Turn 10 Studios has blessed us with another round of screen shots from the upcoming Forza Motorsport 3, as well as a few more hints regarding the tracks and vehicles in the game. The previous update had a Le Mans theme, but this time the focus is on Japan, highlighted by a selection of both cars and tracks from the Land of the Rising Sun.

While the complete line-up of Japanese cars hasn't been released, those listed give us a good idea of the range of vehicles due to be offered. You'll be able to drive everything from sub-compacts like the 2008 Toyota Yaris S and 2009 Honda Fit Sport to the race cars from the Super GT series including the Nismo Nissan GT-R. Of course, Japanese icons are also available, including the Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution and Subaru Impreza WRX STi as well as the latest range of sports cars like the Lexus IS-F and Nissan 370Z.

As far as tracks go, you'll be able to drive on some of Japan's best race venues including the Suzuka, Twin Ring Motegi, and the Tsukuba. With over 100 real-world tracks available in the game, we're guessing this is only a small sampling of the list. Stay tuned for Turn 10 Studio's bi-weekly updates, and be sure to check out the new high-res screen shots in the gallery below. Thanks for the tip, Brandon!




[Source: Forza Motorsport]

Further proof that you can literally fashion anything if given access to enough interconnecting Lego bricks is this Triumph Daytona 1200 motorcycle. The machine has apparently been on display for quite some time at Legoland Windsor in Berkshire, England and is obviously assembled from thousands of individual pieces. We especially like the detailed engine, which is complete with linkages for the carbs and throttle cables.

As cool as this creation is, how much better would it be with a fully functional Lego engine? Of course, having a full-scale building-block motorcycle would also require a matching helmet. May we suggest this one? Click past the break for a video of the LEGO Triumph Daytona on its display stand and click here for more automotive-themed Lego madness.

[Source: Asphalt and Rubber]

Less than one week before Transformers 2: Rise of the Fallen goes into wide release in China, fans of the morphing vehicle-turned-robot movie franchise took to the streets of Beijing in full Bumblebee regalia.

What looks to be a well-organized event was put on by website Autohome.com.cn, and it appears that they even managed to get General Motors' Chevrolet division in on the act, with a new Bumblebee-spec Camaro to lead the procession of like-painted fan cars.

We're not sure we'd go with the yellow-and-black stripes treatment on our own rides, but we remain impressed with both the dedication and the sheer variety of cars that have been given the 'Full Bumblebee,' including a couple of new Cruze sedans and a passel of Aveos, a Ford Focus, a Suzuki Swift and an SX4, a Citroen C4 – even a Mark II Volkswagen Golf. Check out the high-res photo gallery after the jump, and be sure to click on the link below for even more shots of the event. Thanks for the tip, Joe!



[Source: Autohome.com.cn via Google Translate]

Father's Day is right around the corner, and since you probably never became a lawyer or doctor like your dad really wanted, there's likely not a lot of coin in your bank account for a big gift. Fortunately for you, Automoblox has just introduced three new Mini vehicles that cost just $10-12 apiece. They're the seemingly Corvette-inspired White C9-R, Silver S9-R and Gold C9-S. This trio of tiny heirloom-quality toy cars feature painted wheels that match their individual color schemes and a heavy dose of pearl in their plastic parts for a sweet candy effect. If you manage to Craigslist your recliner before Father's Day, the standard C9-R, S9-R and C9-S are also available in a three-pack for $30. Like the rest of the wooden car family, the new Minis can only be purchased online from the Automoblox Store.

If you're new to Autoblog, know that we're big fans of these cars and many of us have our own growing collections of Automobox cars. The fathers among us are hoping that their collections grow a little more this Sunday.



[Source: Automoblox]

The real 24 Hours of Le Mans just ended, but thanks to the upcoming release of Forza Motorsport 3, you'll be able to recreate the battle between Audi and Peugeot any time you want. Turn 10, the developers of FM3, have confirmed the game's inclusion of Circuit De La Sarthe, including every famous turn and that most monster of straights, the Mulsanne. We're told that the entire 8.5-mile course and its 21 famously named turns have been painstakingly recreated - even the shorter Bugatti circuit will be playable.

La Sarthe is no stranger to being virtually recreated in video games. Most recently, the extremely addicting racer GRiD offered up Le Mans in between seasons while playing in career mode. The third installment of Forza, however, will be the most detailed recreation yet.

Turn 10 has also announced a partial list of race cars with which you'll be able to tackle the 24 Hours of Le Mans in your living room. In addition to this year's Le Mans-winning Peugeot 908, Audi's R8 and diesel-powered R10 will be available. There's no mention of the newer R15, but we expect Turn 10 to complete the roster of Audi LMP1 cars with some downloadable content later on.

Check out the gallery below to view the rest of the recently announced Le Mans racers and see how well Turn 10 recreated La Sarthe.



[Source: ForzaMotorsport.net via Jalopnik]

The middle of June might seem like an odd time to release sales figures, but we've just gotten word that previous reports announcing America's best-selling vehicle may have been all wrong. While the Ford F-Series pickup has topped the vehicle sales list for as long as we can remember, the car crown has shifted back-and-forth from the Taurus to the Accord to the Camry for the past few decades. Or has it?

A relatively unlikely American carmaker is now laying claim to that title. Little Tikes Co. of Hudson, Ohio has released sales figures for its iconic Cozy Coupe showing that it has outsold all of those four-door family sedans throughout its 30-year production run. That's right, the red plastic coupe with the yellow top turns 30 this year, and last year alone the company moved 457,000 of them, handily besting the Toyota Camry and Honda Accord.

While the Cozy Coupe you're buying for your kids today might look just like the one you remember unwrapping yourself 30 years ago, it has actually undergone three revisions in that time. The original Cozy Coupe was actually penned by former Chrysler designer, Jim Mariol, in 1979. It kicked off a riding toy craze that hasn't subsided. Rather than resting on their laurels, however, Little Tikes has taken the 30th anniversary of America's favorite ride-on car as a great opportunity for a makeover.

The 2009 model gets Pixar-like eyes up front, a floorboard to keep tiny feet from getting caught under the seat, and a handle and cupholders for parents built into the roof. Besides the classic Cozy Coupe, the company has also offered a variety of specialized models including the Princess edition, a Patrol police car, a Ride & Rescue fire company ride, a pickup truck and the uplevel Grand Coupe among others.

The American-made Cozy Coupe is even being enshrined in the Crawford Auto-Aviation Museum in Cleveland as one of the top twenty best selling models of all time. Congrats on turning 30 and for snagging that best-selling car title. Here's to 30 more years of happy Little Tikes.



[Sources: The Birmingham News, Fox News via NextAutos]

Fans of Gran Turismo are rejoicing over the fifth edition of the legendary racing series that was shown at the E3 gaming expo last week. The world-renown racing sim will also debut a new version for the Sony PSP Go this October, and it It boasts 60 frames-per-second rendering, 800 cars, 35 tracks and the ability to play against three friends over wi-fi – pretty good specs for a portable game.

Last week we showed you a trailer of GT5 for the decidedly non-portable PS3, and now we've got actual running footage of the portable game being played. Hit the jump to view a Nissan GT-R taking on all comers in the newest and smallest edition to the Gran Turismo franchise. You can also see some sweet screen shots of the new GT by viewing the gallery below.



[Source: GT Planet]

F1 drivers tend to accumulate a great deal of money over the course of their careers, and few have had careers quite as distinguished as Sir Stirling Moss. Over the course of only ten years in professional racing, he competed in about 500 races and won some 200 of them. So what did Sir Stirling do after he retired? He built himself a house that would make James Bond drop his martini.

Situated in the swanky Mayfair neighborhood in London, the Moss residence includes such gizmos as a giant tray that lowers from the ceiling to bring him his dinner in front of the television, a remote-controlled jacuzzi tub, an automated inbox/outbox for his office, and – the piece de resistence – a carbon fiber elevator made especially for him by the Williams F1 team. But in case that's not enough, Moss is in the process of building himself a new high-tech, environmentally-friendly residence in Deerfield Beach, Florida. (Where else? The man's over 80 years old, for crying out loud.) Check out the video footage of Moss Manor in Mayfair after the jump.

[Source: The Independent and Sunday Times via Jalopnik]

The holidays come for auto freaks several times a year, and we call those times auto shows. But with the motor show calendar on break for the summer, we got an unexpected injection of octane from this year's E3 video game expo. As if it weren't enough to catch a glimpse at such promising upcoming releases as Forza Motorosport 3, Gran Turismo 5 and Codemasters' FUEL, we've now got another one to add to our shopping lists: Need for Speed SHIFT.

Although previous installments of the NFS franchise focused on outrunning the po-po and tricking out imports, as our thumb-cramped compatriots over at Joystiq found out just this past March, SHIFT promises to deliver a pure racing simulator. EA has now released the full list of cars (including such highlights as the Lexus LF-A, Pagani Zonda R, Nissan GT-R SpecV, BMW M3 GT2 and Audi R8 LMS) and tracks (including the Nürburgring, Laguna Seca and Willow Springs) that'll be included in the game, along with a pair of videos that we've posted after the jump. Check 'em out, and prepare to lose sleep.

Autoblog visited the official unveiling of Forza Motorsport 3, Microsoft's latest racing title for the XBox, at the E3 expo. With graphics playing on numerous flat screens that, to borrow the phrase, moved the game on, and with the backing of an Audi partnership and a gleaming red R8 V10 on a plinth among the crowd, everyone involved was bullish enough on FM3 to make an actual bull think "Better watch out for those guys..." In fact, said Dan Greenwalt, the lead developer at Microsoft's Turn 10 Studios, said "We already made the best racing game the last time, with Forza Motorsport 2." Forza Motorsport 3, he said, signaled that "We were out to make the best game." Follow the jump for the story.