autoevolution
 

Vlad Radu

1,148  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.
2022 BMW iX Is a Tech-Laden EV, Here Are Five of Its Most Interesting Features
2022 BMW iX Is a Tech-Laden EV, Here Are Five of Its Most Interesting Features

10 Jun 2021, 13:42 UTC · By: Vlad Radu / Set to join BMW’s all-electric lineup next year, the all-new iX has been recently revealed in great detail. It packs plenty of power, it has an above-average range, and comes with a host of exciting features. With their newest all-electri...

 
A Look Back at the Legendary M113 K V8, One of the Best Engines Developed by AMG
A Look Back at the Legendary M113 K V8, One of the Best Engines Developed by AMG

9 Jun 2021, 12:44 UTC · By: Vlad Radu / Throughout the years, AMG has taken some terrific Mercedes engines and tuned them to perfection. Among their most epic creations was the M 113 K, a supercharged V8 that became legendary and is considered one of the best powerplants to come out of A...

 
Mahle’s Innovative Magnet-Free EV Motor: How It Works and Why It’s a Big Deal
Mahle’s Innovative Magnet-Free EV Motor: How It Works and Why It’s a Big Deal

8 Jun 2021, 15:22 UTC · By: Vlad Radu / The leading German tech giants over at Mahle have developed an electric motor that doesn’t use permanent magnets. It has the potential of powering a wide range of vehicles, it’s highly efficient, and it can be manufactured without ...

 
Lambo's Essenza SCV12 Has FIA Hypercar-Homologated Full Carbon Chassis
Lambo's Essenza SCV12 Has FIA Hypercar-Homologated Full Carbon Chassis

8 Jun 2021, 12:10 UTC · By: Vlad Radu / If you’re not a professional driver, but you have a thirst for racing, Lamborghini is offering one of the most innovative track weapons money can buy. It’s called Essenza SCV12, and among the multitude of race-spec features, it comes w...

 
This Cheap Wacky Racer Finished the Nurburgring 24-Hour Race, Became a Cult Hero
This Cheap Wacky Racer Finished the Nurburgring 24-Hour Race, Became a Cult Hero

7 Jun 2021, 16:01 UTC · By: Vlad Radu / Although dense fog made it the shortest race in the event's history, the 49th running of the 24 hours of Nürburgring had plenty to offer. The number 911 Manthey-Racing Porsche 911 GT3 R came out on top, but another car stole the show. Wit...

 
Extremely Rare, Race-Spec Bugatti EB 110 SC Returns to the Track After 25 Years
Extremely Rare, Race-Spec Bugatti EB 110 SC Returns to the Track After 25 Years

7 Jun 2021, 11:12 UTC · By: Vlad Radu / One of the most breathtaking supercars of the 1990s, the EB110 symbolized the rise from the ashes of the famous French luxury brand. Most of the 139 units built became part of exclusive collections and saw limited time on the road, let alone on the...

 
Full Details of the Savage Bentley Continental GT3 Pikes Peak Weapon
Full Details of the Savage Bentley Continental GT3 Pikes Peak Weapon

5 Jun 2021, 11:14 UTC · By: Vlad Radu / For this year’s renowned hill climb event, the British automaker’s main goal is to break the Time Attack 1 record held by Porsche. To achieve this, it has developed a monstrous version of its Continental GT3 and recruited a three-time P...

 
Step Inside the AMG GT Black Series: Exploring the King of the 'Ring's Interior
Step Inside the AMG GT Black Series: Exploring the King of the 'Ring's Interior

4 Jun 2021, 12:45 UTC · By: Vlad Radu / In the past, automakers who built track-focused versions of their everyday sports cars aimed to increase performance and shed as much weight as possible, so the cabins were usually stripped of comfort-oriented features. That is not the case with Me...

 
Take a Closer Look at the 2022 BMW i4 M50 and Decide If It Deserves M Badges
Take a Closer Look at the 2022 BMW i4 M50 and Decide If It Deserves M Badges

2 Jun 2021, 11:44 UTC · By: Vlad Radu / The Bavarian carmaker has recently taken the wraps off the sportier version of the i4, which has become the first all-electric M model. Fans of the brand have mixed feelings about it, arguing that it doesn’t really deserve the iconic badges,...

 
Remembering the Time When Porsche Built the High-Performance Mercedes-Benz 500 E
Remembering the Time When Porsche Built the High-Performance Mercedes-Benz 500 E

31 May 2021, 16:01 UTC · By: Vlad Radu / To the untrained eye, it looked just like a standard E-Class, but the 500 E was a rabid version of the popular mid-size sedan from the 80s and 90s. Developed, assembled, and fine-tuned by Porsche, the V8-powered wolf in sheep’s clothing was c...

 
Mazda RX500: The Futuristic Concept That Inspired a Hugely Popular 1970s Toy Car
Mazda RX500: The Futuristic Concept That Inspired a Hugely Popular 1970s Toy Car

31 May 2021, 12:16 UTC · By: Vlad Radu / With a design that seems to combine a classic supercar with a spaceship, the RX500 is one of Mazda's most innovative cars ever built. Although it never made it into series production, the rotary-powered concept inspired one of the best-selling...

 
1969–1970 Mustang Boss 429: The Epic Road-Legal Pony Car With a NASCAR Engine
1969–1970 Mustang Boss 429: The Epic Road-Legal Pony Car With a NASCAR Engine

31 May 2021, 08:18 UTC · By: Vlad Radu / To homologate a new engine destined for NASCAR use, Ford decided to squeeze it into a road-legal Mustang, creating the Boss 429, one of the most iconic pony cars ever built. In the 1960s, the Blue Oval was hellbent on dominating motorsport and ...

 
1969–1970 Mustang Boss 302: The Story of Ford’s Iconic Z28 Camaro-Killer
1969–1970 Mustang Boss 302: The Story of Ford’s Iconic Z28 Camaro-Killer

31 May 2021, 07:38 UTC · By: Vlad Radu / Born and bred to bring glory for the Blue Oval in the Trans-Am championship once again, the Boss 302 was one of the coolest high-performance variants of the original Mustang. Let’s take a trip down memory lane and remember its fascinating sto...

 
1967 GT500 Super Snake: The Tale of a Pony Car With a Le Mans-Winning Heart
1967 GT500 Super Snake: The Tale of a Pony Car With a Le Mans-Winning Heart

29 May 2021, 13:50 UTC · By: Vlad Radu / Our Mustang Month continues with the story of the legendary 1967 GT500 Super Snake. Born out of the outrageous idea of fitting a Le Mans-winning GT40 engine into a pony car, it has become one of the most iconic vehicles ever built by the legendary ...

 
Looking To Buy a Used Fifth Generation Mustang? These Are the Most Common Issues
Looking To Buy a Used Fifth Generation Mustang? These Are the Most Common Issues

29 May 2021, 12:36 UTC · By: Vlad Radu / If you love the Mustang and you’re looking to buy a 2005-2014 model, there are a lot of used options out there for bargain prices. Still, this is not a vehicle with a reputation for outstanding reliability so before you seal the deal, make su...

 
Five Reasons Why a Chevrolet Corvette C8 Is a Better Choice Than an Acura NSX
Five Reasons Why a Chevrolet Corvette C8 Is a Better Choice Than an Acura NSX

27 May 2021, 13:15 UTC · By: Vlad Radu / At first glance, the high-tech, hybrid-powered AWD Acura NSX has a lot going for it, especially when compared to the Chevrolet Corvette Stingray. However, once we delve into the details, it’s easy to see why the latter is a better choice. ...

 
2021 Palisade Limited vs. Calligraphy: The Differences Between the Top Two Trims
2021 Palisade Limited vs. Calligraphy: The Differences Between the Top Two Trims

27 May 2021, 12:27 UTC · By: Vlad Radu / There’s a lot to like about the Hyundai Palisade, and those who are looking to buy one have four distinct trims to choose from. New for 2021 is the Calligraphy trim, which climbs atop the trim ladder to dethrone the Limited. This article expl...

 
Mercedes Details 2022 C-Class Sedan's Trims, Here’s What Each One Has to Offer
Mercedes Details 2022 C-Class Sedan's Trims, Here’s What Each One Has to Offer

26 May 2021, 05:56 UTC · By: Vlad Radu / The luxury carmaker has announced that it will make it easier for U.S. customers to purchase the latest iteration of its popular sedan. It will do that by offering it in three distinct trim levels, and we now have all the juicy details about each o...

 
This Is Why the Power Frunk Is the 2022 Ford F-150 Lightning's Coolest Feature
This Is Why the Power Frunk Is the 2022 Ford F-150 Lightning's Coolest Feature

25 May 2021, 12:23 UTC · By: Vlad Radu / The widely anticipated move of the popular F-150 to all-electric propulsion is now a reality. The Lightning is here, and it’s even more capable than its ICE-powered siblings. It also takes practicality to new heights, and its versatile frunk ...

 
The Five Coolest Ford Mustang Trim Names of All Time
The Five Coolest Ford Mustang Trim Names of All Time

24 May 2021, 14:20 UTC · By: Vlad Radu / To begin with, Ford chose an awesome nameplate for what became one of the most iconic cars in history. The automaker also christened many Mustang trims with very catchy names that increased the cool factor throughout the years, so here are our favo...

 

Stories by Vlad Radu