Forza Garage has now posted its fourth installment announcing cars that we’ll see when Horizon 3 finally hits store shelves or your digital download queue. As it has in the past, Forza has decided to put the spotlight on certain models, and this week it's focused on those like to go off road. It’s only fitting, of course, since Australia is known to be a pretty tough place – I know you’ve seen the pictures of those massive spiders they have there, haven’t you? If not, you can fill your subconscious with nightmares here.

Anyway, getting back to the topic at hand, tough places also have awesome off-road trails and places to go, and the digital Horizon 3 world will have plenty of that. The most well-known model we’ll talk about today is the Toyota FJ40, which is just out of place if it isn’t dirty or being beat on down some dirty trail. Of course, not all of the cars announced this week are meant for off-road adventures. Other highlights include the 1967 Mercedes-Benz 280 SL, the 1971 Plymouth Cuda 426 Hemi, and there is even a 2012 Lamborghini Aventador LP700-4 and a 2012 Mini John Cooper Works GP in the mix. Talk about diversity, right?

With that said, let’s take a look at the big highlights of this week’s announcement and talk a little about them. We better hurry before the boss catches me writing about video games again, though, so let’s get to it.

1979 Toyota FJ40

Toyota built the Land Cruiser J40 between 1960 and 1984. The FJ40 was a short-wheel-base model with an F-series engine. The one included as part of Horizon 3 is a 1979 model, which means it featured the 2F, 4.2-liter engine that delivered 135 horsepower and 210 pound-feet of torque. That might not seem like much by today’s thirst for power, but it was more than perfect for a vehicle that was more at home off-road than on. In fact, you could probably call it the perfect rugged companion and a necessity to have back then if you enjoyed taking the less-beaten path. It will fit in perfectly with the theme of Horizon 3 and will certainly be in my virtual garage for all those off-road events that I’m sure I’ll be addicted to. See, I’m not all about speed and power. At least, not all the time, anyway.

1971 Meyers Manx

Built from 1964 to 1971, the model that you see here is one of the last ones made before B.F. Meyers & Co shut down over some serious tax problems. The first prototype was built when Bruce Meyers was living in a shed and building boats out of a then-new material known as fiberglass. The Manx is what some would consider the original dune buggy, and it was known for breaking records and stealing championships on the dunes. The fiberglass body is actually underpinned by a shortened chassis from the Volkswagen Beetle and was also offered as a kit car at one point. Engines included a 1.2-liter four-cylinder, a 1.3-liter four-cylinder, a 1.5-liter four-cylinder, and a 1.6-liter four-cylinder. It was always two-wheel drive and have a four-speed manual transmission. To put it simply, it’s the perfect vehicle if you’ll be tearing up sandy terrain, but is also awesome for open road cruising.

2011 Penhall Cholla

If you’ve never head of the Penhall Cholla, that’s okay. In fact, Wikipedia hasn’t even heard of it despite the fact that it won the Baja 1000 by an astonishing four-hour lead over second place on its first outing. Built on a 122-inch wheelbase, it has a track width of 83 inches and weighs just 2,200 pounds. The wheel travel on this is outrageous with the front wheels able to move up to 22 inches and the rears up to 20. The body is composed of carbon fiber, fiberglass, and aluminum and it has a massive 35-gallon fuel tank for hours of fun on the world's roughest terrain. Penhall calls the Cholla the “meanest cactus in Baha” and there’s no denying its dominate off-road abilities. If your focus is all about off-road in Horizon 3, you don’t want to overlook this monster.

Other Cars Announced this Week