autoevolution
 

Vlad Radu

1,119  ARTICLES

Personal motto:

“From success, you learn absolutely nothing. From failure and setbacks conclusions can be drawn. That goes for your private life as well as your career.” - Nikki Lauda

Contributor
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At age five Vlad built a car cockpit out of wood, carboard and an old Trabant steering wheel under his desk and dreamed about driving the world’s most exotic cars. He grew up watching Michael Schumacher become a legendary driver, falling in love with speed and all things Ferrari in the process.

In high school, he crashed a communist-era Dacia 1310 with no brakes into a military base’s fence and almost got arrested on terrorism charges but bribed the base’s sentinel with three packs of cigarettes and only got in trouble for ruining the car.

He then decided to put his passion for cars on hold and concentrate on playing professional basketball. Due to a lack of talent, size, and a serious injury, he was forced to abandon professional sports and take a job as a video game tester. It was during this period that he discovered a passion for reading and writing after finding Hunter S. Thompson’s Hell’s Angels on a park bench.

The author’s writing style was fascinating to young Vlad and he continued to read all his books while creating a blog where he wrote about controversial social issues, inspired by his favorite author.

Years later, he got back to his first passion, taking a job at a local car parts dealership. He worked his way up from the sales department to a successful regional manager position, but something was still missing.

His biggest dream was to write so, when Autoevolution approached him to become a member of the team, he quit his old job instantly, and has been passionately writing ever since.

When he’s not busy creating articles or playing with his two-year-old son, he can be found working on his old BMW 3 Series Wagon or shredding trails on a mountain bike he assembled himself.
5 Most Legendary Muscle Cars Ever Produced by Pontiac
5 Most Legendary Muscle Cars Ever Produced by Pontiac

17 Feb 2024, 19:29 UTC · By: Vlad Radu / Now defunct, Pontiac helped kick-start the muscle car phenomenon, and thanks to these five legendary models, the brand will live on in the hearts of performance enthusiasts. Named after the Odawa chief who led an indigenous uprising around Detro...

 
Maverick Grabber: Ford's Muscly Compact Gem That Deserves To Be Remembered
Maverick Grabber: Ford's Muscly Compact Gem That Deserves To Be Remembered

16 Feb 2024, 10:57 UTC · By: Vlad Radu / Today, the Maverick is Ford's compact pickup truck offering, but back in the 1970s, the Maverick Grabber was a sporty two-door coupe that kept the muscle car flame burning during the dark age of performance. During the 1960s, Ford rode the ...

 
1965 Skylark Gran Sport: The Forgotten Buick Muscle Car That's Still Affordable Today
1965 Skylark Gran Sport: The Forgotten Buick Muscle Car That's Still Affordable Today

15 Feb 2024, 19:32 UTC · By: Vlad Radu / Conceived as a direct response to GM sibling Pontiac's 1964 GTO and based on the same A-body platform, the Gran Sport was Buick's first foray into the realm of 1960s muscle. Throughout its history, Buick has been responsible for buildi...

 
Maserati Shamal: The Underrated Italian Grand Tourer That No One Remembers
Maserati Shamal: The Underrated Italian Grand Tourer That No One Remembers

31 Jan 2024, 15:50 UTC · By: Vlad Radu / While based on the forgettable, often-ridiculed Biturbo, the Shamal was a surprisingly good high-performance grand tourer that never got the credit it deserved. Throughout its history, Maserati went through more ups and downs than any of Italy&...

 
5 Most Impressive Kit Cars You Can Buy Today
5 Most Impressive Kit Cars You Can Buy Today

30 Jan 2024, 18:49 UTC · By: Vlad Radu / If you dreamed about building an awesome car but only have basic mechanical knowledge and tools, you can turn your dream into reality with one of these impressive kits. Kit cars allowing enthusiasts to build and customize their dream rides have ...

 
1966 Fairlane GT: Remembering Ford's First Thoroughbred Muscle Car
1966 Fairlane GT: Remembering Ford's First Thoroughbred Muscle Car

30 Jan 2024, 14:50 UTC · By: Vlad Radu / By the strictest definition, a muscle car is a mass-produced American two-door intermediate equipped with a big-block V8. For the Blue Oval, the first model to abide by this definition was the 1966 Fairlane GT. During the early 1960s, Ford launc...

 
5 Coolest American Vehicles From the Dreaded Malaise Era
5 Coolest American Vehicles From the Dreaded Malaise Era

29 Jan 2024, 20:06 UTC · By: Vlad Radu / Though the Malaise era can be described as a mini-dark age for American design, the dreadful period gave birth to some awesome models that have now reached legendary status. Generally used to depict American-built vehicles marketed from 1973 to ...

 
Banshee XP-833: The Stunning Concept That Could've Rewritten Pontiac's History
Banshee XP-833: The Stunning Concept That Could've Rewritten Pontiac's History

29 Jan 2024, 14:17 UTC · By: Vlad Radu / Conceived to be a sports car that most Americans could afford, the fantastic XP-833 could've been a paradigm-shifting halo car for Pontiac, but GM management prevented it from going into production to protect the Chevrolet Corvette. For dec...

 
5 Used Mid-Engine Sports Cars That You Can Buy for Under $30K in 2024
5 Used Mid-Engine Sports Cars That You Can Buy for Under $30K in 2024

28 Jan 2024, 10:00 UTC · By: Vlad Radu / Are you looking to turn the dream of owning a mid-engine sports car into reality this year but only have $30,000 to spare? Then, here are five used models that you should consider. Though used decades before in experimental race cars, the mid-en...

 
5 Greatest High-Performance Ford V8s From the Golden Age of Muscle Cars
5 Greatest High-Performance Ford V8s From the Golden Age of Muscle Cars

27 Jan 2024, 19:18 UTC · By: Vlad Radu / During what was arguably the most exciting period of the American automotive industry, Ford helped take the American V8 to new performance heights. Last year (2023), Ford celebrated its 120th anniversary as well as two decades since it produced...

 
5 Amazing Mid-Engine Concepts From the '90s That Should've Made It Into Production
5 Amazing Mid-Engine Concepts From the '90s That Should've Made It Into Production

27 Jan 2024, 17:54 UTC · By: Vlad Radu / Plenty of fascinating concepts were conceived during the 1990s. Some were too outlandish to make it onto public roads and deserved to remain one-offs, but these five were so good that we still regret they didn't make it into production. Si...

 
The Bulldog Story: When Aston Martin Tried To Build the World's Fastest Production Car
The Bulldog Story: When Aston Martin Tried To Build the World's Fastest Production Car

27 Jan 2024, 09:01 UTC · By: Vlad Radu / Though it might look simple and outdated today, the Aston Martin Bulldog was a groundbreaking high-performance sports car nearly half a century ago, and if it weren't for a shift in the company's focus, it would've become the fastest...

 
5 Weird and Wonderful Lightweight Production Cars Powered by Motorcycle Engines
5 Weird and Wonderful Lightweight Production Cars Powered by Motorcycle Engines

26 Jan 2024, 16:40 UTC · By: Vlad Radu / Lightweight and unconventional, these production cars ditched traditional engines in favor of high-revving performance units initially developed for motorcycles. You might have heard about motorcycles powered by car engines, but how about the ot...

 
1966 Vauxhall XVR: A Look Back at Britain's Breathtaking Mini Mako Shark II
1966 Vauxhall XVR: A Look Back at Britain's Breathtaking Mini Mako Shark II

25 Jan 2024, 13:37 UTC · By: Vlad Radu / In 1966, the British GM division, known for its mundane models, surprised everyone with one of the most breathtaking concept cars developed in Europe during that decade. One of the UK's oldest car brands, Vauxhall, was established in 1897, ...

 
5 Fastest-Accelerating SUVs That You Can Buy in 2024
5 Fastest-Accelerating SUVs That You Can Buy in 2024

24 Jan 2024, 15:48 UTC · By: Vlad Radu / If you're looking to buy a new SUV this year and blistering fast acceleration is at the top of your checklist, look no further than one of these ridiculously capable performance-oriented models. Though SUVs have been around for decades befo...

 
Ford Cougar II: The Shelby Cobra-Based Corvette Slayer Killed Off by the Mustang
Ford Cougar II: The Shelby Cobra-Based Corvette Slayer Killed Off by the Mustang

24 Jan 2024, 12:45 UTC · By: Vlad Radu / Essentially an early Cobra with a more aerodynamically efficient body, the Cougar II concept was Ford's answer to the C2 Corvette. However, it was swiftly overshadowed by the Mustang, and the pony car's resounding success meant further de...

 
1971 Boss 351: Remembering the Last Thoroughbred, First-Generation Mustang
1971 Boss 351: Remembering the Last Thoroughbred, First-Generation Mustang

23 Jan 2024, 15:59 UTC · By: Vlad Radu / As the government and insurance companies declared war on the Motor City's mass-produced muscle cars, Ford had one final Boss in store for them. Half a century since the last example rolled off the assembly line, the first generation remain...

 
The HTT Pléthore Story: Canada's 1,100-HP Production Supercar That Never Was
The HTT Pléthore Story: Canada's 1,100-HP Production Supercar That Never Was

22 Jan 2024, 13:26 UTC · By: Vlad Radu / Doning an all-carbon-fiber body and one of the era's most potent production V8s mounted in the middle, behind the three-seat cockpit, the Pléthore looked extremely good on paper, but it failed to make it in the real world. Canada is...

 
5 Wildest Police Cars That Served on Public Roads
5 Wildest Police Cars That Served on Public Roads

21 Jan 2024, 08:42 UTC · By: Vlad Radu / Police cars are among the most hated vehicles, especially by speed addicts with a slippery right foot. However, these atypical cruisers are so wild that even the latter category will stand up and applaud. As the world started swapping horse-draw...

 
5 Potent Sleeper Sedans From the 2000s That You Can Buy for Under $25,000 Today
5 Potent Sleeper Sedans From the 2000s That You Can Buy for Under $25,000 Today

20 Jan 2024, 20:24 UTC · By: Vlad Radu / If you've been dreaming of driving an inconspicuous performance sedan but only have money for a new, entry-level Toyota Camry, these five sleepers from the 2000s can turn your dream into reality. The 2000s will probably go down as the last ...

 

Stories by Vlad Radu