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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.
R36 Nissan GT-R Confirmed, But Powertrain Decision Hasn't Been Made
R36 Nissan GT-R Confirmed, But Powertrain Decision Hasn't Been Made

30 Mar 2024, 20:39 UTC · By: Mircea Panait / Ponz Pandikuthira, the senior vice prez of Nissan North America, confirmed that the R35 Nissan GT-R will get a successor. He also made it clear that the R35 is getting close to the end of its production lifecycle, but Pandikuthira didn't go in...

 
NHTSA Investigates Ram HD Transmission Snap Ring Failure Allegations
NHTSA Investigates Ram HD Transmission Snap Ring Failure Allegations

30 Mar 2024, 19:06 UTC · By: Mircea Panait / The federal watchdog is aware of 82 complaints from 2022 Ram HD owners alleging K1 snap ring failure. 16 of them described a complete loss of motive power at speeds greater than 25 mph (40 kph), which increases the risk of a crash. Owners who ex...

 
Audi Identifies Battery Problem Affecting e-tron GT, Issues Two Separate Recalls
Audi Identifies Battery Problem Affecting e-tron GT, Issues Two Separate Recalls

29 Mar 2024, 20:59 UTC · By: Mircea Panait / The e-tron GT and sportier RS e-tron GT have been hit with two recalls over the very same battery module-related problem. As per Volkswagen Group of America, the all-electric sedans may experience short circuits within the battery modules. The q...

 
2025 Chevrolet Trax Configurator Goes Live, Compact Crossover Sports New Engine
2025 Chevrolet Trax Configurator Goes Live, Compact Crossover Sports New Engine

29 Mar 2024, 19:52 UTC · By: Mircea Panait / The second-generation Trax has entered the 2025 model year, and the biggest change over 2024 is the engine. As opposed to the outgoing LIH EcoTec 1.2-liter turbo three-cylinder lump, the 2025 Chevrolet Trax levels up to the LBP EcoTec 1.2-liter tur...

 
Mercedes-Benz Recalls New E-Class Over Incorrectly Routed Transmission Wiring Harness
Mercedes-Benz Recalls New E-Class Over Incorrectly Routed Transmission Wiring Harness

29 Mar 2024, 19:00 UTC · By: Mircea Panait / Rolled out in 2023 for the 2024 model year, the 214-series Mercedes-Benz E-Class has been hit with a safety recall in the United States. According to documents filed with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, only a handful of sedans ...

 
Porsche Recalls Taycan Over LG Energy Solution Battery Modules That May Short Circuit
Porsche Recalls Taycan Over LG Energy Solution Battery Modules That May Short Circuit

28 Mar 2024, 18:10 UTC · By: Mircea Panait / Porsche Cars North America has issued not one but two safety recalls for the zero-emission Taycan, encompassing 606 and 749 vehicles, respectively. The federal watchdog's campaign numbers for said campaigns are 24V-215 and 24V-217. As per t...

 
New Mercedes-Benz G 450 d Replaces Old Mercedes-Benz G 400 d in Europe
New Mercedes-Benz G 450 d Replaces Old Mercedes-Benz G 400 d in Europe

28 Mar 2024, 17:10 UTC · By: Mircea Panait / Described as brand new even though it's technically similar to the second-generation W463, the 2025 Mercedes-Benz G-Class for America comes with either six or eight cylinders. Both powerplants are offered in the Old Continent as well, although...

 
Kia Recalls Telluride for Rollaway While in Park, 427K Vehicles Affected
Kia Recalls Telluride for Rollaway While in Park, 427K Vehicles Affected

28 Mar 2024, 15:49 UTC · By: Mircea Panait / Kia America has announced a massive recall encompassing 427,407 units of the family-sized Telluride. As per documents filed with the federal watchdog, the mid-sized crossovers in question were produced for the 2020 through 2024 model years from Jan...

 
992 Porsche 911 GT3 RS Manthey Performance Kit Spied With Roof-Mounted Vortex Generators
992 Porsche 911 GT3 RS Manthey Performance Kit Spied With Roof-Mounted Vortex Generators

28 Mar 2024, 02:23 UTC · By: Mircea Panait / Porsche and Manthey Racing are joined at the hip since 2013, the year the German automaker purchased 51 percent of the German racing team. Hugely successful in DTM, the Bathurst 12 Hour, the 24 Hours of Le Mans, and the 24 Hours of Nurburgring, the...

 
Ford Cutting F-150 Lightning Production Over Slowing Demand
Ford Cutting F-150 Lightning Production Over Slowing Demand

28 Mar 2024, 00:51 UTC · By: Mircea Panait / In production since April 2022, the F-150 Lightning all-electric pickup truck isn't selling well. Demand is painfully low, so much so that Ford will reduce the Rouge Electric Vehicle Center from three work crews totaling 2,100 hourly workers t...

 
Porsche Quietly Prices 670-HP Panamera Turbo E-Hybrid, More Powerful Version Incoming
Porsche Quietly Prices 670-HP Panamera Turbo E-Hybrid, More Powerful Version Incoming

27 Mar 2024, 23:06 UTC · By: Mircea Panait / Revealed with much pomp in November 2023 for the 2024 model year, the third-generation Panamera is now available in five distinct flavors. At launch, the German automaker confirmed the starting prices of the purely internal combustion Panamera ($10...

 
Lamborghini Spied Testing Huracan-Replacing LB63x and Urus PHEV in Sant'Agata Bolognese
Lamborghini Spied Testing Huracan-Replacing LB63x and Urus PHEV in Sant'Agata Bolognese

27 Mar 2024, 22:06 UTC · By: Mircea Panait / The Raging Bull of Sant'Agata Bolognese is putting the finishing touches on two plug-in hybrids, with both packing twin-turbo V8 engines. Spied by carparazzo Varryx just outside Lamborghini's factory in Italy, the LB63x and Urus PHEV will...

 
New Range Rover Sport SV Drag Races Old Range Rover Sport SVR, Both Are 12-Second SUVs
New Range Rover Sport SV Drag Races Old Range Rover Sport SVR, Both Are 12-Second SUVs

27 Mar 2024, 20:59 UTC · By: Mircea Panait / The most powerful series-production Land Rover to date is – of course – a Range Rover, that model being the Range Rover Sport SV. Rather than Jaguar Land Rover's 5.0-liter supercharged V8, the newcomer uses a BMW-supplied turbo V8....

 
Nissan Smyrna Assembly Plant Celebrates the Production of Its 15 Millionth Vehicle
Nissan Smyrna Assembly Plant Celebrates the Production of Its 15 Millionth Vehicle

27 Mar 2024, 20:01 UTC · By: Mircea Panait / Tennessee-based Smyrna Assembly Plant was built in the period between 1981 and 1983. Its first product came in the form of the Nissan 720 pickup truck, which offered regular and king cab options with either 2WD or 4WD. A little over four decades si...

 
Mystery Porsche Cayenne ICE Prototype Spied Testing, Raises More Questions Than Answers
Mystery Porsche Cayenne ICE Prototype Spied Testing, Raises More Questions Than Answers

27 Mar 2024, 19:00 UTC · By: Mircea Panait / Our spy photographers have snapped a prototype of the Cayenne during winter testing in Sweden, a prototype that's obviously based on the 2024 model year facelift of the third-generation Cayenne. The question is, what is Porsche really testing ...

 
Subaru Recalls Outback and Legacy for Front Passenger Airbag That May Not Deploy
Subaru Recalls Outback and Legacy for Front Passenger Airbag That May Not Deploy

27 Mar 2024, 18:05 UTC · By: Mircea Panait / The hugely popular Outback and its four-door sibling have been hit with a recall over a safety concern. Subaru has identified an issue with the occupant detection system, an issue that affects 118,723 examples of the Outback and Legacy. Affected...

 
New Hyundai Ioniq 5 N Crowned 2024 World Performance Car
New Hyundai Ioniq 5 N Crowned 2024 World Performance Car

27 Mar 2024, 17:07 UTC · By: Mircea Panait / The World Car Awards has selected the Ioniq 5 N as its 2024 World Performance Car, marking the South Korean brand's seventh WCA title in the last three years. Twinned with the Kia EV6 GT, the Hyundai Ioniq 5 N is that little bit sportier both ...

 
The Most Powerful Land Rover Defender Ever Looks Out of Place at the Nurburgring
The Most Powerful Land Rover Defender Ever Looks Out of Place at the Nurburgring

27 Mar 2024, 16:00 UTC · By: Mircea Panait / Originally a body-on-frame 4x4, the Defender became a unibody in 2019 for the 2020 model year. Still hugely capable off the beaten path, the best-selling Landie of 2023 will get a twin-turbocharged V8 and trick suspension this year. Land Rover call...

 
Ford Transit Trail Recalled for Tires Rubbing Against the Wheel Arch Liners
Ford Transit Trail Recalled for Tires Rubbing Against the Wheel Arch Liners

27 Mar 2024, 15:09 UTC · By: Mircea Panait / Certain Transit vehicles produced for the US market for model years 2023 and 2024 have been recalled over insufficient packaging allowance that results in damaged tires from contact with the front wheel arch liner and body flanges. Ford claims that...

 
Dodge Hornet and Alfa Romeo Tonale Recalled for Missing Tire and Rim Information on Label
Dodge Hornet and Alfa Romeo Tonale Recalled for Missing Tire and Rim Information on Label

27 Mar 2024, 02:51 UTC · By: Mircea Panait / Assembled in Italy with FCA Small Wide 4x4 LWB underpinnings from the Jeep Compass, the Dodge Hornet and Alfa Romeo Tonale have been recalled to the tune of 1,201 vehicles. According to FCA US LLC, subject crossovers don't comply with FMVSS 11...

 

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