Mircea Panait
20,083 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.
2015 Subaru Forester STi Will Be Unveiled On November 25th, Teaser Photos Released
27 Oct 2014, 10:11 UTC · By: Mircea Panait / The wait is almost over, ladies and gents! As it happens, Subaru's STi motorsport division will stick some badges on the SJ-generation Subaru Forester, with the unveiling slated for November 25th. At the present moment, the Japanese carmake...
Hyundai JP Edition Sonata Looks Like It's Ready to Roll
26 Oct 2014, 11:45 UTC · By: Mircea Panait / When you hear the name of John Pangilinan, most would think of a guy that delivers full service marketing solutions. But Pangilinan can also customize cars for promotional use. That's why the following Hyundai Sonata is coming to SEMA. What...
GM Full-Size SUVs Updated for the 2015i Model Year
26 Oct 2014, 10:34 UTC · By: Mircea Panait / If you're in the market for a full-size SUV but don't want to go all out with buying a posh Cadillac Escalade, the General Motors stable has five other options for you from Chevrolet and GMC. For the 2015 interim MY, all five of them have...
ZZ Performance Cadillac ATS Coming to SEMA · Video
25 Oct 2014, 11:35 UTC · By: Mircea Panait / With the 2014 SEMA show just around the corner, the Wyoming-based tuning outfit ZZ Performance is hard at work adding the finishing touches to a trick Cadillac ATS sedan. Spolier alert: it's 2-liter engine will pack approximately 600 horsepowe...
Subaru XV Crosstrek Gets Updated for the 2015 Model Year
25 Oct 2014, 10:35 UTC · By: Mircea Panait / It's been only a few months since the Japanese brand rolled out the 2015 Impreza and 2015 Outback, and here we are today, in the presence of the 2015 Subaru XV Crosstrek. The more rugged sibling of the compact Impreza is now better equipped th...
Tesla Model III to Get SUV & Estate Variants, Roadster Mk2 Considered
25 Oct 2014, 09:41 UTC · By: Mircea Panait / Back in July, Elon Musk confirmed on his Twitter account that by 2016 we'll have a new Tesla nameplate dubbed the Model III. Even though the smaller brother of the Model S is currently in development, a Tesla official hinted the Model III will...
Ford is Very Proud of its Pre-Collision Assist with Pedestrian Detection System
24 Oct 2014, 17:36 UTC · By: Mircea Panait / Active safety systems have come an incredibly long way in the last five years or so. Thanks to them, not only drivers of modern vehicles, but also other traffic participants are considerably safer than ever before, especially compared to a time whe...
2015 Ford Mustang GT Delivery Hold Issued. Is Your Pony Affected?
24 Oct 2014, 16:45 UTC · By: Mircea Panait / In a recent notification letter sent to all U.S. dealerships, the Blue Oval informs that certain 2015 Mustang GT models are to be inspected for a pretty peculiar reason. As it happens, Ford says something is wrong with catalytic converters of 5-lit...
2016 Dodge Viper ACR Coming to SEMA With a Lot of Other Mopar Vehicles
24 Oct 2014, 15:32 UTC · By: Mircea Panait / Just two days ago this editor was wandering the high seas of the world wide web when a curious rendering of the rumored 2016 Dodge Viper ACR caught his eye. That rendering was created out of sheer imagination according to a teaser shot depicting a ...
2016 Kia Optima Prototype Breaks Down on the Nurburgring
24 Oct 2014, 14:41 UTC · By: Mircea Panait / In the crowded world of mid-size sedans, Kia's Optima isn't the type of vehicle to boast about. Not even the hybrid variant has the means to rock your boat as much as more modern and posher rivals such as the Volkswagen Passat B8&nbs...
2015 Chevrolet City Express Now Available at Dealerships Nationwide
24 Oct 2014, 13:57 UTC · By: Mircea Panait / If you're in the market for a brand spanking new cargo van, then chances are you might want to take the new 2015 Chevrolet City Express for a drive and find out if it suits your needs. Then again, before you do that, you might want to know if ...
2018 Jeep Wrangler to Retain Body-On-Frame Construction, Aluminum Body Confirmed
24 Oct 2014, 12:39 UTC · By: Mircea Panait / When the Blue Oval wowed the world with the aluminum-laden 2015 Ford F-150 pickup truck, other mainstream automakers started to take notes. While previous reports hinted that the new-gen 2018 Jeep Wrangler will go unibody and adopt an aluminum body...
2015 Chevrolet Equinox Adds OnStar 4G LTE With Wi-Fi Connectivity
24 Oct 2014, 11:33 UTC · By: Mircea Panait / It's already 5 years old now, but the second-gen Chevrolet Equinox still has a few years ahead of it before it'll be replaced by an all-new model. As such, the 2015 model year refresh adds new bits and bobs to hike the crossover's ap...
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...