autoevolution
 

Vlad Radu

1,136  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.
Bilstein Evo SE Aftermarket Suspension Transforms 992 Gen Porsche 911s
Bilstein Evo SE Aftermarket Suspension Transforms 992 Gen Porsche 911s

22 Oct 2020, 10:01 UTC · By: Vlad Radu / German suspension experts are so obsessed with perfection that they took an extremely good handling car and made it even better. Building on the factory coilovers they supplied for the 992 generation, they recently released a high-performance after...

 
Cadillac’s 4th Generation MagneRide Suspension Has Tons of Improvements
Cadillac’s 4th Generation MagneRide Suspension Has Tons of Improvements

22 Oct 2020, 09:21 UTC · By: Vlad Radu / The American luxury vehicle manufacturer has a long history of offering smooth-riding, impeccably crafted cars, and SUVs and one of the key technologies behind this feat is the Magnetic Ride Control (MagneRide) technology. Let us be honest, whe...

 
Understanding the Shift to 48V Systems Happening in the Automotive Industry
Understanding the Shift to 48V Systems Happening in the Automotive Industry

21 Oct 2020, 16:03 UTC · By: Vlad Radu / We live in times where there is a shift from traditional combustion engines to hybrid and fully electric vehicles. Everyone experiences this but few of us are aware of the fundamental change in vehicle architecture. That change is driven by the...

 
Examining the Engine of the World’s Fastest Car, the SSC Tuatara
Examining the Engine of the World’s Fastest Car, the SSC Tuatara

20 Oct 2020, 16:46 UTC · By: Vlad Radu / At the heart of the world’s fastest production vehicle, the SSC Tuatara, stands a marvel of engineering that makes a bold statement, that combustion-engine-only power is still alive and well. The Washington-based carmaker that gave us the...

 
A Closer Look at the Tiny Friendly Giant Engine of the Koenigsegg Gemera
A Closer Look at the Tiny Friendly Giant Engine of the Koenigsegg Gemera

20 Oct 2020, 15:29 UTC · By: Vlad Radu / Unveiled at an online-streamed event that replaced the canceled 2020 Geneva Motor Show, the Koenigsegg Gemera is the Swedish manufacturer’s first production four-seater and the first to use a compact engine along with a tri-motor setup, on an...

 
The Pros and Cons of Hydrogen-Powered Vehicles
The Pros and Cons of Hydrogen-Powered Vehicles

19 Oct 2020, 15:20 UTC · By: Vlad Radu / As the combustion engine era is slowly ending, more and more manufacturers are shifting to fully electric vehicles. The fundamental change has gained momentum in the last few years with Battery Electric Vehicles (BEV) emerging as the favorite emiss...

 
A Detailed Glimpse at the Inner Workings of the Mercedes-Benz EQC
A Detailed Glimpse at the Inner Workings of the Mercedes-Benz EQC

19 Oct 2020, 13:46 UTC · By: Vlad Radu / The Mercedes-Benz EQC is the first production EV of Daimler’s EQ Brand. Based on the Generation EQ concept unveiled at the Paris Motor Show in 2016, the beautifully designed compact luxury SUV began production three years later. To showca...

 
A Guide to the Origins of Porsche's GT3 Name
A Guide to the Origins of Porsche's GT3 Name

19 Oct 2020, 09:29 UTC · By: Vlad Radu / Porsche’s meanest machines bear this name and with it turning 21 this year, we look at the beginnings of the high-performance lineup. The GT3s are road legal racing machines and their beginnings can be traced to the late '60s, when Po...

 
BMW’s Biggest Remote iDrive Software Upgrade and How to Install it
BMW’s Biggest Remote iDrive Software Upgrade and How to Install it

19 Oct 2020, 08:13 UTC · By: Vlad Radu / The Series 7 software introduced in 2018 is now receiving its biggest remote upgrade. It is also the biggest in BMW history, with over 750,000 of the premium brand’s vehicles receiving new and enhanced features. Owners can download this ...

 
Toyota’s Direct Shift-CVT and How It Works
Toyota’s Direct Shift-CVT and How It Works

17 Oct 2020, 08:39 UTC · By: Vlad Radu / Toyota’s rise to automotive highs is well documented. They took the world of endurance racing by storm and pioneered many innovative technologies. Among them, the Direct Shift-CVT transmission. The CVT, or continuously variable transmissi...

 
Examining Renault’s New CMF-EV Platform and Its Potential
Examining Renault’s New CMF-EV Platform and Its Potential

16 Oct 2020, 13:52 UTC · By: Vlad Radu / Renault has released details about how they envision the future of their cars by unveiling the Megane eVision show car, the group’s first vehicle based on the Alliance’s new Common Module Family – Electric Vehicle (CMF-EV) platfor...

 
Here is What to Look for When Replacing the Cabin Air Filter
Here is What to Look for When Replacing the Cabin Air Filter

16 Oct 2020, 12:08 UTC · By: Vlad Radu / This filter is an important part of the vehicle’s ventilation system. It helps remove dangerous pollutants like dust smug, mold spores and pollen from the air that enters the cockpit. It also reduces the load on the blower, protects the s...

 
A Look at Lucid’s DreamDrive: Revolutionary or Ordinary?
A Look at Lucid’s DreamDrive: Revolutionary or Ordinary?

16 Oct 2020, 10:05 UTC · By: Vlad Radu / The production version of the breathtaking Lucid Air was revealed recently, and its goal is to set new standards for the luxury EV segment. It brings unparalleled range, a massive power output, efficient aerodynamics, and what is described as one o...

 
This is How BMW's LaserLight Technology Works
This is How BMW's LaserLight Technology Works

15 Oct 2020, 08:23 UTC · By: Vlad Radu / The German manufacturer continues to bring innovative technologies to the market, and one highlight of these technologies is the LaserLight system that revolutionized BMW headlights. Designed with the our safety in mind, they help us see farth...

 
2021 Hyundai Veloster N's New 8-Speed Transmission Explained
2021 Hyundai Veloster N's New 8-Speed Transmission Explained

15 Oct 2020, 08:09 UTC · By: Vlad Radu / With the introduction of the 2021 Veloster N, Hyundai left some of its Veloster N fans disappointed by bringing back the same inline-4, turbocharged 2.0-liter engine of the earlier year. They tried their best to make up for this though, adding a ve...

 
Here's a Detailed Look at the 2021 Audi A4 Allroad Prestige
Here's a Detailed Look at the 2021 Audi A4 Allroad Prestige

14 Oct 2020, 08:37 UTC · By: Vlad Radu / The A4 available as a wagon does not have the luggage space you would expect from such a body style, but you don’t buy an Allroad for luggage space. You do it to be able to drive on bumpy trails in style, while having fun with the excellent ...

 
Hyundai-Kia’s Intelligent Manual Transmission Explained
Hyundai-Kia’s Intelligent Manual Transmission Explained

13 Oct 2020, 14:50 UTC · By: Vlad Radu / Kia Motors unveiled details about its Intelligent Manual Transmission (iMT) earlier this year, a manual transmission which has been designed to equip the Korean manufacturer’s mild-hybrid electric vehicles. The new transmission has be...

 
What to Look for When Choosing a New Set of Tires
What to Look for When Choosing a New Set of Tires

13 Oct 2020, 13:55 UTC · By: Vlad Radu / Getting a new set of tires for your vehicle can be extremely time-consuming. They come in many sizes and types, and perform differently. There is also a wide range of prices. Tires are an extremely important and often overlooked part of the way ...

 
Understanding Turbos, Superchargers and the Evolution of the E-Turbo
Understanding Turbos, Superchargers and the Evolution of the E-Turbo

13 Oct 2020, 12:43 UTC · By: Vlad Radu / The ever-growing need to make smaller, more efficient engines has forced car manufacturers to rethink the traditional turbos and superchargers. On road cars, the traditional way to get more power out of an engine is to use either a supercharger ...

 
Is The 2021 Volvo XC40 Recharge EV Worth Buying Despite its Mediocre Range?
Is The 2021 Volvo XC40 Recharge EV Worth Buying Despite its Mediocre Range?

11 Oct 2020, 13:59 UTC · By: Vlad Radu / The Swedish car manufacturer is set to release its first pure electric vehicle, the XC40 Recharge P8 next year. Based on the award-winning, compact-luxury XC40 SUV, the Recharge is Volvo’s answer to the Mercedes-Benz EQC and Tesla Model Y. Bu...

 

Stories by Vlad Radu