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Sebastian Toma

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Personal motto:

"Everybody has a plan until they get punched in the mouth." - Mike Tyson

Senior Contributor
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Sebastian's love for cars began at a young age. He cannot put a finger on what started it all, but it was there, and it grew day by day. Little did he know that a career would emerge from this passion (and that it would not, sadly, involve being a professional racecar driver).

It all started with him pointing at cars on the street and asking what make and model they were. Sebastian couldn't wait to be tall enough to see over their steering wheel and be allowed to drive them.

When was ready to hit the road, Sebastian was left without a potential first car after his family's '72 Mercedes-Benz was rolled by his father. While the early '70s sedan proved unexpectedly safe, Sebastian was left without a ride, so he took various jobs and saved up for an E30 BMW 3 Series. Months later, he got his dream job – writing about cars for a local website while he was getting a bachelor's degree in Journalism.

Fourteen years had passed since Sebastian started writing about cars and motorcycles, and his job took him behind the wheel of several hundred vehicles, as well as through some of the most important local publications.

Just before returning to autoevolution, he was the editor-in-chief of the country's most-read car magazine and its website. Sebastian took on the challenge and started writing for us again, so sit back and enjoy the read!
New 2017 Mercedes-Benz E-Class Leaked
New 2017 Mercedes-Benz E-Class Leaked

4 Jan 2016, 17:22 UTC · By: Sebastian Toma / Mercedes-Benz will officially unveil the new E-Class at the 2016 Detroit Auto Show (NAIAS). Until then, the car’s photo gallery was generously leaked online by the guys at Auto-Presse. So, let’s take a closer look at the tenth genera...

 
NY Times Gets Hold of Takata E-Mails. One of Them Bears “Happy Tampering” Inside
NY Times Gets Hold of Takata E-Mails. One of Them Bears “Happy Tampering” Inside

4 Jan 2016, 16:31 UTC · By: Sebastian Toma / Like Volkswagen’s Dieselgate, the Takata airbag recall fiasco keeps unraveling new information. And it’s not any good. Fortunately, this story isn’t about more deaths or injuries, but about a recent discovery of e-mails betwee...

 
Jay Leno Tests Trike with 197 HP Hayabusa Engine, Seems to Really Like It
Jay Leno Tests Trike with 197 HP Hayabusa Engine, Seems to Really Like It

4 Jan 2016, 15:01 UTC · By: Sebastian Toma / Jay Leno has released his first review of the year, a drive in a reverse trike called the Tanom Invader. Since the famous comedian and his ever-growing garage needs no further introduction, it’s time to move on to the Tanom Invader. Unv...

 
Bentley Introduces Stone Veneers in Bespoke Mulliner Models
Bentley Introduces Stone Veneers in Bespoke Mulliner Models

4 Jan 2016, 13:38 UTC · By: Sebastian Toma / Bentley has introduced a new type of trim for its bespoke cars made by the dedicated Mulliner division: stone veneers. Yes, that’s right, Bentley is selling actual stone trims for its high-end bespoke vehicles. If you’re thinking you...

 
Lexus Marketing: “People Hear About Turbos and Know They're Good and Want Them”
Lexus Marketing: “People Hear About Turbos and Know They're Good and Want Them”

4 Jan 2016, 12:09 UTC · By: Sebastian Toma / Lexus introduced turbocharged gasoline engines to its range in 2015 and the company seems delighted of the results. According to Brian Bolain, Lexus’s marketing manager, the word “turbo” has become a real buzzword in the premiu...

 
Bugatti Publishes New Teaser Video for Upcoming Chiron, the Car Is Yet to Be Seen
Bugatti Publishes New Teaser Video for Upcoming Chiron, the Car Is Yet to Be Seen

4 Jan 2016, 10:01 UTC · By: Sebastian Toma / Bugatti has released a new teaser for its upcoming hypercar, the Chiron. Scheduled to be unveiled at this year’s Geneva Motor Show, the Chiron promises to be “the world’s most powerful, fastest, most luxurious and most exclusi...

 
Ford's SYNC 3 Will Feature Apple CarPlay and Android Auto
Ford's SYNC 3 Will Feature Apple CarPlay and Android Auto

4 Jan 2016, 08:45 UTC · By: Sebastian Toma / Ford’s Sync technology will receive a major update this year. Starting with MY 2017 cars fitted with the Sync 3 system, the Blue Oval will support the use of Apple CarPlay and Android Auto on board these vehicles. The first to receive the sys...

 
The First-Gen BMW X1 Has an Electric Cousin Called Zinoro 1E. It's Being Tested in Germany
The First-Gen BMW X1 Has an Electric Cousin Called Zinoro 1E. It's Being Tested in Germany

3 Jan 2016, 10:03 UTC · By: Sebastian Toma / Someone named Tim spotted a peculiar car in Munich. Upon closer inspection, he uncovered a Zinoro 1E. Luckily, the Bimmertoday reader snapped a few shots of the car. If you’re like most people, you probably didn’t know what a Zinoro ...

 
Mamba GT3 Street Concept Unveils the Wild Possibilities That the BMW M4 Offers
Mamba GT3 Street Concept Unveils the Wild Possibilities That the BMW M4 Offers

31 Dec 2015, 13:03 UTC · By: Sebastian Toma / A tuning company from Detroit called Hoffy Automobiles has unveiled its latest concept. It is called the Mamba GT3 Street Concept and is based on a BMW M4 Coupe. The vehicle has yet to be finalized, apparently, but the company showed the car&rs...

 
Gumpert Was Allegedly Bought by Hong Kong Company
Gumpert Was Allegedly Bought by Hong Kong Company

30 Dec 2015, 18:05 UTC · By: Sebastian Toma / Take this with a grain of salt, but it seems that German sportscar company Gumpert was acquired by a group of foreign investors from Hong Kong. The supercar manufacturer filed for bankruptcy in 2012, after a potential investor backed out of a de...

 
Volkswagen Teases New Concept for CES 2016, Looks like Electric Bulli
Volkswagen Teases New Concept for CES 2016, Looks like Electric Bulli

30 Dec 2015, 15:33 UTC · By: Sebastian Toma / Volkswagen has released a video teasing its concept car for the CES 2016 trade show in Las Vegas. The teaser isn’t too revealing, but we do notice an almost flat front end and a flat trunk lid. The company’s show car is clearly an ev...

 
Ex-DARPA Challenge Autonomous Vehicle Pops Up on eBay
Ex-DARPA Challenge Autonomous Vehicle Pops Up on eBay

30 Dec 2015, 13:50 UTC · By: Sebastian Toma / The used vehicle market always has surprises in store for those who are looking for something different. Let’s say you’re an eccentric individual and want an Isuzu VehiCross, the charismatically designed SUV launched in the late 1990...

 
Zenos E10 R Will Make First Public Appearance at Birmingham Performance Car Event
Zenos E10 R Will Make First Public Appearance at Birmingham Performance Car Event

30 Dec 2015, 12:16 UTC · By: Sebastian Toma / Zenos, the brand started by former Caterham CEO Ansar Ali, has announced the first public presence of the new E10 R. Like the previous cars from Zenos, the 350 BHP E10 R will be shown at the Performance Car Show, held at the Birmingham NEC on Ja...

 
Ford Will Recall Almost 10,000 Cars in the USA
Ford Will Recall Almost 10,000 Cars in the USA

30 Dec 2015, 10:20 UTC · By: Sebastian Toma / Ford has announced two separate recalls in the USA, targeting almost 10,000 cars. The first of them is aimed at specific Ford models made between January 11, 2012, and October 14, 2013, and affects around 9,017 cars, Autoblog reports. This r...

 
Barrett-Jackson to Sell Three Rare Porsche Convertibles
Barrett-Jackson to Sell Three Rare Porsche Convertibles

29 Dec 2015, 16:46 UTC · By: Sebastian Toma / The famed Barrett-Jackson auction house will host its 45th Anniversary Scottsdale Auction in January 2016. During the event held from January 23-31, 2016, the company will put under the hammer five Porsche models that will attract collectors. Th...

 
Canceled Next-Gen Skoda Roomster Looked Ready to Go
Canceled Next-Gen Skoda Roomster Looked Ready to Go

29 Dec 2015, 15:33 UTC · By: Sebastian Toma / Skoda canceled the second generation of the Roomster although the car was already developed and had reached a final prototype stage. Even if the car didn’t reach production, this doesn’t mean prototypes weren’t built. Some of t...

 
BMW Will Only Assemble Five M4 GTS Units a Day
BMW Will Only Assemble Five M4 GTS Units a Day

29 Dec 2015, 13:21 UTC · By: Sebastian Toma / BMW M GmbH will only make five M4 GTS cars a day. The vehicles will be assembled by hand in the same factory that made the M6 GT3 and the M135i Cup. The German company can afford to only build five M4 GTS units a day, though, since it’s on...

 
Inexperienced Trucker Destroys Historic 1880s Bridge with Sheer Ignorance
Inexperienced Trucker Destroys Historic 1880s Bridge with Sheer Ignorance

29 Dec 2015, 11:06 UTC · By: Sebastian Toma / Around 135 years ago, the town of Paoli finished the construction of an iron bridge. It was able to hold vehicles of up to six tons. In December 2015, the bridge was one of the last historical landmarks in the town, but the construction will fail t...

 
Chevrolet Trax Makes a Statement with Midnight Edition
Chevrolet Trax Makes a Statement with Midnight Edition

29 Dec 2015, 09:31 UTC · By: Sebastian Toma / Chevrolet Trax, the smallest SUV in the brand’s portfolio, will be available in a special edition called Midnight. This particular version of the Trax is based on the top-spec LTZ trim, but it comes in black and the interior is all gray. ...

 
Unique 1953 Cadillac 62 Coupe by Ghia Is Up for Auction
Unique 1953 Cadillac 62 Coupe by Ghia Is Up for Auction

28 Dec 2015, 18:21 UTC · By: Sebastian Toma / Want a one-of-a-kind Cadillac customized by a famous Italian coachbuilder? Look no further, we’ve found the one for you! We’re speaking about a 1953 Cadillac Series 62 Coupe built by the Italians at Ghia. Only two cars like this were...

 

Stories by Sebastian Toma