autoevolution
 

Vlad Radu

1,141  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.
Oldsmobile Rallye 350: Too Yellow for 1970, Too Cool and Affordable Today
Oldsmobile Rallye 350: Too Yellow for 1970, Too Cool and Affordable Today

14 Nov 2023, 17:28 UTC · By: Vlad Radu / The upscale GM division's take on an affordable muscle car, the Rallye 350's all-yellow appearance, was too much for most potential buyers in 1970, but today, it's a gorgeous classic that can be had for used Toyota Camry money. Fo...

 
Lancer EX 2000 Turbo: The Forgotten Japanese Legend That Paved the Way for the Evo
Lancer EX 2000 Turbo: The Forgotten Japanese Legend That Paved the Way for the Evo

13 Nov 2023, 14:24 UTC · By: Vlad Radu / Though it looked like a brick-shaped people mover, the EX 2000 Turbo was one of the most potent performance sedans that money could buy at the time of its release. Today, the Japanese manufacturer's model lineup includes a series of boring ...

 
5 Full-Size Sleepers From the '60s Capable of Muscle Car-Rivaling Quarter-Mile Runs
5 Full-Size Sleepers From the '60s Capable of Muscle Car-Rivaling Quarter-Mile Runs

31 Oct 2023, 16:54 UTC · By: Vlad Radu / Equipped with potent V8s, classic muscle cars were built to cover the quarter mile as fast as possible. But, while those models stole the high-performance limelight, some of their larger siblings were capable of surprisingly good quarter-mile runs ...

 
1985 Wildcat: When Buick Made a 4WD Supercar Powered by a McLaren-Tuned Engine
1985 Wildcat: When Buick Made a 4WD Supercar Powered by a McLaren-Tuned Engine

31 Oct 2023, 12:17 UTC · By: Vlad Radu / With an unconventional design and futuristic tech, the 1985 Wildcat remains one of the most jaw-dropping concept cars to don Buick badges. Still around today, thanks to its success in the Chinese market, the oldest surviving American carmaker is...

 
5 Most Beautiful Modern Reinterpretations of Legendary Classic Cars
5 Most Beautiful Modern Reinterpretations of Legendary Classic Cars

30 Oct 2023, 20:24 UTC · By: Vlad Radu / In recent decades, many carmakers have tried to bring back some of their most iconic models by reinterpreting their iconic designs. Most failed to live up to expectations, but these five models rose to the same level of gorgeousness and even manage...

 
DiDia 150 Story: The Masterpiece That Was Once the World's Most Expensive Custom
DiDia 150 Story: The Masterpiece That Was Once the World's Most Expensive Custom

30 Oct 2023, 12:46 UTC · By: Vlad Radu / Sketched by fashion designer Andy Di Dia and made famous by American '50s and '60s superstar Bobby Darin, this unique, coachbuilt work of automotive art held the Guinness record for the most expensive custom car sold to a private buyer ba...

 
5 Epic Mopar Muscle Car Classics That Weren't Powered by a HEMI
5 Epic Mopar Muscle Car Classics That Weren't Powered by a HEMI

29 Oct 2023, 15:43 UTC · By: Vlad Radu / During the short-lived golden age of muscle cars, high-powered Mopars ruled the roads and the drag strips. Though many hid the legendary Elephant engine under their hoods, some became icons with different high-performance engines. Initially a NA...

 
5 Ordinary Cars That Helped Save Prestigious Brands From an Imminent Demise
5 Ordinary Cars That Helped Save Prestigious Brands From an Imminent Demise

28 Oct 2023, 18:25 UTC · By: Vlad Radu / Though not particularly beautiful or powerful, these models were extremely popular, which helped their companies survive through periods when their faith seemed sealed. If you're an older car enthusiast, you surely miss an automotive brand...

 
5 Classic American V8s That Made Plenty of Power Before the Start of the Muscle Car Era
5 Classic American V8s That Made Plenty of Power Before the Start of the Muscle Car Era

28 Oct 2023, 09:31 UTC · By: Vlad Radu / Fitted into production cars during the 1950s and early 1960s, these classic V8s made high-horsepower figures before superstars like the Ford 427 FE, Chrysler 426 HEMI, or GM 454 LS6 came into being. Though we call it "the muscle car era&quo...

 
Cougar 406: The Story of Ford's Forgotten Gullwing Concept Car
Cougar 406: The Story of Ford's Forgotten Gullwing Concept Car

28 Oct 2023, 07:19 UTC · By: Vlad Radu / A few years before the Cougar became the Mustang's upscale, Mercury-badged pony car sibling, the nameplate was used for a glamorous concept with gullwing doors and a massive V8. Ever since the Harley J. Earl-designed Buick Y-Job was unveile...

 
5 Wild Factory-Built Off-Roaders From the '90s That Deserve To Be Remembered
5 Wild Factory-Built Off-Roaders From the '90s That Deserve To Be Remembered

27 Oct 2023, 17:40 UTC · By: Vlad Radu / The 1990s gave us some legendary sports cars and supercars but also a handful of epic off-roaders that some of you might have forgotten. Off-roaders, as we know them today, were first developed for military use during the Second World War years....

 
1970 Monte Carlo SS 454: The Luxurious Sleeper That's Now Cheaper Than a Chevelle SS 454
1970 Monte Carlo SS 454: The Luxurious Sleeper That's Now Cheaper Than a Chevelle SS 454

27 Oct 2023, 12:53 UTC · By: Vlad Radu / Quite possibly the most underrated Chevy from the golden age of muscle cars, the 1970 Monte Carlo SS 454 is currently a much cheaper alternative for the 1970 Chevelle SS 454 and an excellent choice for big-block fans who prefer a sophisticated Amer...

 
5 Underrated yet Reliable and Tuner-Friendly Japanese Engines
5 Underrated yet Reliable and Tuner-Friendly Japanese Engines

26 Oct 2023, 18:39 UTC · By: Vlad Radu / While legendary engines like the RB26DETT, 2JZ-GTE, or 4G63T get all the credit for their innate reliability and virtually limitless tuning potential, those are not the only Japanese motors with such qualities. Engines developed in Japan had gai...

 
5 Awesome Amphibious Vehicles You Probably Never Knew Existed
5 Awesome Amphibious Vehicles You Probably Never Knew Existed

26 Oct 2023, 16:22 UTC · By: Vlad Radu / Though they might look like ordinary vehicles, these awesome amphibians can cruise on open roads and waters. Even more impressive, one of them can even dive! Contrary to what you might believe, amphibious vehicles are not new. The concept was ex...

 
Remembering the Stinger: Don Yenko's Air-Cooled, Flat-Six-Powered Homologation Special
Remembering the Stinger: Don Yenko's Air-Cooled, Flat-Six-Powered Homologation Special

25 Oct 2023, 14:13 UTC · By: Vlad Radu / Before becoming famous worldwide for stuffing obscenely powerful big-block V8s into the engine bays of Camaros or Novas, Don Yenko transformed Chevy's compact Corvair into a legitimate sports car. In 1957, the 30-year-old Donald "Don&q...

 
Mazda Furai: The Rotary-Powered Concept That Never Crashed but Unfortunately Burned
Mazda Furai: The Rotary-Powered Concept That Never Crashed but Unfortunately Burned

24 Oct 2023, 11:58 UTC · By: Vlad Radu / With a beautifully sculptured body and a potent three-rotor engine, the Furai seemed destined to succeed the LeMans-winning 787B on the track, but an unfortunate incident sealed its faith just a few months after its official debut. With a few ex...

 
Remembering the Renaissance Roadster: A Ridler Award-Winning, Coachbuilt Masterpiece
Remembering the Renaissance Roadster: A Ridler Award-Winning, Coachbuilt Masterpiece

23 Oct 2023, 12:29 UTC · By: Vlad Radu / Inspired by a 1930s Ford and powered by A Chevy big block, this four-wheeled work of automotive art might just be one of the most beautiful American customs ever created. The most coveted trophy in the world of custom cars, the Ridler is a year...

 
5 Obscure Yet Breathtaking Supercars Based on the Corvette
5 Obscure Yet Breathtaking Supercars Based on the Corvette

21 Oct 2023, 22:00 UTC · By: Vlad Radu / Though they donned exquisite bodies with little to nothing in common with America's favorite sports car, these obscure supercars were all Corvettes underneath. When it debuted in 1953, the Chevrolet Corvette aimed to demonstrate that the US...

 
Forget the Mustang: The 1970 Torino Cobra Was Ford's Best Muscle Car of the Golden Age
Forget the Mustang: The 1970 Torino Cobra Was Ford's Best Muscle Car of the Golden Age

21 Oct 2023, 21:40 UTC · By: Vlad Radu / While high-performance versions of the first-gen Mustang were (and still are) more popular, let's take a moment and remember the Blue Oval's ultimate street fighter from the golden age of muscle cars. Retired in 1976, the Torino namepl...

 
5 Cheapest Used Ferraris That You Can Buy Right Now
5 Cheapest Used Ferraris That You Can Buy Right Now

21 Oct 2023, 18:23 UTC · By: Vlad Radu / If you dreamed about owning a Ferrari but don't have a six-digit budget and are willing to compromise, you can get one of these less glamorous models. Since introducing the first Ferrari-badged model in 1947, the Italian manufacturer has be...

 

Stories by Vlad Radu