How Michael Bay Found The Perfect Car For The Transformers Bumblebee

In the behind-the-scenes report from the making of "Transformers," transportation coordinator Randy Peters said Bay and his team considered several different cars to include in the film. The decision was a matter of money. As producer Brian Goldner notes, a movie at the cost of "Transformers" needed corporate sponsorship - that was in 2007, when VFX had rarely been used on such an ambitious scale.

The obvious choice for financiers was automakers: what better product placement could there be than to turn their cars into heroic Autobots? Optimus Prime rebuilds into a trailer truck - a Peterbilt 379, produced by commercial truck manufacturer PACCAR. Meanwhile, Ford apparently didn't mind one of their cars being a villain; Barricade, the aforementioned Decepticon police car, transforms into a Saleen S281 Mustang police car. With the exception of Barricade and his six-foot-tall servant Frenzy, the Decepticons all transform into military vehicles: Bay's usual support, the Pentagon, aided by the supply of jets and weapons. helicopters.

General Motors, however, apparently made the best offer. Also, according to Goldner, the crew was won over by the "sexiness" of their cars. That's why most Autobots transform into the latest GM models: a 2006 Pontiac Solstice for Jazz, a GMC Topkick C4500 for Ironhide, a Hummer H2 for Ratchet and, of course, a Chevrolet Camaro for Bumblebee.

>