autoevolution
 

Vlad Radu

1,306  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.
5 Modern Zagato-Bodied Masterpieces You Probably Never Knew Existed
5 Modern Zagato-Bodied Masterpieces You Probably Never Knew Existed

24 Nov 2024, 09:12 UTC · By: Vlad Radu / One of Italy's most prestigious coachbuilders, Zagato has crafted gorgeous bodies for many iconic classics, as well as several modern models that few still remember. Founded by famed designer Ugo Zagato in 1919, the coachbuilding company qu...

 
5 of the Most Iconic GM A-Bodies From the Golden Age of Muscle
5 of the Most Iconic GM A-Bodies From the Golden Age of Muscle

23 Nov 2024, 19:28 UTC · By: Vlad Radu / During the golden age of muscle, General Motors' A-body platform underpinned some of the most iconic tire shredders in American automotive history. General Motors was one of the first automotive companies to implement platform sharing to in...

 
5 Factory-Built Twelve-Cylinder One-Offs Based on Regular Production Models
5 Factory-Built Twelve-Cylinder One-Offs Based on Regular Production Models

23 Nov 2024, 17:33 UTC · By: Vlad Radu / The automotive counterpart of Mary Shelley's Victor Frankenstein, these unorthodox production models were transformed into twelve-cylinder-powered monsters by their respective manufacturers. Throughout the decades, several manufacturers hav...

 
5 of the Greatest Race and Road Cars Designed by the Legendary Gordon Murray
5 of the Greatest Race and Road Cars Designed by the Legendary Gordon Murray

23 Nov 2024, 07:59 UTC · By: Vlad Radu / One of the greatest designers of all time, Gordon Murray, has been the mastermind behind several revolutionary race and road cars. Born on June 18, 1946, in Durban, South Africa, to Scottish parents, Ian Gordon Murray fell in love with cars and ...

 
Out of This Galaxie: Meet Ruffian's 1964 Land-Yacht Turned Modern Street-Legal Race Car
Out of This Galaxie: Meet Ruffian's 1964 Land-Yacht Turned Modern Street-Legal Race Car

22 Nov 2024, 12:10 UTC · By: Vlad Radu / A custom car work of art, this Ford Galaxie 500 looks like it was created in the 1960s by a bunch of pistonheads who went on a two-month vacation into the future. If you're into video games, particularly older ones like Counter-Strike, you&...

 
20th Anniversary Trans Am: The Greatest Pontiac Muscle Car That Didn't Feature V8 Power
20th Anniversary Trans Am: The Greatest Pontiac Muscle Car That Didn't Feature V8 Power

21 Nov 2024, 15:09 UTC · By: Vlad Radu / For most enthusiasts who lived through the 1960s and 1970s, a muscle car had to be based on a large-volume production model and hide a large, potent, naturally aspirated V8 under the hood. While the limited-edition 20th Anniversary Trans Am ticked ...

 
The Marlin: A Look Back at AMC's Delightfully Unusual 1960s Halo Car
The Marlin: A Look Back at AMC's Delightfully Unusual 1960s Halo Car

20 Nov 2024, 15:59 UTC · By: Vlad Radu / Though it was rather short-lived and didn't break any sales records, the reasonably-priced upscale Marlin introduced a dramatic pillarless fastback design that attracted people to AMC's dealerships. In the spring of 1954, the Nash-Kelv...

 
International Scout: The Off-Roading Icon That Helped Pave the Way for Modern SUVs
International Scout: The Off-Roading Icon That Helped Pave the Way for Modern SUVs

19 Nov 2024, 16:06 UTC · By: Vlad Radu / Introduced as a spartan off-roader, the Scout quickly morphed into one of the very first vehicles that ticked all the boxes of what became the wildly popular Sport Utility Vehicle (SUV) segment. Founded in 1902 from the merger of several smaller...

 
Maserati Khamsin: Remembering Marcello Gandini's V8-Powered Wedge-Shaped Masterpiece
Maserati Khamsin: Remembering Marcello Gandini's V8-Powered Wedge-Shaped Masterpiece

18 Nov 2024, 14:16 UTC · By: Vlad Radu / Designed by one of the automotive industry's biggest names, the Khamsin looked spectacular and handled even better. Unfortunately, the wedge-shaped beauty went into production during a tumultuous era and never got the credit it deserved. Bo...

 
5 of the Most Iconic Indy 500 Pace Cars From the Golden Age of Muscle
5 of the Most Iconic Indy 500 Pace Cars From the Golden Age of Muscle

17 Nov 2024, 09:01 UTC · By: Vlad Radu / During the 1960s and early 1970s, muscle cars reigned supreme in the US. Naturally, some of the most popular models received pace car duties at the famous Indy 500 race, where they got a huge boost in popularity. First held in 1911, the Indianap...

 
5 of the Most Impressive Supercar Concepts From the 1990s
5 of the Most Impressive Supercar Concepts From the 1990s

17 Nov 2024, 08:43 UTC · By: Vlad Radu / Apart from the iconic production supercars released during the 1990s, the decade also saw the introduction of some amazing concepts that are still fascinating today. Though the decade started with financial turmoil in the global markets, which a...

 
5 of the Most Grossly Underrated Sports Cars From the 2000s
5 of the Most Grossly Underrated Sports Cars From the 2000s

16 Nov 2024, 20:20 UTC · By: Vlad Radu / While not among the greatest sports cars manufactured between 2000 and 2009, these five models never got the credits that they deserved. Designed with an emphasis on performance, sports cars have been delivering an exciting driving experience to...

 
5 Quickest Muscle Cars Over the Quarter Mile During the 1970 Model Year
5 Quickest Muscle Cars Over the Quarter Mile During the 1970 Model Year

16 Nov 2024, 20:02 UTC · By: Vlad Radu / During the model year that gave us the highest-horsepower muscle cars of the golden age, these five models reigned supreme over the quarter mile. Since Pontiac introduced the GTO in 1964, American manufacturers have been engaged in a fearsome ba...

 
5 Affordable Sporty Classics That Make Excellent Pistonhead Daily Drivers
5 Affordable Sporty Classics That Make Excellent Pistonhead Daily Drivers

15 Nov 2024, 18:00 UTC · By: Vlad Radu / If you're an enthusiast who dreams about owning a reliable, sporty classic that can be driven daily, one of these five models can turn that dream into reality without spending an obscene amount of money. Many die-hard pistonheads out there ...

 
Lancia Fulvia Sport Zagato: A V4-Powered Baby GT That's Still Thrilling Today
Lancia Fulvia Sport Zagato: A V4-Powered Baby GT That's Still Thrilling Today

15 Nov 2024, 14:25 UTC · By: Vlad Radu / One of the last Lancia Icons designed before the company was bought by Fiat, the Fulvia Sport Zagato is a classic sports car that punches well above its weight, delivering an exciting driving experience that one wouldn't expect from a car deve...

 
1969 Mach 1: Remembering the 'Stang That Started With a Bang
1969 Mach 1: Remembering the 'Stang That Started With a Bang

14 Nov 2024, 13:43 UTC · By: Vlad Radu / Often overlooked when talking about the most iconic first-generation Mustangs, the original Mach 1 was a huge hit during its first year on the market. Resulting from the Jet Age, which had a huge influence on the automotive industry, the Mach 1 ...

 
1953 Series 62 by Ghia: Meet One of the Rarest, Most Elegant Cadillacs Ever Made
1953 Series 62 by Ghia: Meet One of the Rarest, Most Elegant Cadillacs Ever Made

13 Nov 2024, 15:33 UTC · By: Vlad Radu / Although an All-American, mass-produced Series 62, this Caddy received a masterfully handcrafted Italian body that transformed it into a timeless automotive work of art. During the 1950s, those who wanted the ultimate American luxury car visite...

 
1970 Chevelle SS 454 LS6 Convertible: The Drop-Top King of the Muscle Car Golden Age
1970 Chevelle SS 454 LS6 Convertible: The Drop-Top King of the Muscle Car Golden Age

12 Nov 2024, 13:00 UTC · By: Vlad Radu / Extremely rare and valuable today, the 1970 Chevy Chevelle SS 454 LS6 was the most powerful factory-built drop-top muscle car of the era. Since the muscle car era was kicked off by Pontiac and its GTO in 1964, the vast majority of factory-built ...

 
1970 NART Zagato: The Cadillac Eldorado Turned Exotic, Italian-Bodied Grand Tourer
1970 NART Zagato: The Cadillac Eldorado Turned Exotic, Italian-Bodied Grand Tourer

11 Nov 2024, 14:35 UTC · By: Vlad Radu / Though largely forgotten, this one-off with prancing horse badges remains one of the most fascinating exotics produced during an era of close ties between American manufacturers and Italian coachbuilders. Throughout the '50s, '60s, an...

 
Mr. Norm's GSS Demons: Remembering the Wildest MOPAR Compacts of the 1970s
Mr. Norm's GSS Demons: Remembering the Wildest MOPAR Compacts of the 1970s

7 Nov 2024, 14:14 UTC · By: Vlad Radu / During the early 1970s, the most revered Dodge dealer unleashed two spectacular versions of the underachieving Demon. Although few still remember them, Mr. Norm's GSS Deamons remain some of the wildest high-performance compacts from the golden...

 

Stories by Vlad Radu