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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.
2024 Hyundai Santa Fe Gets First Recall, 18K Vehicles Affected
2024 Hyundai Santa Fe Gets First Recall, 18K Vehicles Affected

4 Apr 2024, 15:02 UTC · By: Mircea Panait / Revealed in late 2023 for model year 2024, the fifth-generation Santa Fe has been hit with its first recall in the United States market. As per documents filed by Hyundai Motor America with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, a soft...

 
2025 Bentley Continental GT Spied With Revised Bumpers, Electric Assistance
2025 Bentley Continental GT Spied With Revised Bumpers, Electric Assistance

3 Apr 2024, 20:52 UTC · By: Mircea Panait / Originally twinned with the Audi A8 on the Volkswagen Group D1 platform, the Bentley Continental GT received a twin-turbocharged V8 at the 2012 North American International Auto Show in Detroit. Codenamed EA824 in Audi vernacular and EA825 for Pors...

 
2014 Ford F-150 Under Investigation Over Unintended Downshift Into First Gear
2014 Ford F-150 Under Investigation Over Unintended Downshift Into First Gear

3 Apr 2024, 19:47 UTC · By: Mircea Panait / As you're well aware, Ford's best-selling vehicle comes with a 10-speed automatic transmission exclusively for the 2024 model year. The 10R80 replaces the 6-speed 6R80, which is under investigation by the NHTSA's ODI for downshifting...

 
C8 Corvette Stingray LT2 Lingenfelter 427 Stroker Engine Costs Hyundai Sonata Money
C8 Corvette Stingray LT2 Lingenfelter 427 Stroker Engine Costs Hyundai Sonata Money

2 Apr 2024, 19:54 UTC · By: Mircea Panait / Not to be confused with the Lumber Tycoon 2 Roblox game developed by Defaultio, the LT2 regular production order code refers to the Chevrolet Corvette Stingray's base small block. Developed specifically for mid-engine applications, the punchie...

 
Mercedes-Benz Sprinter Vans Recalled for Electrical Issue Leading to a Loss of Drive Power
Mercedes-Benz Sprinter Vans Recalled for Electrical Issue Leading to a Loss of Drive Power

2 Apr 2024, 17:21 UTC · By: Mircea Panait / Daimler Vans USA has recently issued a safety recall for certain Mercedes-Benz Sprinter vans produced for the 2023 model year. Said vehicles may have been assembled with a 12-volt ground connection quick-release fastener that may not be fastened pr...

 
BMW X7 M60i Drag Races Mercedes-Benz GLS 580, They're Both Stupidly Fast
BMW X7 M60i Drag Races Mercedes-Benz GLS 580, They're Both Stupidly Fast

1 Apr 2024, 20:10 UTC · By: Mircea Panait / When it comes to full-size luxury sport utility vehicles, you're presented with a ton of choices. Over at BMW and Mercedes-Benz, for example, prospective customers are offered either the X7 or the GLS with a varied selection of powertrains. ...

 
Chrysler Recalls Pacifica and Voyager Minivans for Inadequate Windshield Adhesion
Chrysler Recalls Pacifica and Voyager Minivans for Inadequate Windshield Adhesion

1 Apr 2024, 18:53 UTC · By: Mircea Panait / For the 2024 model year, Chrysler is a two-model brand, of which one is a fleet-only affair. Both the Pacifica and more spartan Voyager have been hit with a safety recall for inadequate windshield adhesion, a concern that affects a small number of ...

 
Cars With Pop-Up Headlights: the '80s vs the '90s Battle
Cars With Pop-Up Headlights: the '80s vs the '90s Battle

31 Mar 2024, 19:58 UTC · By: Mircea Panait / You might think the pop-up headlight is a thing of the 80s, but we can trace its roots back to the 1930s, actually. Cord is credited with rolling out the world's first series-production automobile with flip-up headlights, that car being the Co...

 
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...

 

Stories by Mircea Panait