Forza 3 floors it for late October

After a number of false starts, Microsoft and Turn 10 officially, finally, announced Forza Motorsport 3 during the 2009 Electronic Entertainment Expo, saying at the time that the Xbox 360-exlusive racer would hit the gas in October. Today, Microsoft narrowed that launch window: European gamers will be able to get their hands on the racer from October 23, while those in the US will have to wait until October 27. Microsoft also offered a closer look at the Limited Edition bundle that was initially revealed in late June.

The $79.99 Limited Edition bundle will be available exclusively at GameStop and will include a Forza-branded 2GB USB drive and keychain, a dashboard theme, and an instant VIP status upgrade. VIP-level members of the Forza community gain a number of perks, including exclusive access to five cars: the 2009 Aston Martin DBS, the 2009 Chevrolet Corvette ZR1, the 2007 Ferrari 430 Scuderia, the 2007 Lamborghini Gallardo Superleggera, and the 2007 Porsche 911 GT3 RS (997).

The Limited Edition also houses five exclusive cars: The Audi R8 5.2 FSI Quattro, the Acura NSX (Forza Motorsport Cover Car), the Nissan Fairlady (Forza Motorsport 2 Cover Car), the Aston Martin DB9 (Forza Motorsport 2 European Cover Car), and the 2008 Dodge Charger Stock Car (with Xbox 360 livery). According to Microsoft, these cars were "hand-picked, tuned, and painted by the team at Turn 10."

Lastly, Microsoft announced the winner of its preorder program community contest. Justin Van Dusen II of Midland, Michigan, submitted the winning custom car design for the Audi R8 V10 (pictured). Those who preorder Forza 3 will gain exclusive access to Dusen's design when the game becomes available later this year.

Check out GameSpot's hands-on of Forza 3 from this year's E3 for more on the game.