Mircea Panait
19,996 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.
These Are Six of the Lightest Family Cars in Production Today
15 Feb 2016, 17:05 UTC · By: Mircea Panait / Remember when cars were so lightweight that people had to strap bricks to them; otherwise they would have floated around like balloons? Those days are long gone because cars kept getting bigger and things like airbags and seat belts weighed down ca...
1967 Toyota 2000GT for Sale in Japan, Costs $662,885
15 Feb 2016, 11:03 UTC · By: Mircea Panait / The old school coupe featured in this story is priced at 75,380,000 yen. In American currency, that’ll be $662,885, or the equivalent of five units of the Mercedes-AMG GT S. What are the reasons this retro sports car from Japan costs so much ...
Chevrolet Debuts Horror Movie-Inspired Cinema Spot
15 Feb 2016, 10:20 UTC · By: Mircea Panait / Automotive advertising has its share of hits and misses. One of the brightest moments is what William Bernbach did for Volkswagen in the 1950s and 1960s. On the other hand, the 1-minute-long spot featured in this story is arguably one of the worst ...
Dieselgate Scandal Prompts Germany to Introduce Random Emissions Testing
15 Feb 2016, 09:33 UTC · By: Mircea Panait / The Dieselgate scandal is, without a shadow of a doubt, the worst situation Volkswagen got itself into. Other than Volkswagen, the scandal affected the automotive industry altogether by disgracing every vehicle motivated by a diesel engine. Germany...
Jaguar E-Pace SUV Spied Wearing Range Rover Evoque Sheet Metal
15 Feb 2016, 08:30 UTC · By: Mircea Panait / Following in the footsteps of the recently launched Jaguar F-Pace, the Jaguar E-Pace will continue the British brand’s assault in the realm of crossover SUVs. Internally known as the X540, the E-Pace will slot in just below the F-Pace in the ...
The Cleanest Car That Isn’t a Hybrid Is the Peugeot 208 1.6 BlueHDi
14 Feb 2016, 13:06 UTC · By: Mircea Panait / The PSA Peugeot Citroen Group isn’t enjoying the best of times as far as sales figures are concerned. On the plus side, the French manufacturer is on a roll in terms of environmentally friendly technologies. A case in point is the Peugeot 208...
Volkswagen Type 2 23-Window Microbus with Eriba Puck Camper Up for Auction
14 Feb 2016, 11:53 UTC · By: Mircea Panait / Set to be auctioned without reserve together with a matching Eriba Puck, the hippie wagon featured above is one of the grooviest examples of the breed - the last year's Volkswagen Type 2 23-window Microbus. As the age-old saying goes, don&rsqu...
2017 Mazda CX-9 Starts Production in Japan
14 Feb 2016, 11:39 UTC · By: Mircea Panait / With U.S. and Canada slated to receive their first batch of the 2017 Mazda CX-9 this spring, the Japanese manufacturer started production of the three-row mid-size crossover SUV at its Ujina Plant in Hiroshima. Tailored for the North American marke...
TomTom Traffic Improved with New Features
14 Feb 2016, 10:42 UTC · By: Mircea Panait / Slated to be rolled out from April, an updated version of TomTom Traffic will become the go-to service for drivers who use personal navigation devices and navigation apps on a daily basis. TomTom Traffic is now available in 50 countries thanks to t...
Hybrid and Diesel Alternatives to Plug-In Hybrid Vehicles
12 Feb 2016, 19:51 UTC · By: Mircea Panait / In the State of the Union address in 2011, U.S. President Barrack Obama declared that there would be one million EVs on the roads by 2015. That ambitious goal did not come to fruition, though. As long as the average price of regular gas remains und...
Kimi Raikkonen’s Formula Renault 2000 Racing Car Heads to Auction
12 Feb 2016, 12:06 UTC · By: Mircea Panait / Ice Man. The Finn renowned for saying “Leave me alone, I know what I’m doing,” on team radio. The racing driver who outpaced Lewis Hamilton and Fernando Alonso in the 2007 Formula 1 season. Kimi is a man of many talents and many d...
2016 Ram 2500 4x4 Off-Road Package Adds Plenty of Goodies for a Small Price
12 Feb 2016, 10:17 UTC · By: Mircea Panait / Ram has introduced the heavy-duty 2500 Off-road Package and, as the name implies, it’s tailored to give the pickup truck a little bit of prowess off the beaten track. The pack is described as being “value-priced.” That’s ...
2017 Nissan Titan Half-Ton Resembles Bigger Brother Titan XD
12 Feb 2016, 09:11 UTC · By: Mircea Panait / When Nissan introduced the second-generation Titan pickup truck at the 2015 NAIAS, the manufacturer presented the biggest and most capable model in the lineup. The thing is, the Titan XD cost big bucks and it sits bang in the middle of half-ton lig...
2016 Alfa Romeo Giulietta Facelift Price and Specifications Leaked
12 Feb 2016, 08:54 UTC · By: Mircea Panait / As reported in a recent story on autoevolution, the 2016 Alfa Romeo Giulietta will be introduced on February 24 in Italy before the compact hatchback makes its public debut at the Geneva Motor Show. Happily, however, Alfisti won’t have to wai...
Mercedes-Benz Sprinter Adds $33,490 Worker Trim Level in the US
11 Feb 2016, 16:19 UTC · By: Mircea Panait / In the world of light commercial vehicles, Mercedes-Benz has always been a front-runner of the genre. For those professionals on a tight budget, Mercedes-Benz has got you covered with the Worker trim level of the Sprinter. Spoiler alert: it’s...
2016 Volvo V90 Leaks Ahead of Geneva Motor Show Debut
11 Feb 2016, 15:19 UTC · By: Mircea Panait / After tons of spy photographs, model cars, and rumors all over the Internet, the veil has finally been lifted. Ladies and gentlemen, please put your hands together for the 2016 Volvo V90 estate car. The long-roof brother of the S90 sedan is slat...
Last Lamborghini Produced Before Audi Took Control Heading to Auction
11 Feb 2016, 14:36 UTC · By: Mircea Panait / In September 1998, the maddest supercar manufacturer of them all gave in to years of financial burdens. The Volkswagen Group took control of Lamborghini through Audi, and the rest is history. What you can admire in the photo gallery below is an ...
2017 Ram Power Wagon Ditches Chrome Grille for Blacked-Out Snout
11 Feb 2016, 13:21 UTC · By: Mircea Panait / Last year’s Power Wagon fell short of being attractive because there's too much chrome on the trademark crosshair grille. For the 2017 model year, Ram has addressed this visual blunder by borrowing the Rebel’s single-slat black pla...
2017 Nissan Armada Shares Body-on-Frame Chassis with the Patrol Y62
11 Feb 2016, 12:36 UTC · By: Mircea Panait / Mounting the body shell to the frame that supports the drivetrain is the earliest method of building a car. This age-old construction method is still used to this day, with capable 4x4s at the forefront of the body-on-frame party. The newest member...
2017 Opel Ampera-e Is the European Cousin of the Chevrolet Bolt EV
11 Feb 2016, 10:59 UTC · By: Mircea Panait / The electric vehicle wars are getting hotter and hotter with each and every day. After Tesla Motors promised that the Model 3 would democratize electric vehicles through affordability and range, General Motors followed with the introduction of the ...