Mircea Panait
20,050 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.
IPS Automatic Transmission Now Available for the Lotus Exige S
24 Oct 2014, 09:57 UTC · By: Mircea Panait / You might have heard what a mess Lotus Cars is in at the present moment. Sales volume are not that great, the cars aren't aging well and there's a bit of a problem with the future of the Evora in the United States of America. So what solu...
High-Performance K900 is Kia's SEMA Show Weapon of Choice
24 Oct 2014, 09:18 UTC · By: Mircea Panait / You know there's nothing much going on when a manufacturer preps for the SEMA show with a vehicle dubbed the High-Performance. Still, this is one neat-looking Kia K900, one that's blending full-size sedan luxury with some go-faster bits a...
2016 Chevrolet Camaro Convertible Spied Next to Turbo V6-Powered Third-Gen Model
24 Oct 2014, 08:15 UTC · By: Mircea Panait / Like it's the case with every new generation of the Porsche 911 and even the brand spanking new Mercedes-AMG GT according to voices in the industry, it was expected from Chevy to come up with a drop-top version of the 2016 Chevrolet Camaro. ...
2015 Ford Mustang to Take SEMA by Storm With Over 12 Custom Vehicles
23 Oct 2014, 17:31 UTC · By: Mircea Panait / Because this is the most revolutionary Mustang to date and the legendary nameplate turned 50 this year, the Blue Oval is going all out with its marketing efforts for the 2015 model year. The latest attempt to hike the new pony's appeal and sal...
Michael Schumacher is Making Progress, Doctor Tells the French Media
23 Oct 2014, 16:56 UTC · By: Mircea Panait / As great a topic and as unconstructive as ever, there are two sides to the Michael Schumacher skiing incident story - those that claim a big rock was the main culprit for the F1 racing driver's head injury versus those that come up with theori...
2015 Chrysler 200 Is a Very Safe Mid-Size Sedan According to the NHTSA
23 Oct 2014, 16:11 UTC · By: Mircea Panait / The U.S. Department of Transportation's vehicle safety watchdog has recently awarded the all-new Chrysler 200 with a 5-star overall rating thanks to the protection this car offers in a crash situation. Couple this feat with the Top Safety P...
Elon Musk Hints at Franchised Dealership Tactic After Michigan Direct Sales Roadblock
23 Oct 2014, 15:13 UTC · By: Mircea Panait / It's been a few days since the highly-publicized Tesla Motors vs National Automobile Dealers Association match put a halt on direct-to-consumers sales of the Model S in Michigan. Still, voices in the industry hint that the EV automaker is goin...
2016 Camaro Spied on Public Roads
23 Oct 2014, 14:04 UTC · By: Mircea Panait / The automotive world is alight with the big hype surrounding the sixth-geneneration Chevrolet Camaro and for good reasons: never before was the Camaro in such a make-or-break situation as it is now. With the all-new 2015 Mustang and the revised 201...
Land Rover Defender Gets Tricked Out by Urban Truck
23 Oct 2014, 13:07 UTC · By: Mircea Panait / The Landie established the four-by-four off-road utility vehicle in great style since the 1940s, an era that also gave us the Willys MB U.S. Army Jeep. Currently marketed as the Defender, the model is going to be phased out in a few ye...
Cadillac CTS-V Reimagined as an HSV-badged Performance Sedan
23 Oct 2014, 11:51 UTC · By: Mircea Panait / The Cadillac CTS-V is due a mid-cycle refresh for the 2016 model year. As it's often the case with a car so far away from production reality, there's a lot of speculation surrounding what the punchy Caddy holds in store over the outgoing ...
2015 Dodge Charger R/T Scat Pack has SRT Hellcat Styling and Great Value for Money
23 Oct 2014, 09:56 UTC · By: Mircea Panait / Even though the Charger added two doors to hike its practicality, the iconic nameplate is as enticing as ever. To boot, the 2015 mid-cycle refresh of the current generation is butcher than ever in terms of aesthetics, while the SRT Hellcat is the m...
Endurance Record - Diesel Mazda6 Averages 137.3 MPH Over a 24-Hour Stint
23 Oct 2014, 08:53 UTC · By: Mircea Panait / The Japanese manufacturer's flagship sedan isn't as snazzy as a BMW 5 Series, nor as boring as its German rivals. Its main strong points are the cool styling, uncluttered cabin design and what Mazda calls the SkyActiv-D, otherwise known a...
2016 Ford Explorer Spied Partially Camouflaged
23 Oct 2014, 08:26 UTC · By: Mircea Panait / Ever since the Bronco was discontinued in 1990, the compact SUV void left in Ford's model range was filled by the Explorer - a mid-size sport utility vehicle at first, then a full-size crossover starting with the 2011 - 2015 MY fifth-generatio...
Viper Price Drops, Sales Hike Dramatically
22 Oct 2014, 17:25 UTC · By: Mircea Panait / It appears that Dodge's tactic of slashing $15,000 off the sticker price of the Viper sport car paid off with a sizable bang. Since the $15k slash at the beginning of September through the end of the month, the poster favourite nameplate'...
Jeep Renegade Tackles Big Sand Dunes, Proves It's a Proper Offroader
22 Oct 2014, 16:31 UTC · By: Mircea Panait / Since the B-segment crossover buzz started with the launch of the Nissan Juke in 2011, there was one critical element missing from the mix. That's at least one model able to hold its own on tarmac and in off-road situations as well. Some varia...
Hennessey Camaro ZL1 Supercharged to 750 HP
22 Oct 2014, 15:33 UTC · By: Mircea Panait / If the 580 horsepower and 3.9-second 0 to 60 mph acceleration run of the box standard Camaro ZL1 aren't really enough to float your boat, then what would you say about a 170 horsepower increase? Not bad of a proposition for a full-on muscle ca...
Takata Airbag Recall Update: Ford GT Supercar Affected Too
22 Oct 2014, 14:41 UTC · By: Mircea Panait / The NHTSA vehicle safety watchdog announced that the recent 4.7 million strong recall involving sub-standard Takata airbag inflators widened to 7.8 of them affected cars. This recall expansion adds approximately 3.1 million cars made by Chrysler, F...
New Ford Focus Electric Confirmed to Be $6,000 Cheaper Than Predecessor
22 Oct 2014, 13:41 UTC · By: Mircea Panait / Seems like a previous report claiming the 2015 Ford Focus Electric will shave $6,000 off its sticker price was bang on the money. The electric Focus isn't just considerably cheaper than before, but also slightly restyled and a lot better equip...
Holden Barina Trio Limited Edition to Be Built in Just 450 Examples
22 Oct 2014, 12:27 UTC · By: Mircea Panait / Did you know there's something very wrong with the Australian automotive industry? We are not referring to the fact that Ford and Holden decided to close every manufacturing plant from the Land Down Under in a few years' time. We're ...
Takata Airbag Incident Fatally Injures a Woman
22 Oct 2014, 11:41 UTC · By: Mircea Panait / When the Takata airbag saga started in April 2013, many safety experts and automotive publications expected things to turn from worse to worst. Just like the killer GM ignition switches, a recent report claims a woman was killed by metal shrapnel s...