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Attention gear heads and livery lovers, there's a brand new track available for Forza Motorsport 3. The Nürburgring GP Track Pack is now out on Xbox Live Marketplace. As the name suggests, the DLC gives players access to the Nürburgring Grand Prix Circuit, offering both short loops and full loops for races. Should you be interested in laying some rubber on this track, or just showing off your latest artistic creation, Nürburgring will run you 400 ($5).

Shortcut: Download the Nuburgring GP Track Pack [via Xbox.com]

VG247 has posted an interview with Forza Motorsport 3 director, Dan Greenwalt. Perhaps the most interesting bit is Greenwalt's explanation of why developer Turn 10 was so intent on making the game run at 60 frames per second. According to Greenwalt, racers that run at 30fps have "visual shuttering artifacts," which developers are forced to cover up with motion blur. This, he said, takes up GPU resources for other features. Beyond that, he noted that the 60fps benchmark was essential to the "feel" of the game and the responsive nature of the controls. "I'm sure you would get a similar response from Infinity Ward regarding Call of Duty," said Greenwalt.

When asked what he thought about Gran Turismo 5, and whether he was looking forward to it, Greenwalt said that "all good game developers look at what their competitors are doing." He stated that he has been "a long-time fan" of the series, though he added, "At this point, after so many missed releases, it's nearly impossible to say what GT5 will be or when it will ship." That said, Greenwalt believes that Gran Turismo 5 will be "a good racing game." Not exactly "No game competes with us," is it?

The interview also covers some interesting statistics, like the fact that players have driven over 1.1 billion miles in online Forza 3 races. Check out the full interview for more stats and insights on the game's development.

Turn 10 is giving players a chance to vote for the vehicles that will be included in a future Forza Motorsport 3 DLC release. Running until January 29, a poll on car enthusiast site Jalopnik.com features 120 vehicles for players to choose from, focusing specifically on "iconic" and "classic" rides.

The partnership with Jalopnik doesn't end there; March's Forza 3 DLC pack will feature the most "coveted 2009 and 2010 models" as chosen by the site's editors. If you're looking for your favorite whip to make the cut, you best make your click. Wait, what's this? The Batmobile is not on the list? Where's the option for a write-in candidate, huh?

Since its late October launch, Forza 3 has sped into over 1 million homes worldwide, marking a commercial milestone for Turn 10's critically acclaimed racer. In conjunction with today's release of the game's second and now premium DLC car pack (the first one's always free, ain't it?), dubbed "Hot Holidays," Microsoft has tallied up some Forza 3 stats.

According to the publisher, players have so far tracked 6.6 million hours and 590 million collective miles -- no word on flats or oil changes. Microsoft's Aaron Greenberg tweets that "more than 4M [million] auction bids" have lead to "$18.7 billion" virtual dollars spent (we have to imagine at least a billion went to that gorgeous coop pictured above). Of course, Microsoft has its eye on the real dollars, offering today's 10-car pack for 400 ($5). The full list of cars is posted after the break.

Additionally, a second premium pack has been confirmed for January 12, and -- wouldn't you know it -- that date coincides with the kick-off of the Detroit International Auto Show. You think that was planned?

First, a reminder that the free Hyundai Genesis Coupe Car Pack for Forza 3 is now available. The pack includes three different versions of the Hyundai Genesis Coupe, including the Rhys Millen Racing Red Bull coupe, the HKS coupe and a special version made just for Forza 3. Check out some pics in the gallery below.

Second, Microsoft has announced a new "Hot Holidays Car Pack," which will hit Marketplace on December 8. The pack is set to include several 2010 model cars, specifically some super cars and "purpose-built" racing cars. The bulk of the pack's cars are wrapped in secrecy, though Microsoft did tease that one of them will be the Ferrari 458 Italia. Furthermore, the Audi S4 will be offered as a free download to entice players to download the premium content.

Add the Hyundai Genesis Coupe Car Pack

In one of those "We feel sort of gross about this, but it's okay 'cause we get something cool for free" kinda ways, Microsoft today announced a partnership with Hyundai to bring the Genesis Coupe to Forza 3 as DLC on November 17. And not just one measly version, but three: a Rhys Millen Racing Red Bull Hundai Genesis Coupe, an HKS Genesis Coupe, and a "one of a kind" Genesis Coupe will arrive as a pack – free of charge! And though the name Hyundai may not exactly be synonymous with high speed racing, we're assured their modded counterparts will help to clear any misconceptions.

We're not sure if it was intentional, or if someone at Microsoft pulled the wrong lever, but the Forza 3 LCE premium theme -- previously reserved exclusively for those that bought the collector's edition -- is now available to the masses for free. We're guessing this was probably a mistake, as the theme is only showing up on the Xbox.com Marketplace, and we were unable to find it in XBLM on an actual console. If you really like Forza, or you just like cars, you'd best get it now before someone in Redmond gets wise.

Add the Forza 3 LCE theme to your 360 download queue

[Thanks, Faiz R.]

Yeah, you read that headline correctly: Audi is giving away Xbox 360 Elites and copies of Forza Motorsport 3 to anyone who walks in off the street*. All you have to do is walk in to an Audi retailer**, and then receive your game and console***. Unfortunately, this amazing offer seems to only be in effect with Polish Audi retailers, so unless you've got the cash for what would likely be a pricey plane ticket****, you might just have to go without.

* - and purchases a Audi TT Forza Motorsport 3 vehicle, prices starting at $37,800.
** - and give them $37,800
*** - and car.
**** - and a fairly expensive, Forza-branded coupe

[Via VG247, Image]

When Forza Motorsport 3 ships on October 27, the retail package will include two discs: One with the actual game and a second with additional content. While the process of importing the tracks from disc two is a relatively simple procedure, we've developed a quick video to show the process in action.

In order to get all of the game's additional content, racing fans will need to have 1.9GB of hard drive space available to import the entire disc. However, as outlined in the video, players can also choose which content they wish to install if space (or interest) is an issue. A complete listing of the game's disc two vehicles and circuits can be found after the break.

Also of note: Microsoft has revealed all new copies of Forza 3 will include a download token for ten classic vehicles and two additional circuits.

Just a quick reminder, folks. Remember that Forza 3 demo that Microsoft promised earlier this month? Yeah, well it's out now. All the gearheads and car fanatics out there can finally get a taste of Turn 10's latest super sim, the full version of which releases next month. The demo clocks in at one gigabyte and contains 5 beautifully rendered cars which can be raced on the Camino Viejo track. The five cars are:

• 2007 Porsche #80 Flying Lizard 911 GT3-RSR
• 2010 Audi R8 5.2 FSI quattro
• 2009 Ferrari California
• 2008 Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution X GSR
• 2009 Mini John Cooper Works

We were told at E3 that Forza 3 updates its physics 360 times per second. Try to remember that when you crash dead into a wall, because it's not really a failure, you see. It's an amazing technical achievement.

Add the Forza 3 demo to your 360 download queue

It was only a few months ago that Ferrari officially unveiled the successor to the F430 in the much rumored Ferrari 458 Italia. With Forza 3 just over a month away, we can certainly understand how developer Turn 10 couldn't find extra time to fully develop the brand new car for its game. Even though the game went gold recently, the developer got right back to work, announcing recently that the mid-engine V8 monster will arrive as DLC this holiday. There's even a sweet video of the car in action that you can see above (and compare it with the real thing found after the break).

We pressed Microsoft for a price and only heard back, "We're not announcing any other details about the Ferrari vehicle at this time, other than to celebrate its inclusion in the game since it's a sick car." Maybe Microsoft will gift us all free Ferraris for the hoidays!

Are you seeing a pattern yet? After an early reveal, Microsoft has officially announced a 250GB Xbox 360 bundle in the UK and South Africa – including Forza Motorsport 3 (standard edition), two wireless controllers, and a headset – all for price of £249.99 or R4,999 (that's $413 and $680 earth bucks, respectively). The bundle will be available on October 23, alongside the game.

Like the recently announced Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 bundle, this Forza 3 "Super Elite" bundle includes the not-available-separately 250GB hard drive, lending credence to the theory that Microsoft will only be including the beefier drive in bundle form. Unlike the Modern Warfare 2 bundle, we don't expect the Forza Xbox to be Forza-themed.

Interestingly, not all bundles will include this 250GB option: take the similarly European 120GB Halo 3: ODST bundle which swaps the 250GB upgrade for a copy of Halo 3. What's still not clear is if any of these foreign bundles will make their way to North America or if the Modern Warfare 2 bundle gets the 250GB drive all to itself.

Microsoft's John Noonan, who is currently working on Crackdown 2 and is co-host of Microsoft Game Studios' Platform Biased podcast, got folks in a tizzy when he tweeted about the Crackdown 2 Zune HD. We got in touch with Noonan, who let us know that this laser-etched model -- along with many others sporting Xbox-exclusive brands -- are available as part of the Zune Original Program at the Zune Store.

The "Xbox Series" features Halo ODST, Gears of War 2 and Forza 3, along with a few others. There doesn't appear to be an extra charge for the advertising fan appreciation, so the only thing you'll pay for is the Zune -- which, we're told is like an iPod.

Microsoft and Turn 10 have just sent word that Forza Motorsport 3 has gone gold, with time to spare to spin enough disks for the game's European and North American launch on October 23 and 27, respectively. But the racing news doesn't end there, folks. A demo for the upcoming racing sim is heading to the Xbox Live Marketplace on September 24, featuring many of the latest iteration's enhancements.

The Forza 3 demo will feature the game's new cock-pit view, refined damage model, new rewind function and even allow players to pull barrel rolls around the full Camino Viejo circuit. Forza 3's September 24 demo includes five playable vehicles:

• 2007 Porsche #80 Flying Lizard 911 GT3-RSR
• 2010 Audi R8 5.2 FSI quattro
• 2009 Ferrari California
• 2008 Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution X GSR
• 2009 Mini John Cooper Works

And with a true competitive spirit, the demo will also support official leaderboards for gamers to compare their best lap times. Strap in, folks. This one is rounding its last corner before crossing store shelves.