Mircea Panait
20,076 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.
Almost 700K Ford Escape and C-Max Hybrid Vehicles Recalled Over Separate Issues
11 May 2014, 09:06 UTC · By: Mircea Panait / Even though it's been launched just two years ago, the Escape CUV has been subjected to an alarming number of recalls concerning overheating, engine compartment fire, as well as a sticky brake pedal. This time around, circa 692,700 vehicl...
These Are the Best Porsche Print Ads Ever
9 May 2014, 17:24 UTC · By: Mircea Panait / Since the dawn of the internal combustion engine, print ads have been the number one marketing medium for car manufacturers around the globe. Out of the few automakers with solid tradition in print advertising, Porsche is considered by marketing ex...
2014 Chevrolet Malibu, Buick LaCrosse Recalled Over Braking Issue
9 May 2014, 11:47 UTC · By: Mircea Panait / General Motors just announced its fifth call-back in the past two weeks. This time, the recall operation involves both the 2014 Chevrolet Malibu and Buick LaCrosse sedans, which may suffer from "possible reduced braking performance". A...
Ricardo Kaka Takes Delivery of Hyundai Santa Fe
9 May 2014, 10:33 UTC · By: Mircea Panait / As part of his brand ambassador role for the 2014 FIFA World Cup and Hyundai Motor, Brazillian football sensation Ricardo Kaka just received the keys to a brand new Santa Fe SUV. The 2007 winner of the "FIFA World Player of the Year" a...
Spyshots: Hyundai Santa Fe Preparing for Mid-Cycle Facelift
9 May 2014, 09:42 UTC · By: Mircea Panait / Even though it still looks relatively fresh, the South Korean SUV is expected to receive its first minor facelift in the summer of 2015. First introduced in September 2012 during the Paris Motor Show, the Santa Fe was the final "old style H...
Vaughn Gittin Jr Shares His Personal Mustang Stories
9 May 2014, 08:56 UTC · By: Mircea Panait / Vaughn Gittin Jr. is by all means one of the biggest and most famous Ford Mustang aficionados out there. But the self-taught professional drifter wasn't a big Stang fan when he started his racing career. That's because in the world of ...
Buick Considers Porsche Panamera Rivaling Flagship
9 May 2014, 08:02 UTC · By: Mircea Panait / Since he took over the design reigns over at General Motors, Mark Reuss showed he's adamant on gradually changing the styling of GM vehicles for the better. But his greatest ambition is to oversee the development of a four-door coupe following...
Don Garlits Pushes 2,000 HP Electric Dragster to 184 MPH
8 May 2014, 20:29 UTC · By: Mircea Panait / Even though "Big Daddy" failed to accelerate past the 200 miles per hour mark, the 82-year-old racing legend managed to break a new record with his Swamp Rat 37 electric dragster. By reaching a quarter-mile speed of 184.01 mph at the B...
Toyota Expects 2.4% Net Profit Drop Through March 2015
8 May 2014, 19:01 UTC · By: Mircea Panait / Even though the Japanese company posted a record 90 percent profit jump ($17.9 billion) in the year to March 31st, the world's biggest car manufacturer forecasts a slight drop for the current fiscal year to a projected $17.5 billion. Toyota...
Each Tesla Model S Is Worth $3.7 Million In Market Capitalization
8 May 2014, 16:31 UTC · By: Mircea Panait / We've reported a little while back that the Palo Alto-based company sold 6,457 Model S sedans in the first quarter of 2014. But if you combine those numbers with Tesla's market capitalization of circa $25 billion, that translates to $3.7 ...
Switzerland Has Safest Roads in Europe, ETSC Report Says
8 May 2014, 15:26 UTC · By: Mircea Panait / A new report from the European Transport Safety Council (ETSC) demonstrates that the number of car occupants killed on European roads has halved in the last decade. Despite continuous improvements in vehicle safety technology, driving under the inf...
This Is How GM Tested Revised Ignition Switches
8 May 2014, 14:13 UTC · By: Mircea Panait / Almost two weeks ago, GM started shipping redesigned ignition switch kits to Stateside dealership service departments. But are these all-new units safer than their potentially defective predecessors? Most of you should've heard by now about...
2015 Chevrolet Corvette Color Palette to Feature Daytona Sunrise Orange Metallic
8 May 2014, 13:25 UTC · By: Mircea Panait / At long last, orange paint will make a much-anticipated comeback in the Corvette Stingray color options list, as soon as the 2015 model year model arrives in dealer showrooms later this year. The Daytona Sunset Orange Metallic hue was first intr...
C5 Corvette and Ram Truck Damaged Beyond Repair in Norway Accident
8 May 2014, 12:27 UTC · By: Mircea Panait / What are the odds of two American-built vehicles to be involved in the same accident half the world away? More so when you take into account that the fifth-generation Chevrolet Corvette and Ram pickup truck aren't sold in Europe and import num...
Tesla Confirms 2015 Model X Launch; Moves 6,457 Model S Sedans in Q1
8 May 2014, 11:33 UTC · By: Mircea Panait / In its most recent shareholder's letter, Tesla Motors announces record first quarter production of the Model S and significant Gigafactory and capacity expansion progress. The Palo Alto-based electric vehicle manufacturer managed to build n...
GT F 351 Badge Teaser Confirms Final FPV Model
8 May 2014, 09:27 UTC · By: Mircea Panait / Ladies and gentlemen from the Land Down Under, take a good long look at this badge. It will be worn by the most powerful Ford Falcon ever made. Unfortunately, the FPV GT F 351 Sedan also represents the swan song announcing the demise of the Ford Pe...
Ungrateful Girlfriend Gets Her Corvette Supercharged
8 May 2014, 08:33 UTC · By: Mircea Panait / Remember Pattie Goza? She's the foxy lady that received a brand spanking new 2014 Corvette Stingray Z51 from her boyfriend. Instead of a "Thank you, honey! It's amazing!", she responded with one of the most ungrateful, apathetic...
Only Drop-Top 2015 Ford Mustang 50th Anniversary Will Be Raffled for Charity
7 May 2014, 16:31 UTC · By: Mircea Panait / The Blue Oval announced that it will build a single convertible unit of the 2015 Mustang 50th Anniversary Edition. The ragtop pony will be raffled during the 2014 Woodward Dream Cruise in August, with all proceeds going to the National Multiple Scl...
GM Recalls 56K Saturn Aura Vehicles For Shifter Cable Flaw
7 May 2014, 15:38 UTC · By: Mircea Panait / Anyone remember Saturn? Yeah, that very Saturn that General Motors killed off four years ago for being a very shallow "different kind of car company" with mediocre sales volumes. One of the company's final models, specifically the 20...
2015 Ford Mustang European Order Book Opens May 24th
7 May 2014, 14:35 UTC · By: Mircea Panait / The Blue Oval's latest marketing stunt brings together muscle car enthusiasts and football fans. At the very moment the Real Madrid and Atletico Madrid football match kicks off on May 24, that same moment Ford will open the order book for the ...