Why wait until you pull together your first million - starting this fall you can drive Alfa Romeo's forthcoming coupe regardless of your credit rating - in Atari's Test Drive Unlimited online racing game.

Atari has announced that Alfa's 8c Competizione (shown above, in the game's virtual Hawaii) has been added to the game's portfolio of more than 125 licensed vehicles from manufacturers including Lamborghini, Aston Martin, Pagani, Saleen, Jaguar, Mercedes and Ducati (yes, the game includes bikes).

Currently in beta prior to its release this fall, Test Drive Unlimited is the gearhead's version of the MMPORG (Massively Multi-Player Online Role-Playing Game) - a new genre which Atari calls MOOR, for Massively Open Online Racing. Thousands of gamers will be able to play simultaneously, driving hundreds of realistically-rendered cars and bikes on more than 1,000 miles of Hawaiian roads on the island of Oahu. TDU players win races, challenges, missions and tournaments to earn credits that they can use to purchase new cars (from in-game dealerships!), bikes, performance parts, new apparel for their avatar, homes and, of course, garages.

Cars are fully functional to the manufacturer's specs, and include such niceties as working wipers, radio, horn and electric windows. Hop-ups are drawn from either the actual manufacturer's catalog, or from the in-game "aftermarket."

More details here and here.

[Source: Atari via Italiaspeed]