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It's been almost 13 years since Dale Earnhardt, Sr. was killed during the 2001 Daytona 500, but the famed No. 3 will be making its return to the sport at that very track next month with NASCAR Sprint Cup rookie Austin Dillon behind the wheel. We first heard reports of this back in August, but Richard Childress Racing has made the news official this week.

There is no doubt the No. 3 will bring some extra attention to Dillon next season, but ESPN reports that team owner Richard Childress, and Dillon's grandfather, said that he's received overwhelmingly positive feedback from series fans this year. That report also indicated that the neither of the two paint schemes planned for 2014 (with major sponsorships coming from Dow and Cheerios) will have any resemblance to Earnhardt's trademark black, red and white GM Goodwrench design.

With Kevin Harvick – Earnhardt Sr.'s successor – leaving RCR at the end of this past season, Dillon was named as his replacement in the three-car team, which will transition the Chevrolet SS racecar from Harvick's No. 29 back to The Intimidator's number. Dillon is no stranger to the No. 3 in NASCAR, as he has raced and won titles with this number in the Nationwide and Truck series.

What do you think of RCR's resurrection of Earnardt's No. 3? Let us know in our poll and/or Comments.

Mercedes-Benz designers had the unique challenge of creating a bespoke new car for the recently released Gran Turismo 6, but the automaker took that challenge a step further by creating a full-scale showcar, a concept it debuted at last month's LA Auto Show. The long, low and wide AMG Vision GT is obviously a car not meant for this world (unless, of course, you're J&S World Wide Holdings), but Mercedes has released a video showing how it brought the video game special to life.

We would have to imagine that vehicle designers already have one of the coolest jobs in the automotive industry, but the guys behind the Mercedes AMG Vision GT seemed to have a little extra fun with this assignment. Rather than having to worry about practicality or safety, these designers instead had to focus on how the car looked when viewed through all of the game's perspectives. Yes, this actually required them to play video games on the job. Poor guys!

The video, which is posted below, shows some of the other prospective designs for this car and even some in-game action, but the best part is perhaps listening to the virtual exhaust note that was also created specifically for this car.

Autonomous cars may still be in their infancy, but more and more big names in the auto industry are diving in head first. Nissan is already making strides with a semi-autonomous Leaf EV and General Motors is planning to offer semi-autonomous tech by 2020. And then there's Google, doing its thing with a fleet of Toyota Prius. Now, Ford is showing off its latest automated effort, a driverless Fusion Hybrid.

Partnering with the University of Michigan (Go Blue!) and State Farm Insurance, the project is part of Ford's Blueprint for Mobility, the company's plan for transportation beyond 2025. "The Ford Fusion Hybrid automated vehicle represents a vital step toward our vision for the future of mobility," Chairman Bill Ford said. "We see a future of connected cars that communicate with each other and the world around them to make driving safer, ease traffic congestion and sustain the environment."

The automated Fusion features four LiDAR infrared sensors that scan the road 2.5 million times every second, using a principle similar to the echolocation used by dolphins or bats. Using the infrared light emitted by the LiDAR, the car can draw a picture of everything within 200 feet to create a map of its surroundings. According to Ford, the sensors are able to tell the difference between a paper bag and a small animal from a football field away.

Take a look down below for some of the exciting information on this autonomous project from Ford.

It's not every day that the FIA opens up applications to accept a new Formula One team on the grid. In fact the last time it did was in 2010, when 15 interested parties applied. The FIA ended up picking three: Virgin, Lotus and HRT. Virgin ended up taken over by Marussia, that Lotus team became what is now known as Caterham, and the Hispania Racing Team (whose 2011 chassis is pictured above, largely without sponsors) ended up dropping out. But now the FIA is reportedly opening it up to find a replacement for HRT and expand the grid back to 12 teams.

Potential new teams are invited to register a formal expression of interest with the FIA by January 3. Considering that's just three weeks away, insiders are speculating that the FIA could already have some applicants in mind. The new team would have to commit to be on the grid by 2015 and remain there through 2020. The regulations state that there can be as many as 13 teams on the grid, so if the FIA – which has sole discretion over which applicant(s) will be accepted – finds more than one suitable new entry, it could feasibly give both a shot at the big leagues.

The Gallardo was far and away Lamborghini's most successful model. Over the course of ten years, the Bolognese automaker sold some 14,000 of them. As the Gallardo has now reached the end of its production cycle, Lamborghini is hard at work developing its replacement, and these are the latest spy shots of the work in progress.

Now wearing swirly camouflage instead of the flat-black wrap spied on previous prototypes, this latest version is our best glimpse yet at the supercar expected to be called Cabrera. Despite the more disguising wrap, though, the contrast between bodywork and air vents is more evident – particularly between the side window and the rear wheel, where this prototype appears to be sporting a panel similar in appearance to the "side blade" on the Audi R8 (with whose replacement the Cabrera is expected to share much). However, this is more likely a bit of disguise to throw us off the scent. Don't be thrown by the headlamp treatment, either. It may look like a Photoshop product, but our photographers on the ground tell us these translucent screens are just another diversion – as if you couldn't tell this was a Lambo from a mile away.

As for technical details, we're still expecting a reworked version of the outgoing model's 5.2-liter V10 driving all four wheels, only retuned to the tune of 600 horsepower. A dual-clutch gearbox (similar to the excellent unit newly installed in the R8) is tipped to transmit the power instead of the six-speed manual or robotized gearboxes in the outgoing Gallardo or the rapid but unrefined ISR transmission in the Aventador. Expect weight to be trimmed thanks to Lamborghini's further experimentation with carbon fiber production techniques, helping the Cabrera do better than hold its own with newer, fresher competition like the Ferrari 458 Italia and McLaren 12C.

After setting a world land speed record in a 50,000-horsepower jet car, we're bringing The List hosts Jessi Combs and Patrick McIntyre back down to Earth with a to-do item more accessible for the common enthusiast: drive the Tail of the Dragon.

If you're not yet in the know, the Tail of the Dragon is an 11-mile stretch of US Route 129 that straddles Tennessee and North Carolina. This windy, forested route runs in the shadow of the Great Smoky Mountains and is known for one thing: curves, and lots of them.

The bulk of its estimated 318 turns are located in The Volunteer State, and the good ones are given names like Crud Corner, Hog Pen Bend and The Whip. Many a motorist and motorcyclist have overestimated their driving abilities here and paid a tax in body panels and pride, and the police now have such a presence that tickets are a rite of passage.

Still, the Dragon comes up in any conversation about the very best driving roads in the US (dozens of you have written in and suggested we tackle it), so it's off to Tennessee we go to cross another major item off The List.

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Where the current roadgoing Ferrari coupe with its rear-mounted V8 can go beyond this Speciale edition, I don't know. The 458 Italia and Spider already hold a very dear place in the hearts of anyone who has driven them on a sunny day over great roads or tracks, and I was pretty sure nothing could beat the heady sensory combo presented in the 458 Spider when I first drove it back in 2011. I may have to change my opinion now.

Companies like Ferrari are in the enviable position of sprinkling performance dust on their already-great base cars, all just to make them a skosh better and grab us again by the loins for one more model year. Some perspective: in 2002, the legendary Enzo set its personal best around Ferrari's 1.9-mile track at Fiorano, pulling a 1:24.9. This 458 Speciale with four fewer cylinders and more weight beats it with a time of 1:23.5, and not once during my laps did I feel as though I might die if my slightest judgment behind the wheel was less than on the money.

This is the new Audi R18. It looks like the Bond villain of race cars (it has red running lamps), and if Audi's past is any indication, it'll prove difficult to beat in the LMP1 class of the 2014 World Endurance Championship.

The car's full name is the Audi R18 E-Tron Quattro, just like last year's car. Also like last year's car, the new R18 draws its power from a V6 turbodiesel, which powers its rear wheels, and Audi's E-Tron hybrid system, which runs its front axle. Unlike last year's car, though, this R18 has a secondary hybrid system. Audi has fitted the V6 with an electric turbocharger and figured out how to capture waste heat generated when the engine reaches its boost limit. That power can then be stored and fed back into either the turbo or the front axle's hybrid system under acceleration.

There are a number of changes to the body on the new car, forced in large part by series regulation changes. The car is narrower, particularly at the front, but it's also taller. The front end is set off by a new wing, as part of a new WEC regulation. Audi seems quite pleased about this, citing an improvement in front-end downforce and a reduction in cost. Like Formula One, the WEC contenders now have to contend with a ban on the so-called blown diffuser, which forced exhaust gases over the diffuser, creating downforce. That's necessitated some changes from Audi, although as we have no rear shots of the car, we can't tell you what it looks like.

We've got a gallery of images of the new, menacing R18 E-Tron Quattro as well as a press release from Audi fully detailing the changes for this season. Take a look.

In a rather sudden move, Volkswagen has announced that, effective immediately, Michael Horn is replacing Jonathan Browning (shown above) as CEO of VW of America. Horn has been with VW since 1990, taking on various roles that include, most recently, the head of VW Aftersales worldwide.

As for Browning, VW says that his departure is due to personal reasons. Browning replaced Stefan Jacoby as VWoA CEO in October 2010, but Automotive News hints that VW's "disappointing US sales," may have been a factor in the executive shakeup, as VW was not on trend to reach its aggressive goal of selling 800,000 units in the US annually by 2018. Scroll down for VW's official announcement (translated from German) as well as some other resulting personnel changes.

With the Car and Driver Ten Best decided, the North American Car and Truck of the Year finalists announced and Cadillac, Ram and Subaru chalking up wins with Motor Trend, it's fair to say that the automotive awards season is in full swing. The next set of trophies to be handed out will be from Ward's Automotive, which has announced the winners of its 2014 10 Best Engines.

The latest contest was marked by the widespread emergence of diesel power and the continued success of turbocharged engines. There was even an electric motor on this year's list. In fact, only three of the ten winners were naturally aspirated and only two winners returned from last year.

"We weren't looking to throw the bums out, as they might say about an election. We were just really impressed with the flood of new powertrains," said Ward's Automotive Editor-in-Chief Drew Winter. Those new powertrains include the 83-kilowatt electric motor from the Fiat 500e, the 1.0-liter, EcoBoost three-cylinder from the Ford Fiesta and the 2.0-liter turbodiesel from the Chevrolet Cruze.

The carryovers from last year were Honda's 3.5-liter V6 from the Accord and Audi's excellent 3.0-liter, supercharged V6 from the S4 and S5. Other big names to make the list include the 3.0-liter, turbodiesel six-cylinders from the BMW 535d and Ram 1500 EcoDiesel, as well as the new 6.2-liter V8 from the seventh-generation Chevy Corvette Stingray. The Stingray and Cruze make Chevy the only brand to score two wins in this year's awards, although the Chrysler Group and Volkswagen Group had two awards among their sub-brands (Chrysler had Ram and Fiat, while VW Group had Audi and VW).

Scroll down for the entire press release from Ward's Automotive, which includes the complete list of winners as well as remarks on each engine.

Chrysler is recalling a small number cars over issues with their 2.4-liter four-cylinder engines. The recall, which affects 522 examples of its 2013 Dodge Avenger and Chrysler 200 models, as well as 2014 Jeep Compass and Patriot CUVs has to do with potential debris in the balance shaft bearings.

The abrasive stuff can cause the oil pressure to drop, which could lead to the engine stalling or outright failure. This situation could at best leave drivers stranded and at worst lead to a crash.

Chrysler will begin notifying owners, who will need to report in to have the balance shaft module replaced. All repairs are naturally free of charge. Scroll down for the bulletin from NHTSA.

Fuel cell electric vehicles (FCEVs) powered by hydrogen were taken more seriously at the LA Auto Show and Tokyo Motor Show last month than ever before, but their presence in the market is still shrouded in fog. Soichiro Okudaira, chief officer of research and development at Toyota, is confident fuel cell costs will come down enough to make FCEVs "just one alternative of the eco cars," but that probably won't happen for another 10-15 years.

Toyota thinks FCEVs will be price competitive against other zero-emission vehicles some time after 2020 and before 2030, Okudaira told Automotive News Europe. Interestingly, the Japanese automaker is confident that cost reductions will come through soon enough to help it sell between 5,000 and 10,000 units a year once the production version of the FCV Concept goes on sale in the first part of 2015.

Toyota is now saying the hydrogen powertrain for 2015 could cost about $50,000 to build.

Retail pricing on the fuel cell car has yet to be announced, but production costs have been coming down. The fuel cell powertrain that Toyota built for a demonstration vehicle in 2007 cost nearly 750,000 euros (over $1 million). A production vehicle is nothing like a concept, and Toyota is now saying a hydrogen powertrain for the 2015 vehicle could cost about 35,900 euros ($50,000) to build, about half the car's expected 72,000-euro ($100,000) price tag. Costs have been coming down in the fuel cell stack by reducing the amount of platinum in the catalyst and making the stack smaller so that it can fit under the front seats. Sharing a motor and other electronic components with the Toyota hybrid lineup is helping lower costs, too.

You can see in the FCV Concept photo gallery how much it looks like the Prius but Toyota has now clarified that the new Prius platform will not be used for the fuel cell car, in part because the FCEV is heavier and has a different underbody structure and layout. What's not yet clear is if the upcoming production fuel-cell vehicle will wear a Prius badge. Readers are split on that.

Selling 5,000 to 10,000 hydrogen-powered units a year after 2015 is more than other automakers are willing to say publicly. Hyundai is previewing a fuel-cell crossover concept and expects to sell about 1,000 fuel cell Tucson SUVs next year. Honda will sell a five-seat fuel cell vehicle in 2015, and Daimler will roll out a fuel cell variant of its B-Class compact car starting in 2017.

​Chevrolet has already confirmed that it will debut the 2015 Corvette Z06 at the Detroit Auto Show next month, and now its motorsports division has announced that the Corvette C7.R racecar will also be on display in Detroit. The new C7.R will then make its racing debut in the Tudor United SportsCar Championship (USCC) racing series at the Rolex 24 at Daytona, on January 25.

Few details are known about the new Corvette racecar, but we did see it testing in prototype form at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca during the Rolex Monterey Motorsports Reunion in August. Chevy Racing is giving the Corvette race team's "Jake" mascot (shown inset) a slight makeover, but it will continue to be a skull with the Corvette's crossed flag logo as eyes.

In addition to the news about the C7.R, Chevy Racing is also celebrating a strong year in motorsports with a total of 12 championships across various racing series like NASCAR, Grand-Am, IndyCar and American Le Mans Series. Scroll down for the full press release.

Several years ago, we posted a video on a dumpy, all-wheel-drive, turbocharged Honda Civic Wagon that starred in a film called Wagon Attack II. The video showed the rusty, red five-door tackling terrain that no Civic has any business driving on, and doing it with flair and style.

Now, the team that produced the original video are back, with Wagon Attack III. The latest video is packed full of goodness for wagon lovers of any stripe. Where the last video saw the turbocharged wagon in Michigan, though, this time it's been shipped to Iceland, where it's flung about on the beaches and dirt roads of the volcanic island.

The video has a bit of a sad ending, though. You'll need to watch it and see what we mean. We've got the entire video down below. Take a look.