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The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration has announced that BMW is recalling 241,000 3 Series models for potentially faulty rear lamps. According to NHTSA, certain 2002-2005 325i, 325xi, 330i and 330xi models built between September 1, 2001 and March 1 2005 may experience increased resistance at the electrical contacts. This resistance may eventually lead to the failure of tail light, brake light or turning indicator lamps over time. That failure could impede a driver's ability to warn other motorists of his or her intentions, potentially leading to an accident.

BMW dealers will repair the electrical components free of charge once the recall gets underway in October of this year.

Previously, BMW issued a technical service bulletin concerning a certain eight-pin connector which would overheat and melt under extreme electrical load. BMW dealers corrected the issue by adding additional grounding to the circuit. It's unclear whether this remedy will also be applied to the recall. Hit the jump for the full recall notice.

When you're the reigning F1 world champion – and well on your way to a repeat performance – you should be able to get your hands on any car you want. And in Sebastian Vettel's case, that's the Infiniti FX.

In fact, the young German already owns one and drives it back home in Germany in between grands prix and Infiniti promotional events. But he's about to get a version catered more to his tastes. And considering his proven taste for speed, that's bound to translate to some big performance figures.

Of course, Infiniti isn't telling us much in the way of details, preferring instead to tease us incrementally with a video, a solitary picture and now four more as the vehicle's unveiling in Frankfurt approaches. What it is telling us is that the FX Sebastian Vettel edition is based on the top-spec FX50S Premium and features modifications to the engine, suspension and body, and should be capable of speeds in excess of 300 km/h (186 mph).

We'll evidently have to wait a little longer for further details, but for now you can check out the images in the gallery and the press release after the jump for a closer look.

Finalizing the calendar for the Formula 1 World Championship can't be an easy task. Each race organizer has its own demands, as do the teams. The FIA has its say, and so does Formula 1 Management. Logistical considerations need to be taken into account, as well as projected weather conditions. So it strikes us as reasonable enough that the schedule should need to be tweaked and adjusted here and there. Now, after releasing the initial calendar back in June and receiving input in August for changes, the FIA has announced what looks set to be the final calendar for the 2012 Formula 1 World Championship.

So what are we looking at? A jam-packed 20-race calendar, for starters. After its anticipated premier this season, the Indian Grand Prix is slated to return next season. Turkey is back on the calendar (and no longer with a tentative asterix), as is Bahrain which was famously canceled this year due to clashes between protestors and the royal regime there. Finally, the return of the United States Grand Prix is confirmed for November 18, teaming up with the season closer in Brazil the following weekend. Follow the jump to view the full calendar.

A nip, a tuck and, actually, quite a bit more is in store for the 2012 Honda Pilot. The most noticeable change that's evident with a quick glance above is the reworked front end staring you in the face. Honda has changed the grille while also making the lower fascia appear wider through the use of black plastic. Overall, the front end updates help to subtly modernize the Pilot for the new model year.

Inside, Honda has reworked its button layout into a more intuitive configuration, and applied new upgrades to the list of standard and optional features. The upgrades vary across the trim lines, which are ranked LX, EX, EX-L, EX-L with Navigation and the top-of-the-line Touring model. We'll leave the full slew of upgrades for you in the press release posted after the jump. Instead, we'll use this space to highlight the biggest changes to the 2012 Pilot.

Honda has decided to push 18-inch aluminum wheels as standard equipment throughout the Pilot family, with the exception of the LX trim, which sticks with 17-inch styled steelies. An upgraded audio system and nav unit is now offered, and it's spiffed up quite a bit on the EX-L (L stands for leather) unit thanks to a full-color eight-inch intelligent multi-information display (iMID).

Click past the jump read all about the 2012 Honda Pilot, and click through the gallery for a closer look at the updates.

Car and Driver is reporting that the new rear-wheel-drive sports sedan concept from Kia may be called the Veredus. The vehicle is set to debut at the Frankfurt Motor Show, though the company has been mum on the project's name so far. Kia filed for a patent on the Veredus name not too long ago, and, as Car and Driver points out, the concept is the only vehicle in the company's short-term product plan without a name. Sounds like a pretty strong case to us. While the report reminds us that there are plenty of other future nameless Kia models, everything else in the near term has a moniker.

One of those future models just so happens to be a rear-wheel drive sedan (heretofore known as the K9) based on the Hyundai Genesis platform, and there's also word that the Hyundai Cadenza may show up soon as the Kia Cadenza. Either of those vehicles could snap up the Veredus name instead of the concept, however.

We haven't heard much concerning the contract negotiations between the United Auto Workers and Detroit automakers, but that's probably by design. The UAW is looking to expand, and it probably wouldn't hurt organized labor's chances to do so if these talks went smoothly. Still, what would negotiations be without the threat of a strike?

The Detroit Free Press reports that at least four Ford UAW locals have overwhelmingly voted to authorize leadership to call a strike. The move, which is considered to be routine, comes only two weeks before the contracts with General Motors, Ford and Chrysler run out on September 14. The UAW has asked all local units to hold strike authorization votes by Friday.

ASIMO is the humanoid robot created by Honda that looks like a diminutive moonman who loves to slowly climb stairs. The four-foot three-inch robot is capable of a lot more than ascending stairways faster than the elderly, however, and rumors were swirling that ASIMO might be outfitted to handle nuclear cleanup duty.

Japan is still recovering from the devastating earthquake that struck on March 11th of this year. One of the most critical areas to receive damage was the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant, which was rated a seven on the International Nuclear Event Scale. Seven is the highest rating.

The reactor pools have since been cooled, but the nuclear contamination still needs to be cleaned up, and a Japanese press report stated that Honda was prepping ASIMO for the task. The rumor stated that tank treads would be replace its legs, and more sensitive hands and arms would be utilized so that ASIMO could interact with nuts and bolts. It all sounds quite interesting, but none of it is true according to Honda.

The automaker has stated that, although it's technical research and development team is looking at various uses for robots to help with disasters, it's not ready to convert ASIMO into a nuclear contamination cleaning machine.

Every year, Bentley takes part on a fresh crop of student interns, and every year it participates in a charity fundraising event for The Prince's Trust. For 2011, the Bentley Graduates are putting on an auction of items crafted in Bentley's own workshop, and there are more than a few items we would welcome into our homes with open arms.

The selection includes such items as a chess set with machined-tooled aluminum pieces on a veneer board, a table made from a V8 engine block cribbed from a Mulsanne and a pair of lamps made from the cam shaft from a Continental. There's 20 items in all, and each will be displayed at dealerships around the world and at the upcoming Goodwood Revival before going up for auction online at bentleybespokeauction.com.

Check out the selection in the high-res image gallery and follow the jump for the full press release.

The event is called Rust and Dust, but this year that dust was replaced with rain and mud. Still, the attendees of this automotive festival in Teterow, Germany arrived in large numbers to share their passion for rockabilly, rat rods and racing. The rain attempted to dampen spirits, but it was powerless against these German fans of American old school.

The language is different, but the cars and music are the same. So is the enthusiasm for the style, and it comes through in the following video, which has subtitles but almost doesn't even need them.

OK, that's not true... we need the subtitles. Still, the video shows a group of car enthusiasts gathering to hang out and enjoy their shared love, regardless of the weather. At first it seems odd, due to the language being spoken (and occasional Audi and Opel logo), but it quickly becomes mesmerizing. Click past the jump to see for yourself.

Toys are infinitely cooler these days than they were when we were kids. While we had to subside on crappy Lego houses and weak Nerf guns, youngsters now get to craft accurate models of the Millennium Falcon and play with a foam arsenal that would make the CIA blush with envy.

The same goes for remote-controlled vehicles. We've already seen exactly how much fun can be had with a point-of-view camera, an RC Jeep and a little time. Now another crafty RC aficionado has applied the same camera tech to a remote-controlled F16 fighter jet.

There aren't words to describe how awesome this is.

By using a live feed from the camera, the pilot effectively gets the same view out of the cockpit that an actual pilot would enjoy. The creator even wired up an altimeter so the pilot can tell exactly how far off the ground the plane is at any given moment. Hit the jump to check it out. Bonus points for the Kenny Loggins soundtrack.

The Jaguar XKR is a sultry beast, but no one is going around calling the low-slung sports car in icon of the industry. That tag is still reserved for the similarly slinky E-Type. This year marks the 50th anniversary of the vehicle, and over the past half-century, its long nose and rounded hips have grown to become unmistakable. Could Jaguar release a direct successor to its legendary racer? One Turkish designer certainly thinks so. Using the dimensions of the Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG as a guidepost, Emre Husmen set about imagining what a modern E-Type would look like.

The result is a vehicle with the same basic proportions as the original, though with a thoroughly modern twist. Look closely and it's easy to see the lines of the original E-Type snugged amongst the more modern body. Though we're fans of the design's profile and rear, there's something about the nose that simply lacks the simplicity of the original. Hey, everyone's a critic. Thanks for the tip, Emre!

Never underestimate what you'll see on eBay Motors. Take this unique creation, for example. Near as we can tell, it's the same 2002 Mercury Marauder that was modified into a two-door convertible by Ford for the 2002 Chicago Auto Show. According to the seller, this car still boasts its Eaton supercharger bolted to a 4.6-liter V8 engine, and at the time of its debut, the engine was rated at a lofty 335 horsepower. We have a hard time believing that the extra ponies would do much to offset the weight of the additional frame stiffeners and top mechanism on the car, however.

The vehicle is currently offered for sale by a dealer in Lansdale, Pennsylvania, though the listing is mum on how the convertible managed to make its way from Ford's Windy City show stand into the seller's inventory. If you like what you see, the machine can be yours for the princely sum of $75,000 or best offer. Head over to eBay Motors to take a gander at the listing.

Though you might not know it today, there was a time when Alfa Romeo challenged Ferrari on the race track. In fact Alfa was taking trophies and titles long before the horse ever pranced – that's where Enzo got his start, after all. But these days, now that they're sister companies, Ferrari makes the supercars and races for top honors while Alfa Romeo makes hatchbacks. If that just don't seem right to you, there are some engineers at Novitec who apparently feel the same way. And they've done something about it.

The German tuning house may be best known for tuning Ferraris, but it's also got a wealth of experience with Alfas, and have this time turned their attention to the Giulietta – the five-door hatch that's priced like a Golf but feels more like an A3.

Starting in the engine bay, Novitec has tweaked with the full range of gasoline and diesel engines available in the Giulietta to squeeze out an extra 15-30 horsepower, depending on the model. The top-spec turbo engine, for example, gets an extra 26 hp over stock for a full 261 hp – good enough, Novitec says, for a 6.5-second sprint to 62 miles per hour. Which may not be in the same league as a Ferrari, but then it won't cost you nearly as much to buy and own, either.

The package also encompasses stainless steel mufflers, a range of alloys from 18 to 20 inches, adjustable coil-over suspension and a comprehensive body kit. You can scope out the full details in the press release after the jump, or better yet, take a walk through the high-resolution image gallery.

The thing about retro styling is that, since it's anchored not in the contemporary but in the classical, it doesn't age. So you may be as surprised as we were to discover that the Wiesmann Roadster has been on the market for 18 years now.

The first version of the retro German sportscar was the MF3, the six-cylinder model that is now being discontinued in favor of bigger engines after nearly two decades of service. But before bidding goodbye to the car that put it on the map, Wiesmann has teamed up with luxury brand Sieger to send it off with a special run of eighteen unique models.

Each of the blogger's dozen (yeah, we just made up that term) gets a completely unique color scheme both inside and out, and only one of each will be made, bearing names like Panther, Rocket and Chocolat.

One will be displayed at the rapidly approaching Frankfurt show, and we'll have more for you then, but in the meantime you can delve into the press release after the jump for more details and check out the full spectrum by clicking the quartet above.