Ford Racing is continuing to launch its assault on all forms of motorsport with the upcoming launch of the 2010 Boss 302R Mustang to commemorate the 40th anniversary of the original Boss 302's 1970 Trans-Am championship. No photos of the car have been released quite yet, but we do have plenty of information thanks to a leaked letter to Ford dealers. Like the FR500S, FR500C, FR500CJ and other Mustangs available from the Ford Racing Performance Parts catalog, the Boss 302R is for off-road use only and will be built in very limited quantities. Just 50 are planned for production at a starting cost of $79,000.

Two versions of the 302R will be available, with the base package designed to compete in various SCCA and NASA classes and the upgraded version built to Grand-Am KONI Challenge Series specifications. The base Boss 302R includes a 5.0-liter four-valve V8 pushing out an estimated 400 horsepower as well as a six-speed transmission, race-spec suspension, brakes and tires, and safety equipment including a roll cage and race seats with safety harnesses. The Grand-Am spec version also gets a sealed high-output race engine, seam-welded body, racing fuel cell, a data acquisition system and more for a cost of $129,000.

Ford Racing is currently taking orders, and judging by sales of their other competition Mustangs you will need to order immediately if you want to get your hands on one. Follow the jump for more information and detailed specifications of the 2010 Ford Racing Boss 302R.

We've been keeping tabs on Rhys Millen Racing and their construction of a V8-powered, mid-engine Hyundai Genesis Coupe for the last few weeks. Called the RM460 Genesis Coupe, this car will make its official debut at SEMA in early November, but we've got the first rendering of the exterior right here for ya.

As we've mentioned before, the engine is the 4.6-liter Tau V8 normally found under the hood of a Hyunda Genesis sedan. The Gen Coupe's rear seat has been tossed to make room, and the V8 has been upgraded with eight individual throttle bodies, a set of JE pistons and an AEM engine management system that all work in concert to bump power to 500 horsepower. In order to make the engine accessible back there, RMR also replaced the trunk lid with a carbon fiber rear hatch that's vented and hinges near the roof line.

Being a SEMA car, there's hardly a bolt or nut on this car that hasn't been modified. The stock transmission was swapped out for a Mendeola five-speed sequential gearbox and the stock suspension augmented by a set of KW coilovers. HRE 560 Series 20-inch wheels, Toyo T1R tires and a StopTech braking system round out the hardware upgrades. The exterior, meanwhile, features an RMR Signature Edition kit with carbon fiber spoilers and custom RM ONYX HD paint job by BASF. The interior sports seats plus alcantara and carbon fiber trim panels from Sparco, and there's a boomin' sound system by Infinity as well.
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Volkswagen is no stranger to promoting its vehicles using games for the iPhone and iPhone Touch. Witness such forgetables as Volkswagen Polo Challenge 3D [iTunes link] and Volkswagen Scirocco R 24H Challenge 3D [iTunes link], both by developer FISHLABS. Neither game is very fun to play, being on the early end of the curve for racing games on Apple's smart phone. For the launch of the new GTI, however, Volkswagen got smart and instead partnered with developer Firemint, which already has a well received racing game for sale in the App Store called Real Racing [iTunes link]. Together, the two companies have put out Real Racing GTI [iTunes link], a free version of the $6.99 app that exclusively features the new 2010 Volkswagen GTI.

We'll get to the game in a second, but the big news is that VW is putting some promotional muscle behind the app by launching a contest (view rules and regulations here) to give away six brand new, limited edition GTIs just for playing the game. Thankfully, your chances of winning are not tied to your skill level, and entering involves simply registering through the game and completing a race. What's more, you can enter once per day and Volkswagen will pick a winner each week for the next six. The GTI prize cars are limited edition models with numbered dash plaques, special interior and exterior trim and unique 18-inch black wheels.

As for the game, it's pretty solid. While only featuring the GTI and fewer tracks, all the gameplay mechanics are the same as the paid app. The control settings are also extensive allowing you to steer using either the device's accelerometer or a steering wheel on the screen, as well as choosing between auto or manual modes for accelerating and braking. The competition AI, however, is pretty weak, allowing you to pass them all from the back of the grid before the first turn and then hanging on the back of your bumper for the rest of the race.

The Tokyo Motor Show doesn't have as much going on in the way of cars as we'd like, but there are still a few gems among the pack – especially in the area of motorsports. The Japanese are as keen about their sports as they are their motors, and when the two are combined, you get some pretty tasty kit. Examples? Check out the Nissan GT-R Super GT, a rallying Japan Subaru WRX STi, several Moto GP offerings, and a Toyota F1 car. And unlike in the passenger car realm, the Europeans haven't been left out, with the Alpina B6 GT3 and a McLaren Formula One racer making a show of things.

Arguably more than any other automaker in the world, Lotus is ripe for a return to racing. Its products are uniquely track focused. Its history is rife with motorsport heritage. And its new chief executive comes to the company after stints at Red Bull and Ferrari, two outfits deeply involved in top-tier racing.

Unfortunately, as Dany Bahar points out, the formative Lotus F1 Racing team set to join the grand prix circus next season has little to do with the sportscar manufacturer and engineering concern which he now heads. Instead, the name is being furnished by parent company Proton to a consortium of investors in its native Malaysia. Bahar wants a slice of the action, and Proton would be wise to give it to him. But the executive who earned his reputation as a branding guru has more plans to get Lotus back into racing beyond the F1 team.

Speaking to a group of Lotus employees, Bahar reportedly disclosed that the company is looking at getting into a variety of racing series, including Indy, Le Mans and GT racing. That's some ambition for a company that hasn't seriously competed in decades, but if any team can pull it off, it's Bahar and Lotus.

Despite having a dominant year with a record-tying eight class wins in the LMP2 category, the Lowe's Fernandez Acura ARX-01b might not be back for the 2010 ALMS season. The Indianapolis-based race team, one of the three original announced by Acura back in 2006, has failed to secure a major sponsor for next year and will cancel its racing program if it fails to find one by the end of the month. As is often the case, however, misfortune can often lead to opportunity. England-based Strakka Racing has made plans to purchase the Acura ARX-01owned by Fernandez Racing and will compete with the car in the European Le Mans Series next year as well as the 24 Hours of Le Mans. The deal has yet to be finalized, but Strakka has already informed the LMS organizers of its intentions and has signed British driver Danny Watts, who previously drove a Panoz Esperante GT-LM in the series.

It's been fifteen years since Lotus last competed in Formula One, but that dry spell is about to come to an end as the British engineering firm and sportscar maker is set to join the grid once again for next season as one of four new teams in the series. Preparations appear to be going full-steam ahead, and Lotus F1 Racing (as the team will officially be known) has released a pair of images depicting a full-scale wind-tunnel model of the car they'll be running next year.

Like the other new entries – and possibly a handful of veteran teams – the Lotus F1 car will be running under Cosworth power, taking advantage of the low-cost engine package commissioned by the FIA. Having worked with nearly every team on the grid, Mike Gascoyne serves as technical director for the new outfit, with Air Asia owner Tony Fernandes temporarily serving as team principal. The team is being fielded by a consortium of Malaysian investors including the aforementioned airline, the government, Lotus owner and local automaker Proton, the Sepang circuit and the national motorsport and automobile associations.

There's been talk as well of Malaysia's former A1GP team folding into Lotus F1 Racing now that it has withdrawn from the series itself, while speculation continues regarding who'll drive for the team. Toyota's Jarno Trulli is tipped to be one leading candidate, while Malaysian driver Fairuz Fauzy – who has won races in A1GP, GP2 and World Series by Renault over the past couple of years – could prove a compelling choice for the team's Malaysian owners and sponsors, which could as well include national oil consortium and former Sauber sponsor Petronas.

Wedging BMW's V10 into an M3 is nothing new, but what if you want the convenience of a wagon? Manhart Racing has the answer. The German tuner has converted an E91 to look like the M3, then stuffed M5's V10 into the engine bay complete with its seven-speed SMG. To quote Manhart Racing..."Attention all sporty, family men!"

The transformation from a standard E91 3-Series Estate to super wagon begins with the exterior, where the car gets the front fascia, front fenders, side skirts, and the powerdome hood from the M3. Manhart Racing then adds their own rear wheel arches and rear fascia that makes room for a stainless steel exhaust system sporting quad exhaust tips. Next, the 5.0-liter V10 gets stuffed into the engine bay along with the the gearbox, and a limited slip differential is mounted out back.

Manhart claims a 0-100 kmh time of 4.3 seconds and a top speed of just over 200 mph. You can buy your own turnkey version for a mere €120,000 or Manhart will gladly upgrade your current E91.

Hold on to your butts, people. Ford Racing and Roush Fenway Racing have unveiled their new stock car based on the poniest of pony cars. Prior to this, Ford teams in NASCAR have driven Fusions. Well, all right, none of them were actual Fusions or will be actual Mustangs. Rather, they'll be normal stock cars like everyone else in NASCAR drives that are covered with enough stickers and fake grilles to make you think that you might be looking at a Mustang from the stands. Man, "stock car" has really become a contradiction in terms.

Now you won't see Mustangs turning left next week in Charlotte at Lowe's Motor Speedway. The new car will compete in four races next year and only in the Nationwide Series, not the Sprint Cup. As such, it won't be based on the Car of Tomorrow platform that the Sprint Cup series uses, but rather the newer, different Car of Tomorrow platform designed specifically for the Nationwide Series. This first new Mustang to race in the Nationwide Series will be the No. 16 Con-way Freight Mustang driven by Colin Braun for Roush Fenway Racing. Is it enough to make us love NASCAR? Not quite, but if we had to race a bathtub on wheels, we'd pick this one.

One of our favorite forms of racing just wrapped up another season with a typically exciting finale at California's Laguna Seca raceway. Although it doesn't get much press, we love Speed World Challenge because the cars are so much like the ones we drool over in the real world and the drivers are a great mix of gentlemen racers and displaced pros looking to keep their skills sharp if and when they get the call to move up to the show. Some drivers only make it out to one or two races, while others are in it for the championship trophy –but when they do show up, they are driving some impressive machinery.

We just told you about the championship-winning Ford Mustang FR500C, but the list of competitors reads like a fantasy car collection, with drivers campaigning vehicles like the Porsche 911 GT3 Cup, Dodge Viper, Lamborghini Gallardo, Chevrolet Corvette, Aston Martin DB9, Lotus Exige S, Acura NSX, Cadillac CTS-V, and even a Mercedes-Benz SLR McLaren 722 GT. The slightly less exotic Touring Car class features fun cars like the Mazda6, Mazda3 and RX-8, Dodge Neon SRT-4, Acura TSX and Integra Type R, BMW 325 and 328i, Scion tC, Honda Civic Si, Ford Focus, Subaru WRX and Legacy, Lexus IS300, and even a Volkswagen Jetta TDI.

As is the case with most racing these days, the series and event titles are longer than the tracks they race on, but we're willing to type it all out here for those who want to know what happened in the SCCA Pro Racing SPEED World Challenge Championship Presented by Toyo Tires season finishing Applied Computer Solutions Monterey Sports Car Championship Presented by Bondurant at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca. That's quite a mouthful, but there's even more to the story. Follow the jump to read all about this, the final race to determine the championship. You'll find a full report as well as the complete results for the race and the final points standings for all of the drivers and teams that competed in Speed World Challenge this season.