Today, a Ferrari 458 Spider was cruising around Tokyo's geek district, Akihabara. Things got freaky.

One Sunday about a month ago, I was driving my family to Himeji. It was a drizzly early morning on the Chugoku Expressway, and I just cleared Kobe. To my right, a trio of Lancia Delta Integrales came whizzing by.

Martini. Marlboro. Cigarettes and liquor have traditionally been big motorsports sponsors. But a new breed of sponsors exists, such as Sony's PlayStation, and even more otaku geared companies are using racing as a vehicle to promote their wares.

The upcoming release of a Ferrari-branded game on the PlayStation Network, combined with the expiration of Sega's licensing deal with the Italian car manufacturer, means Outrun Online Arcade just became an Xbox 360 exclusive.

The only thing I can imagine that would be more exciting than racing a Ferrari F2007 at high speeds, is pretending to drive a Ferrari F2007 at high speeds while being swung about by a giant robot arm.

A Miku Hatsune Ferrari F430 Spider. Seen on the streets of Akihabara, Japan by Moeyo. Part I can be seen here.

You know, this one. It got a ticket for parking violation, not good taste violation. As seen on AkibaOS.

Yesterday we ran a trailer for the PS3's Gran Turismo 5, showing of the new Ferrari 458 Italia. In the interests of platform parity, you should know the car is also to be found in the 360's Forza 3.

It's Ferrari week at Forzamotorsport.net, with Microsoft and Turn 10 showcasing the 29 different models of the legendary Italian sports cars, along with a new original track set along the scenic Amalfi Coast.