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.
Ten Classic Jaguars Will Enter the 2014 Mille Miglia
29 Apr 2014, 08:39 UTC · By: Mircea Panait / Jaguar Heritage Racing announced it will field a handful of the British marque's most celebrated models in the 2014 Mille Miglia classic car endurance rally. The lineup includes XKs, C-Types and one D-Type, which will be driven by world-renown...
Ready, Steady, Wow! Doge Nascar Racer Is Real
29 Apr 2014, 07:18 UTC · By: Mircea Panait / The Internet's favorite Shiba Inu dog has recently found its place on the livery of the Dogecoin-sponsored Nascar race car. How was this possible? It all started after a Dogecoin user, Denis Pavel, noticed that Nascar driver Josh Wise didn&...
What's the Most Popular Car Colour in Europe?
28 Apr 2014, 16:58 UTC · By: Mircea Panait / According to Ford's 2014 Car Buying Trends Report, that would be your run-of-the-mill white so very popular with company fleet vehicles. The Blue Oval's report also suggests that most Europeans prefer cars that run on petrol (also known a...
China-Bound Cadillac ATS-L to Feature 100 Millimetres of Additional Legroom
28 Apr 2014, 16:11 UTC · By: Mircea Panait / Cadillac announced earlier this year that its ATS luxury sedan will go on sale in China, the world's largest automotive market, sometime in the second quarter of 2014. However, a recent set of spy photos hint that the ATS will be offered in Ch...
Chrysler Recalls 159 Ram 1500 Trucks Due to Possible Transmission Flaw
28 Apr 2014, 15:21 UTC · By: Mircea Panait / The Chrysler Group announced today that an estimated 159 trucks need to be inspected and, if necessary, have their gearboxes replaced by an authorized dealership service as soon as possible. An undisclosed transmission supplier advised the Ameri...
2015 Chevrolet City Express Pricing Announced
28 Apr 2014, 14:36 UTC · By: Mircea Panait / After the official unveiling at the 2014 Chicago Auto Show in February, General Motors announced that the 2015 model year Chevrolet City Express will sport a starting price of $22,950, including $995 destination charge but excluding tax, title, lic...
Ayrton Senna's Nephew Will Join Aston Martin in World Endurance Championship
28 Apr 2014, 14:05 UTC · By: Mircea Panait / The Gaydon-based British sports car manufacturer announced today that none other than Bruno Senna, which is the nephew of the late F1 legend Ayrton Senna, will help Aston Martin Racing this weekend at the Six Hours of Spa-Francorchamps. Even tho...
MTM-tuned VW Golf R Churns Out 360 BHP
28 Apr 2014, 13:32 UTC · By: Mircea Panait / You've probably heard of MTM before. The German tuning company specializes in turning run-of-the-mill Volkswagen, Audi, Seat and Skoda models into incredibly fast road machines. MTM's latest offering is a mildly tuned Volkswagen Golf M...
Alfa Romeo Will Reportedly Become Stand-Alone Company
28 Apr 2014, 11:48 UTC · By: Mircea Panait / A number of official sources hint that the Fiat Group Automobiles S.p.A. subsidiary will change its status into a stand-alone legal entity. According to a report publicized by Automotive News Europe, Sergio Marchionne will unveil its latest strateg...
Saab Rumored to Relaunch 9-3 SportCombi
28 Apr 2014, 09:58 UTC · By: Mircea Panait / The wagon version of the 9-3 will be offered sometime in the future, right after the automaker will launch the electric version of the 9-3 sedan. Currently, the 9-3 EV undergoes a pilot launch in the Chinese town of Qingdao, which itself happens to...
2015 Chevrolet SS Rumored to Get Six-Speed Manual and Magnetic Ride Control
28 Apr 2014, 09:05 UTC · By: Mircea Panait / To much disappointment from the stick shift fan base, Chevrolet offers the SS only with a six-speed automatic. However, sigh no more, manual fans, cause GM is planning to make things right as early as this summer according to a recent slip on Twitt...
2014 Buick LaCrosse Gets Ultra Luxury Interior Package
28 Apr 2014, 07:59 UTC · By: Mircea Panait / By further increasing the appeal of the LaCrosse, Buick hopes that its mid-size luxury sedan will continue to sell in the high 50,000s Stateside. But with acerb competition coming from the likes of Lincoln (MKS), Lexus (ES 350), Acura (TL) and Volv...
2015 Chevrolet Corvette Stingray Gets the Atlantic Design Package
26 Apr 2014, 13:21 UTC · By: Mircea Panait / First showcased at the 2013 SEMA Show, the drop-top seventh generation Corvette adorned with the Atlantic Design pack will soon become a production reality. According to Chevrolet, this special editon will go on sale later this year along with the ...
Chevy Offers Pacific Design Package For the 2015 Corvette Stingray
26 Apr 2014, 13:11 UTC · By: Mircea Panait / If you’re in the market for a more unique looking C7 Corvette featuring the Z51 pack, Chevrolet has something good in store for you. Taking its inspiration from West Coast car culture, the Pacific Design Package adds a number of styling goodi...
2005 Ford GT Prototype PB1-3 For Sale at $399,988
25 Apr 2014, 16:24 UTC · By: Mircea Panait / Produced between 2004 and 2006 in just 4,038 units, the Ford GT is one of the most rare and revered sports cars not only in the U.S., but the entire world. For a "mere" $399,988, you can be the new owner of a perfect condition prototype u...
Fancy a Volkswagen Golf GTI W12 650 Concept Replica?
25 Apr 2014, 15:21 UTC · By: Mircea Panait / Remember the 2007 Golf GTI W12 650 Concept? It's a one-off Volkswagen design study with cool looks and a 641 horsepower engine in the middle. Unfortunately, it never made it into production. However, that didn't stop a certain Brit to mod...
Rolls-Royce Corniche Chassis No. 001 Up for Auction
25 Apr 2014, 13:27 UTC · By: Mircea Panait / As usual, Silverstone Auctions' next sale will be packed with gorgeous, exquisite and expensive automobiles. If you're in the market for a drop-top Roller, then look no further. At the 24 May Sale taking place in The Wing building on the ...
Ford Posts First Quarter 2014 Financial Results
25 Apr 2014, 11:58 UTC · By: Mircea Panait / The Ford Motor Company reported today its 19th profitable consecutive quarter, with a Q1 2014 pre-tax profit of $1.4 billion. As for income, the Blue Oval netted no less than $989 million or 24 cents per share, which represents a 39 percent fall fr...
"Pothole Killer" Can Repair a Pothole in Two Minutes
25 Apr 2014, 10:54 UTC · By: Mircea Panait / Manufactured by a Pennsylvania-based company, the "Pothole Killer" is the wonder machine motorists have been waiting for lots of years now. This gravel-blasting utility truck patches an average size pothole 30 times faster than a team of ...
Mitsubishi Announces Record 2013 Profit
25 Apr 2014, 09:27 UTC · By: Mircea Panait / Japan-based Mitsubishi Motors Corporation (MMC) recently reported a global operating profit of $1.2 billion for the '13 fiscal year ending in March, an 83 percent increase over the former fiscal year. Since April 1, 2013 through March 31, 2...