts Teasing 2025 Corvette ZR1, Dubs It "Unthinkable"
Chevy Starts Teasing 2025 Corvette ZR1, Dubs It "Unthinkable"

10 Apr 2024, 16:56 UTC · By: Mircea Panait / The all-new ZR1 is due summer 2024, and this ain't no drill! Chevrolet finally started teasing the first-ever Corvette with 800-plus horsepower, as well as the first ZR1 with turbos rather than a blower. Before going any further, do remembe...

 
Aston Martin Recalls DBX for Loose Battery Fuse Box Cables, 2021 to 2024 Models Affected
Aston Martin Recalls DBX for Loose Battery Fuse Box Cables, 2021 to 2024 Models Affected

10 Apr 2024, 16:14 UTC · By: Mircea Panait / The DBX has been hit with its third safety recall in the span of a week. It all started with potentially loose front propeller shaft fasteners, then Aston Martin issued a campaign for oil cooler hoses that may burst due to a change in the hose wind...

 
2025 Toyota 4Runner Leaked: Tacoma-Based SUV Goes Turbo I4, Hybrid Setup Develops 326 HP
2025 Toyota 4Runner Leaked: Tacoma-Based SUV Goes Turbo I4, Hybrid Setup Develops 326 HP

9 Apr 2024, 21:03 UTC · By: Mircea Panait / Prior to the public unveiling at 7:15 pm Pacific Daylight Time, the peeps at Forbes published – then immediately took down – their story on the 2025 Toyota 4Runner. Big ouchie, but it is what it is. Everyone and their dog expected Ta...

 
2025 Aston Martin DBS Superleggera Continues Testing, Could Pack Over 800 HP
2025 Aston Martin DBS Superleggera Continues Testing, Could Pack Over 800 HP

9 Apr 2024, 20:03 UTC · By: Mircea Panait / The carparazzi have recently spotted a UK-plated example of the Aston Martin DB12's punchier sibling. Believed to be called Vanquish rather than DBS Superleggera, the V12-engined bruiser is also rumored to develop in excess of 800 ps (789 hp)....

 
Audi Recalls Certain Models Over Improperly Manufactured Control Module
Audi Recalls Certain Models Over Improperly Manufactured Control Module

9 Apr 2024, 19:00 UTC · By: Mircea Panait / Volkswagen Group of America has identified an issue affecting 91 vehicles from the premium-oriented Audi brand. As it happens, the passenger seat occupant detection system control module pins were not soldered properly to the circuit board. The ...

 
2025 Acura ADX Confirmed With Forced Induction, But What Could It Be?
2025 Acura ADX Confirmed With Forced Induction, But What Could It Be?

9 Apr 2024, 18:12 UTC · By: Mircea Panait / Honda-owned Acura will launch a new sport utility vehicle in 2025, the fourth in the brand's lineup after the RDX, MDX, and the zero-emission ZDX. The question is, where does it slot in the lineup? Before answering that question, let's...

 
2024 Citroen e-C3 Gains Internal Combustion Sibling With Optional Mild-Hybrid Assistance
2024 Citroen e-C3 Gains Internal Combustion Sibling With Optional Mild-Hybrid Assistance

9 Apr 2024, 15:40 UTC · By: Mircea Panait / The fourth-generation C3 was introduced in October 2023 for the 2024 model year as the e-C3 electric supermini. Citroen has recently added the internal combustion-engined C3 to the lineup, which is rocking both ICE and MHEV setups. More crossove...

 
Aston Martin DBX707 Recalled Over Oil Cooler Hose That May Burst
Aston Martin DBX707 Recalled Over Oil Cooler Hose That May Burst

9 Apr 2024, 14:07 UTC · By: Mircea Panait / Today's most powerful V8-engined Aston Martin has been hit with a safety recall. As it happens, certain models produced for 2023 and 2024 feature oil cooler hoses that may burst due to a manufacturing issue. As per documents filed by the Gaydo...

 
Aston Martin Recalls DBX SUV Over Potentially Loose Front Propeller Shaft Fasteners
Aston Martin Recalls DBX SUV Over Potentially Loose Front Propeller Shaft Fasteners

8 Apr 2024, 20:06 UTC · By: Mircea Panait / Aston Martin The Americas identified a problem with a handful of early DBX sport utility vehicles. In production since July 2020 for the 2021 model year, the DBX hails from St Athan in South Wales. The factory experienced a shortage of parts bet...

 

Stories by Mircea Panait