Mircea Panait
20,114 ARTICLES
Personal motto:
"If in doubt, flat out." - Colin McRae
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.
Speeding Ticket Email Scam Identified in Pennsylvania
29 Mar 2016, 08:52 UTC · By: Mircea Panait / Nigeria’s science and technology minister has declared that his country is going to send an astronaut into space. Indeed, ladies and gents, the widely circulated scam which claimed that a Nigerian astronaut was lost in space is going to becom...
SVM Nissan Navara NP300 Is Powered by an 800+ HP VR38DETT Twin-Turbo V6
29 Mar 2016, 07:54 UTC · By: Mircea Panait / In a town called Telford, located in Shropshire, UK, a company going by the name of Severn Valley Motorsport has modified a pickup truck to such an extent that it could put a 2017 Nissan GT-R to shame in a straight line. Probably. Would you look at...
Here Are the Most Expensive Cars You Can Buy in Europe in 2016
28 Mar 2016, 18:41 UTC · By: Mircea Panait / As the second smallest continent in the world, Europe is home to nigh on 50 countries and millions of souls. For automakers, the Old Continent is quite an important market. 12.6 million new cars were sold there in 2015 according to the European Aut...
Rolls-Royce Hyperion Offered for Sale in the United Arab Emirates
28 Mar 2016, 14:13 UTC · By: Mircea Panait / If you have €1,730,000 ($1,935,155 at current exchange rates) lying around in your account, you could do lots of things with that kind of dough. Buy a place in Monte Carlo, a yacht, go on a long trip around the world, buy a fleet of cars and s...
Honda UR-V to Debut at 2016 Beijing Motor Show
28 Mar 2016, 13:05 UTC · By: Mircea Panait / As if Honda didn’t have enough SUVs, its Chinese arm decided that too much is never enough. Cue the Honda UR-V, a high-riding crossover which is set to be presented next month at the Beijing Auto Show. Dongfeng Honda is a joint venture wit...
You Can Bid on the Peugeot 205 T16 Group B Rally Car Driven by Ari Vatanen
28 Mar 2016, 09:39 UTC · By: Mircea Panait / If you’re into rallying and all things with an internal combustion engine and 4WD, then you certainly know who is the man behind the wheel of the Peugeot 405 featured in Climb Dance. Before Peugeot started to race the 405, the 205 in Group B ...
Replica of Captain Nemo’s Car Listed on eBay for Top Dollar
28 Mar 2016, 08:35 UTC · By: Mircea Panait / After 20th Century Fox released the first film adaptation of the comic book series known as The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen, the public reaction was strong and immediate: “What is this pile of cr*p? Thankfully, though, the movie wasn&rs...
Ferrari 250 GT California Spyder Replica Listed on Craigslist for $145,000
27 Mar 2016, 09:03 UTC · By: Mircea Panait / Ask anyone what he or she remembers best of all from the 1986 comedy Ferris Bueller’s Day Off and the reply will be instant. The thing is, the hero car is not a real Ferrari 250 GT California Spyder, but a replica of 11 built by an outfit cal...
2016 Jaguar XFL Spied Ahead of Beijing Motor Show Debut
27 Mar 2016, 08:03 UTC · By: Mircea Panait / The year was 2007 and Jaguar was at a turning point. Had it continued production of the S-Type, Jaguar would have bid farewell to its ambitions in the mid-size segment. Instead of facelifting the dreary S-Type, Jaguar had released the XF to much ac...
Renault Clio V Could Get Hybrid Assist Powertrain from the 2017 Renault Scenic
26 Mar 2016, 12:17 UTC · By: Mircea Panait / No later than the 2016 Paris Motor Show, Renault will unveil the mid-cycle refresh of the Clio supermini. For a mild-hybrid version of the French hatchback, we’ll have to wait a little more than that. Speaking to the peeps at AutoExpress, ...
Honda Admits It Knew About the Takata Airbag Fiasco Since 2009
26 Mar 2016, 11:43 UTC · By: Mircea Panait / The Takata scandal has long been a game of “he said, she said.” Now, though, the Japanese carmaker has confirmed that it was aware of the defective airbag design since as early as 2009. And guess what? Honda failed to inform Stateside r...
Lamborghini Aventador Production Milestone: 5,000 Units and Counting
25 Mar 2016, 18:26 UTC · By: Mircea Panait / The year was 2010. Lamborghini was at a crossroad because the Murcielago approached its end of production after a 9-year career. But little did the motoring media know back then that the Raging Bull in Sant’Agata Bolognese would come up with ...
2016 World Car of the Year Winners and Losers
25 Mar 2016, 16:19 UTC · By: Mircea Panait / As I’m sure many of you already know, there’s a Car of the Year shindig for every country and region and continent there is on this beautiful blue planet we call Earth. There’s European Car of the Year, North American Car of the Y...
Renault Zoe Recalled over Braking System Issue
25 Mar 2016, 13:01 UTC · By: Mircea Panait / French manufacturer Renault is recalling the Zoe electric car because of a potential fault with the braking system. According to the company, almost a fourth of all Zoe vehicles ever made will have their brake fluid hoses replaced. Renault decla...
Skoda Celebrates 25 Years Since Volkswagen Took the Reins of the Company
25 Mar 2016, 10:50 UTC · By: Mircea Panait / On March 28, 1991, Skoda Auto signed a contract that made it a part of the Volkswagen Group. The contract came into effect on April 16 and the rest, as they say, is history. From a brand affected by the bad management of the communist regime of pre...
2016 Fiat Talento to Go on Sale in May
25 Mar 2016, 09:56 UTC · By: Mircea Panait / Fiat has released the first details about its newest workhorse - the 2016 Fiat Talento. Slotted just under the Ducato full-size van, the Talento shares its underpinnings with the Renault Trafic, Opel Vivaro, and Nissan NV300. The light commercia...
2016 Nissan Titan XD 5.6 V8 Price Announced, 2017 Nissan Titan Unveiled in NY
25 Mar 2016, 09:02 UTC · By: Mircea Panait / This year’s edition of the New York Auto Show saw Nissan announce the price for the gasoline-fed Titan XD. The Big Apple is also the place where the 2017 Nissan Titan half-ton made its debut. Compared to the half-ton Titan, the Titan XD is...
Here Are the Most Expensive Cars You Can Buy in the U.S. in 2016
24 Mar 2016, 17:27 UTC · By: Mircea Panait / According to a recent poll, bankers aren’t happy with their pay. But a simple show of hands doesn’t properly encapsulate the benefits and the drawbacks of being rich. Us mortals who were not born with a silver spoon in our mouths can ge...
2017 Nissan Micra Spied in Spain
24 Mar 2016, 13:06 UTC · By: Mircea Panait / Once upon a time, Nissan brought the Micra supermini into the world. That was 1982 and the car was as tiny as a supermini gets. The outgoing generation, which was launched in 2010, is similarly petite and cute. However, the fifth will break the nor...
2017 Chrysler 300S Sport Appearance Package Isn’t the Hellcat We’ve Been Waiting
24 Mar 2016, 12:08 UTC · By: Mircea Panait / Ever since Dodge put the Hellcat supercharged V8 in the Charger, us car nuts have been wondering when the Chrysler 300 will receive its share of madness. Not anytime soon, apparently. Instead of increasing the appeal of the gray-haired 300 with a b...