autoevolution
 

Vlad Radu

1,142  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.
Analyzing the 2021 Chevrolet Bolt EV Chassis and Powertrain
Analyzing the 2021 Chevrolet Bolt EV Chassis and Powertrain

4 Nov 2020, 15:36 UTC · By: Vlad Radu / Big things come in small packages is a saying that fits perfectly for the Bolt EV, an affordable little car powered by a simple yet powerful drivetrain that sets new standards for long-range electric vehicles. The roots of the Bolt can be trace...

 
Why Audi Replaced Diesel With a V8 TFSI Engine on the SQ7 and SQ8
Why Audi Replaced Diesel With a V8 TFSI Engine on the SQ7 and SQ8

3 Nov 2020, 16:19 UTC · By: Vlad Radu / The SUV has been rapidly gaining popularity over the last few decades for its practicality and comfort. But what can be better than a premium SUV like an Audi Q7 or Q8? A really fast S version of those vehicles powered by a twin-turbo TFSI V8 the l...

 
Understanding Porsche’s Innovative Climate Control for Convertible Cars
Understanding Porsche’s Innovative Climate Control for Convertible Cars

3 Nov 2020, 15:01 UTC · By: Vlad Radu / We all love convertibles, as they deliver a unique sense of freedom when driving with the top down and make us feel more connected to the car. One of the biggest problems with them is climate control or the lack of it but thanks to Porsche’s ...

 
Things to Consider When Buying an EV Charger for Your Home
Things to Consider When Buying an EV Charger for Your Home

3 Nov 2020, 09:23 UTC · By: Vlad Radu / Electric vehicles are not part of the realm of science fiction anymore, with many manufacturers unveiling a new model seemingly every month. In turn, more people have started buying them. The next logical step for most new EV owners is installing a...

 
Is the Aventador SVJ Braking System as Good as the Car?
Is the Aventador SVJ Braking System as Good as the Car?

2 Nov 2020, 18:15 UTC · By: Vlad Radu / One of the most respected and sought-after supercars of the last decade, the Lamborghini Aventador has a track-focused version that obliterated the Nurburgring-Nordschleife lap record for production cars. One of the key features of the SVJ’s ...

 
Examining What's New for the 2021 Chevrolet Silverado HD
Examining What's New for the 2021 Chevrolet Silverado HD

2 Nov 2020, 16:14 UTC · By: Vlad Radu / The successor of the long-running Chevrolet C/K has become one of the most trusted pickup trucks on the continent, with the heavy-duty versions being the obvious choice for those who need a powerful vehicle capable of handling the toughest of tasks...

 
A Detailed View of the Most Powerful 4-Cylinder Engine, Mercedes-AMG's M139
A Detailed View of the Most Powerful 4-Cylinder Engine, Mercedes-AMG's M139

2 Nov 2020, 14:16 UTC · By: Vlad Radu / The elevated level of craftsmanship and ingenuity of the Affalterbach engineers has brought us some of the most sought-after high-performance cars. With a few exceptions, they take standard Mercedes vehicles, which are already great, and make them ...

 
Here Is Why the V6 EcoDiesel Is the Best Choice for the 2021 Jeep Gladiator
Here Is Why the V6 EcoDiesel Is the Best Choice for the 2021 Jeep Gladiator

31 Oct 2020, 17:30 UTC · By: Vlad Radu / Introduced earlier this year, the new Gladiator brings improvements and a new EcoDiesel engines to Jeep’s popular pick-up truck model. If you are a fan of the versatile Wrangler and its legendary off roading capabilities but a pickup truc...

 
Here Is the Futuristic Lucid Air Interior and its Awesome Features
Here Is the Futuristic Lucid Air Interior and its Awesome Features

31 Oct 2020, 17:12 UTC · By: Vlad Radu / The production version of the highly anticipated Lucid Air is here, and the first impressions are all positive. The luxury executive EV is set to offer an unprecedented range, immense power, and one of the most advanced driver-assistance systems in...

 
What is Brake-by-Wire and How it Works
What is Brake-by-Wire and How it Works

31 Oct 2020, 16:40 UTC · By: Vlad Radu / The brake-by-wire technology used in the automotive industry enables the control of brakes through electrical means. It can either complement traditional service brakes or can be used as a standalone system. With the exponential growth of hybri...

 
Here is Mercedes-AMG's Most Powerful V8 Ever - the Heart of the GT Black Series
Here is Mercedes-AMG's Most Powerful V8 Ever - the Heart of the GT Black Series

31 Oct 2020, 16:25 UTC · By: Vlad Radu / For those out there that think that the Mercedes-AMG GT, GT S, or GTR are just not fast enough, the German manufacturer recently released the GT Black Series, a track-oriented monster that can complete a lap on the Nordschleife in less than seven m...

 
A Closer Look at the Audi e-tron Route Planner and What it Has to Offer
A Closer Look at the Audi e-tron Route Planner and What it Has to Offer

31 Oct 2020, 16:10 UTC · By: Vlad Radu / The future is electric, there is no doubt about that, as more and more manufacturers release capable electric vehicles. The infrastructure is slowly catching up, charging station networks are continuously expanded in most parts of the world and nav...

 
What is the Ford Bronco’s Crawler Gear and How it Works
What is the Ford Bronco’s Crawler Gear and How it Works

31 Oct 2020, 15:48 UTC · By: Vlad Radu / The new Ford Bronco is one of the most anticipated vehicles to hit the roads next year and we could talk for hours about how awesome it is. Having an impressive list of features like the removable doors and roof it also promises to be an off-road b...

 
This Is the Chevy Silverado Multi-Flex Tailgate and What it Can Do
This Is the Chevy Silverado Multi-Flex Tailgate and What it Can Do

31 Oct 2020, 13:31 UTC · By: Vlad Radu / The pickup truck is a vehicle you buy for its practicality. Sure, it is nice to drop a Hemi in one just because you can, like Dodge did, but to most, an awesome truck is one that is dependable when you need it most. Chevrolet, a manufacturer de...

 
Why the Bronco + Filson Wildland Fire Rig Concept Should Go into Production
Why the Bronco + Filson Wildland Fire Rig Concept Should Go into Production

30 Oct 2020, 16:49 UTC · By: Vlad Radu / As record-breaking wildfires in the U.S. have burned down more than 8.2 million acres (33,000 square kilometers) of land this year, Ford and the legendary outdoor outfitter Filson have teamed up to create a custom fire rig to aid the overwhelming ...

 
A Corvette C7 Must-Have: ACS Composite’s Waterfall Storage Compartment
A Corvette C7 Must-Have: ACS Composite’s Waterfall Storage Compartment

30 Oct 2020, 14:52 UTC · By: Vlad Radu / Sports cars are not as practical as SUVs, we all know that, but for those out there who love their C7 Corvette too much to drive around in a RAV4, there are options to make it a bit more practical. Here is where the good folks at ACS Composite come...

 
A Look at the Very Useful Porsche Racing Bike Carrier
A Look at the Very Useful Porsche Racing Bike Carrier

30 Oct 2020, 13:31 UTC · By: Vlad Radu / Yes, you read that right, there is an original Porsche-made bike carrier for those of us who wake up too late on a race day and decide to quickly strap on their competition bike to the 911 Turbo and get there in time.    Porsche makes b...

 
Here are the High-Performance Features of the Hyundai i20 N
Here are the High-Performance Features of the Hyundai i20 N

30 Oct 2020, 11:07 UTC · By: Vlad Radu / The N performance division of Hyundai continues to expand its range of production car by adding a third high-performance model, the rally-inspired i20 N, a small hot hatch that is set to compete with the likes of the Ford Fiesta ST, VW Polo GTI and...

 
A Closer Look at the Cupra Formentor Powertrains
A Closer Look at the Cupra Formentor Powertrains

30 Oct 2020, 09:06 UTC · By: Vlad Radu / The Spanish car manufacturer has a long tradition of releasing high-performance versions of its cars under the Seat Sport and more recently, the Cupra names. The latest iteration is the brand’s first performance SUV, the Formentor. Previe...

 
Understanding Audi's eAWS Active-Roll Stabilization System
Understanding Audi's eAWS Active-Roll Stabilization System

30 Oct 2020, 08:15 UTC · By: Vlad Radu / The SUV has quickly become a favorite among motorists due to the practicality, versatility and imposing driving feel they offer, but getting large vehicles to handle like a sports car is a huge challenge. Not for Audi’s innovative engineers, ...

 

Stories by Vlad Radu