autoevolution
 

Vlad Radu

1,129  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
editor photo
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 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 ...

 
5 Greatest American Muscle Trucks Ever Produced
5 Greatest American Muscle Trucks Ever Produced

20 Jan 2024, 19:04 UTC · By: Vlad Radu / When it comes to vehicles, nothing is more American than muscle cars and pickup trucks. These two fundamentally different rides have merged throughout the years, giving birth to some epic high-performance street pickups, also known as muscle trucks...

 
De Tomaso Longchamp: The Rare Italian Grand Tourer With a Muscle Car Heart
De Tomaso Longchamp: The Rare Italian Grand Tourer With a Muscle Car Heart

19 Jan 2024, 12:41 UTC · By: Vlad Radu / Built to compete against the Mercedes-Benz C107 SLC, the Longchamp was a luxurious Italian 2+2 that hid a powerful Ford small-block V8 under the hood. Established in 1959 by former race driver Alejandro de Tomaso, the small Italian company that ...

 
Remembering the Reactor: A Legendary 1960s Custom That's Still Mind-Blowing Today
Remembering the Reactor: A Legendary 1960s Custom That's Still Mind-Blowing Today

18 Jan 2024, 19:03 UTC · By: Vlad Radu / Based on a Citroen chassis, powered by a Chevy flat-six, and donning a handbuilt body that looks like a spaceship, The Reactor is an automotive masterpiece that deserves to be rediscovered. The sixties were arguably the greatest years for the Am...

 
1964 Mercury Comet A/FX: One of the Rarest, Most Brutal Muscle Cars of the Sixties
1964 Mercury Comet A/FX: One of the Rarest, Most Brutal Muscle Cars of the Sixties

17 Jan 2024, 13:01 UTC · By: Vlad Radu / Based on an upscale compact developed by a brand that didn't prioritize performance, the lightweight, 427-powered A/FX became an instant drag racing legend. During the early 1960s, it became clear that "Win on Sunday, Sell on Monday&qu...

 
Saleen S7: A Look Back at One of the Finest, yet Most Underrated Modern Supercars
Saleen S7: A Look Back at One of the Finest, yet Most Underrated Modern Supercars

16 Jan 2024, 16:40 UTC · By: Vlad Radu / Unfairly forgotten these days, the S7 was not just a breathtaking, highly original American road-legal supercar that could rival Europe's finest but also a legitimate race car that racked up an impressive number of wins. These days, when en...

 
Challenger T/A and AAR 'Cuda: The Mopar Twins That Didn't Need Big Blocks To Shine
Challenger T/A and AAR 'Cuda: The Mopar Twins That Didn't Need Big Blocks To Shine

15 Jan 2024, 16:20 UTC · By: Vlad Radu / Two of the original muscle car era's most exciting homologation specials, these E-body twins became muscle car icons despite not hiding large-displacement V8s inside their engine bays. The 1970 model year went down as the most exciting of t...

 
5 Plebian Little Hatchbacks That Became Mid-Engine Beasts
5 Plebian Little Hatchbacks That Became Mid-Engine Beasts

13 Jan 2024, 20:10 UTC · By: Vlad Radu / Though smaller hatchbacks were designed to offer people an affordable mode of transportation and nothing more, several manufacturers decided to transform their tiny, entry-level models into insane, mid-engine beasts. The idea of placing the pow...

 
Lotus Esprit Sport 300: The Mid-Engine Masterpiece That Flirted With Perfection
Lotus Esprit Sport 300: The Mid-Engine Masterpiece That Flirted With Perfection

12 Jan 2024, 17:09 UTC · By: Vlad Radu / Though three decades have passed since it was unveiled, and many have forgotten that it exists, this racecar-derived homologation special remains one of the greatest mid-engine sports cars ever produced. Founded in the 1950s by the great Colin ...

 
Ferrari 456 GT: The Grossly Underrated Modern Classic That's Worth Every Penny Today
Ferrari 456 GT: The Grossly Underrated Modern Classic That's Worth Every Penny Today

11 Jan 2024, 14:59 UTC · By: Vlad Radu / Breathtakingly beautiful, surprisingly spacious, and, best of all, V12-powered, the 456 is one of the cheapest, most underappreciated modern classic Ferraris on the used car market, which makes it the perfect choice for anyone looking to buy an ico...

 
1973 Pontiac Trans Am SD-455: The Muscle Car Golden Age's Last High-Performance Legend
1973 Pontiac Trans Am SD-455: The Muscle Car Golden Age's Last High-Performance Legend

10 Jan 2024, 14:28 UTC · By: Vlad Radu / By 1973, American carmakers attempted to cope with new emission and safety regulations (plus a global fuel crisis) by ditching the once-popular high-performance models in favor of so-called econoboxes. However, Pontiac decided to swim against the t...

 

Stories by Vlad Radu