The Transformers Movie Franchise Helped Turn The Chevrolet Camaro Into A Global Poster Car
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Transformers, robots in disguise. The theme song of the old cartoon is certainly played up in Hollywood, as the vehicles in the Transformers movies are more eye candy than subtle, though no car in the franchise has gotten more attention than the fifth-generation Chevrolet Camaro, also known as Bumblebee. While no Hollywood director would turn down a supply of Camaros for their film, Chevrolet still got the better end of the deal in the series. While the yellow Camaro with black rally stripes found its way onto many a bedroom wall, it’s much more affordable than the Lamborghini Countach or the Ferrari F40 that found themselves on those same walls one generation ago. Transformers made the Camaro the dream car of young children and the car worth putting in overtime for the middle class car enthusiast. Sales have been great since 2007, and dreams have been rekindled time and time again with each movie release, some being sparked for the first time this year on June 27 with the release of Transformers: The Age of Extinction.
Michael Bay said that Bumblebee needed a fresh look. North Hollywood Design Center is doing just that, making the Camaro even more menacing in appearance. It will be leaner and bolder. According to GM, it has “design cues that could put it years into the future”. As the healthy relationship between GM and the Transformers franchise has only flourished since the inception of the film series, the Camaro design is just the start of General Motors’ contribution to the film. Crosshairs will be played by an Allspark Green Corvette Stingray. It will even feature a Sonic rally car. Even the location was partly due to General Motors with filming taking place at the Proving Grounds in Lansing, Michigan and the GM Design Center in Warren, Michigan.
The Transformers movies and GM have grown together. As the movies have been influenced by the Camaro, so has the Camaro been influenced by the movies. Having been released in a time of economic difficulty, the Camaro filled the spot that the Corvette Z06, Ferraris, and other supercars occupied in people’s heads as dream cars. In a time where many had very little to be happy about, the Camaro was a superhero on the big screen and a little hero in the hearts of the hopeful. It’s been seven years now, and the economy is getting back on track. Camaro sales are up and filling driveways in America, as well as the hearts of its owners with joy and fulfillment.
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This was one of the best deals GM ever made. Bay saw it and wanted it and thank God Wellborn let him use it.
I have seen so many kids just flock to the Camaro because of these movies. Even my son who is not a big car fan just loves the Bee. He was lucky to get to sit in the original one from the first movie. We had It at work. While it was a GTO they did a good job on the fiberglass conversion.
The new car should continue this trend. I just wonder what parts of the movie car is a hint at what is to come.
Let’s hope this is not a preview of things to come. It’s tacky as hell looking, IMHO.
its just a custom car
It is a show car and may hold styling cues for the next gen. GM has done this before. While this is based on the Zeta they can hide easter eggs in the design of where they are going.
The short grill or the scoop on the side could be a hint. Much of the rest is just Old Zeta.
The new car is too far out to show yet and that is why we have this one.
“The Transformers Movie Franchise Helped Turn The Chevrolet Camaro Into A Global Poster Car”
And if this modified movie prop of the Gen5 offers a glimpse of the Gen6 design, then the Transformers Movie Franchise will help turn the Camaro Into a Global Joke.
I thought using the Gen5 concept in the original Transformers movie was a brilliant marketing tool to re-introduce the Camaro to the public after its hiatus. I was also glad GM stuck to a lot of that concepts design. Knowing and like Scott3 said GM uses these avenues to hint at future design, I am hoping this is not the case here and this is just a movie prop. These mods remind me a lot of the 03-05 Cavalier front end design and those were not the best looking years for the Cav.
I’m with you Yucky, and hope this is not a preview of things to come. As a GM fan and mostly Chevrolet fan, I have high hopes for the Gen6 on the Alpha platform. I only hope it looks as good as I already know it will perform. We need a Mustang killer and if these are some of the design cues the Gen6 will kill itself.
Guys let this car go as it is. If there is anything to see it is the small details not the whole car.
As it is I can accurately predict that when the Gen 6 arrives 50% of you will love it and 50% of you will hate it. If GM changes it much those who love the retro will hate the change. Those who believe they should move on with new heritage styling. will love the new car. Over time 90% of you will be fine with it but we will have a period of time where half off you will be piss in the britches upset for a while. We have seen it with every C gen Corvette and just recently in the Mustang but they continue to sell and move forward.
So lets just let them show us what they really have later and let it sit for a bit before we condemn a new design we have no clue about. No matter of the love hate the new car will sell in numbers as good of better than today.
The car shown here is not the Gen 6 and at best might only give a slight clue to a body feature we may see on the new car. Lets let them show us the real thing.
I know this is not what the Gen6 will exactly look like. If you read my post correctly you would see I said words such as glimpse, cues, hint and mods. If and again I say IF Chevrolet is using the Transformers franchise to display a glimpse, cue, hint of the future design direction of the Camaro, In my opinion, if these little details are a preview of what may come our way as a product they are not the most attractive.
My concerns with this Transformers car is the simple issue of GM using this avenue before to show off the Gen5 concept and this possibly being their way to show off hints of the Gen6 and this being similar to what we get. Also, for some reason every time there is speculation about the Gen6, this version or design is the picture we get with the story. (A leak or tease may help ease the anxiety here Chevrolet.)
I am a Chevy guy and it would take a complete downfall of the brand to move me off the reservation. I am a big defender when it comes to their designs and products. Having driven many makes and models either through employers, rentals, or taking test drives of competitors just to see what they are like, I can say with confidence GM cars over the last decade are every bit as nice or better than their competition.
I just don’t want for the Camaro what happened to the Malibu with its most recent re-do.The Alpha platform deserves a revolutionary Camaro with a bit of heritage splash so everyone knows it is a Camaro. Chevrolet can’t be content to be evolutionary with their performance vehicles like they were with the Silverado. I have not heard one bad review of the Silverado when it comes to drivetrain, utility, comfort, or interior quality, only that they did not do enough with exterior re-design to stand out against the competition. This cannot happen with the Camaro. The next Gen has to be a game changer like the C7 is and it has to stand out so it can suck people away from the Ford, Dodge, or heck even the Hyundai showrooms.
Here is the deal. GM has clamped down on info on this car. Even the Disciples who are advisers to GM on the car have no clue what so ever even going into the 2015 model year.
The new car is a mystery and to this point this car is not one I would get to worried over for the new car yet.
when I mean glimpse you may want to note a smaller grill and more sloping nose. We got that here and we have now have it on the present car. Note the side scoop. While it may not look just like this are they considering a side scoop ALA Z06 and other aero aides like the Z06.
That is all I mean by peaks.
I know some of the Camaro people and they are the right people for the job. They are for the most the ones who worked the system and brought back the car when there was little interest at GM in doing a new one.
Sometime you just have to trust them.
But like I have stated when the new car arrives half will think it is too retro and half will think it is not retro enough. In time it will come to 80-90% acceptance. We see it on ever new C model and even on the latest Mustang.
These are polarizing cars and people have preconceived notions of what they want and expect. Meeting those needs and advancing a car is difficult to say the least.
In the end we will have a slightly smaller [not a lot smaller] lighter and better handing car than today. Once the initial I like and I hate chatter dies down it will turn to lets kick the Mustangs butt.
The only thing we know for sure now is you will know it is a Camaro on sight. It will be lighter and better handling on the Alpha and it will have a direct injected V8 and V6. Other than that this is all we know for sure. I am taking the new smaller grill on the new car and tail lamps as some of the lead in to the new car. But other than that I can tell you more on some Area 51 projects than this one. Even with the people in the know I follow and listen too they are not talking.
The next step is we will see cars covered in camo and we will hear complaints on things people can not even see yet. LOL! It is predictable every time. LOL!
Hmmm Autobots I think we have a Decepticon here voting down people LOL!