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.
1963 Pontiac Catalina Swiss Cheese Going Under the Gavel · Video
7 May 2014, 13:31 UTC · By: Mircea Panait / If you're a fan of vintage Pontiac models and have a passion for old school drag racing, then you might be interested in one very special and rare machine going under the hammer at this weekend's Dana Mecum Original Spring Classic 2014 ev...
Upcoming NFL Star Buys Pink Cadillac Escalade for His Mother
7 May 2014, 12:07 UTC · By: Mircea Panait / Ladies and gentlemen, we present you the first ever 2015 Cadillac Escalade boasting a Barbie pink exterior paint job. No, it's not Nicki Minaj's new daily driver, but a slice-of-life promo of the all-new luxury SUV. Featuring former Un...
Currency Control Halts Ford Production in Venezuela
7 May 2014, 11:37 UTC · By: Mircea Panait / After reducing production output in January on account of US dollar shortage, the Blue Oval's assembly operations in Venezuela have taken a new shunt due to the government's dramatic foreign currency control. Simply put, Ford's Va...
Alfa Romeo to Launch Eight New Models By 2018
7 May 2014, 10:03 UTC · By: Mircea Panait / Believe it or not, the Italian auto manufacturer wants to refocus its lineup with the addition of eight new models in the following years, which will feature "groundbreaking and distinctively Italian design." That's a very bold strat...
Ram 1500 to Get Facelift in 2015; All-New Model Slated for 2017
7 May 2014, 09:05 UTC · By: Mircea Panait / CEO Reid Bigland announced that Ram Trucks intends to increase its sales volume by 34 percent or 160,000 units until the end of 2018. As for the extremely anticipated successor of the Ram Dakota pickup, that model isn't included in the brand&#...
Dodge to Write-Off SRT Brand
7 May 2014, 07:43 UTC · By: Mircea Panait / The Chrysler Group revealed that the SRT performance brand established in 2012 will be folded back into Dodge in the near future. This move comes as no surprise when you take into account that SRT had a hard time selling the latest generation Viper...
Chrysler Reveals Five-Year Business Plan
7 May 2014, 06:56 UTC · By: Mircea Panait / The American brand's much-anticipated business plan has finally been revealed by Fiat-Chrysler CEO Sergio Marchionne. In short, the Detroit manufacturer intends to increase global sales to 800,000 vehicles by the end of 2018. One of the mos...
Jeep Preps All-New C SUV and Grand Wagoneer
6 May 2014, 16:02 UTC · By: Mircea Panait / We've told you a few hours ago that Sergio Marchionne has high expectations from the American brand thanks to outstanding sales volumes and the addition of the 2015 Renegade crossover. But recent data from Fiat-Chrysler Automobiles hints at a ...
2015 Chevrolet Impala V6 CNG Bi-Fuel Priced from $38,210
6 May 2014, 15:32 UTC · By: Mircea Panait / The first manufacturer-produced full-size sedan in North America will have a sticker price of $38,210, including the $825 destination charge. Even though it runs on both compressed natural gas (CNG) and gasoline, the bi-fuel Impala is an eye-wateri...
1,000 HP Superbird Covers a Mile at 194 MPH
6 May 2014, 14:28 UTC · By: Mircea Panait / When it comes to vintage NASCAR racers, few examples of the breed leave a lasting impression as powerful as the '69 Dodge Charger Daytona and its twin, the '70 Plymouth Road Runner Superbird. Fast-forward a few decades and here's Joe...
2014 Ford Transit Connect Wagon Starts from $25,520
6 May 2014, 13:31 UTC · By: Mircea Panait / Also known as the Tourneo Connect in Europe, the 2014 Ford Transit Connect Wagon is priced from $25,520 in the United States for the short-wheelbase XLT model. Even though Ford calls it a wagon, this variant of the Transit Connect has more things i...
Chevrolet to Offer Camaro Z/28 Parts to Non-Owners
6 May 2014, 12:22 UTC · By: Mircea Panait / Just a week ago we've reported you that Chevy won't sell Camaro Z/28 components to non-owners. Much to the disappointment of the 500 people that paid $75,000 on their track-focused muscle cars, some of those highly desirable and unique Z/...
Ford Could Bring Back the Focus RS By 2016
6 May 2014, 11:40 UTC · By: Mircea Panait / There's nothing in the world of hot hatchbacks quite like the manic yet focused Focus RS (pun intended). For almost four years now, the Blue Oval stopped offering the RS-badged model, to much boo and hiss from enthusiasts of the breed. But the...
GM Recalls 51K SUVs for Fuel Gauge Flaw
6 May 2014, 09:34 UTC · By: Mircea Panait / As if the faulty ignition switches fiasco wasn't enough already, General Motors announced that three SUV models will also be recalled for a minor fuel gauge glitch. Things over at GM seem to go from worse to borderline ridiculous. The Detro...
Sergio Marchionne Has High Expectations From Jeep
6 May 2014, 09:03 UTC · By: Mircea Panait / Thanks to outstanding results, Jeep is the only Chrysler-owned brand capable to fulfill Sergio Marchionne's sales target set in 2009. The godfather of Fiat Chrysler Automobiles also expects the Jeep brand to double its sales in the following f...
Is Drake Fed Up With His Bugatti Veyron Sang Noir? · Video
6 May 2014, 08:08 UTC · By: Mircea Panait / He started from the bottom and now he's here - famous, rich and driving one of the rarest Bugatti Veyrons ever made, among other super fast exotics. However, it seems that not even a Sang Noir special edition Veyron is able to rock Drake'...
Ford China to Launch All-New Everest SUV Next Year
5 May 2014, 18:18 UTC · By: Mircea Panait / First showcased in Australia in August 2013, the Ford Everest Concept was also present at this year's Beijing Auto Show. Recent inside info hints that the production version of the SUV will be launched in China as soon as May 2015, with sales ...
Cadillac ATS-L Loses Its Camo
5 May 2014, 17:45 UTC · By: Mircea Panait / A few days ago we've reported that Shanghai GM is prepping a stretched version of the ATS mid-size luxury sedan. At last, the China-only model was spotted by the carparazzi without a bit of camouflage on it. Styling-wise, it's the usua...
Godzilla Developed an Appetite for Fiat 500s
5 May 2014, 16:32 UTC · By: Mircea Panait / Set to debut on national television on Monday, Fiat North America's latest advert is leading up to the May release of the massively anticipated Godzilla reboot. "Godzilla Craves Italian" will also be present in social media, offering...
Agent 47 Harbringer Mustang Spotted on the Street
5 May 2014, 15:40 UTC · By: Mircea Panait / There's nothing in the world of retro modern Stangs quite like the Harbringer. Only 250 were made, so seeing one on the public streets is quite of an event. First thing's first: even though they share the same name, this car has nothin...