Mircea Panait
20,113 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.
2016 Chevrolet Volt Powertrain Teased
28 Oct 2014, 09:03 UTC · By: Mircea Panait / Soon after the 2015 model year Chevrolet Volt was accidentally unveiled by dealer inventory listings back in July, the golden bowtie hinted there will be an all-new Volt coming next year. Although it's officially slated to debut at the 2015 De...
Talbot Sunbeam Lotus Hot Hatch With Just 193 Miles on the Clock Heading to Auction
27 Oct 2014, 18:35 UTC · By: Mircea Panait / If you though that the original Volkswagen Golf GTI is the first hot hatchback ever, think again. That model only popularized the genre, but it didn't invent it. As a prime example of what I'm trying to say, the Mk1 GTI is pre-dated by mo...
This Is How the 2015 Dodge Challenger SRT Hellcat Is Made
27 Oct 2014, 17:54 UTC · By: Mircea Panait / It's not a secret anymore that the 2015 Dodge Challenger SRT Hellcat is the new muscle car king. Some Mopar enthusiasts might know that VIN0001 was auctioned for a hefty $1.65 million last month by Barrett-Jackson, but did you ever wonder how ...
Cadillac CTS-V Runs the Quarter Mile In a Mere 9.19 Seconds
27 Oct 2014, 17:09 UTC · By: Mircea Panait / Before the 2016 Cadillac CTS-V arrives with a minor horsepower bump, the outgoing CTS-V represents the luxury automaker's fastest and quickest accelerating production vehicle ever. But what would you say about an extensively tuned CTS-V that c...
Would You Pay $250,000 For a Citroen Traction Avant?
27 Oct 2014, 16:17 UTC · By: Mircea Panait / For those gearheads that aren't too into pre-war automobiles, you should know a few details on the Citroen Traction Avant. This is one of the most important cars of its time, a model that has redefined personal means of transport as we know it...
Troller T4 Concept Breaks Cover, Looks Like a Modern-Day Ford Bronco
27 Oct 2014, 15:21 UTC · By: Mircea Panait / Remember the Ford Bronco? Yes, that one! It's such a shame the Blue Oval stopped making it in 1996, replacing the butch two-door SUV with the far more family-oriented Expedition. All the more reason why this Troller T4 thingy should be sold in...
Detroit Electric SP:01 Teased Again, It's Looking Like a Mashup of Different Sports Cars
27 Oct 2014, 14:16 UTC · By: Mircea Panait / It's been two years since the Tesla Roadster's demise, but fret not anymore because there's a new kid on the block ready to fill that empty niche. Dubbed the Detroit Electric SP:01, what you can see above is an American electric spor...
Carlex Design Works Its Magic With the Interior of a Mercedes-Benz E-Class
27 Oct 2014, 13:43 UTC · By: Mircea Panait / Let's face it - it's darn hard to find someone who would say no to an absurdly powerful Brabus E V12 Coupe. But you'd be surprised to hear a few negative answers, even amongst die-hard fans of these kind of tuning jobs, those gearhea...
2015 Honda NSX Spied Near the Nurburgring Yet Again
27 Oct 2014, 11:44 UTC · By: Mircea Panait / Since September 2011, when Hollywood actor Robert Downey Jr. was spotted driving a weird concept car wearing Acura badges, enthusiasts of the NSX breed and the media were left with a single, burning question: when will the second-generation of the ...
2015 Hyundai i20 Wagon In the Pipeline, Crossover Variant Possible
27 Oct 2014, 10:47 UTC · By: Mircea Panait / When Hyundai first unveiled the new-generation i20, some people sort of laughed at the South Korean manufacturer's intention to step up its game in the highly competitive European B-segment. If we're to be frank here, that's your typ...
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...