How Michael Bay Tracked Down The Perfect Car For Transformers’ Bumblebee

In the behind-the-scenes feature about the making of “Transformers,” Transportation Coordinator Randy Peters said Bay and his team considered several different cars for inclusion in the film. The decision came down to money. As producer Brian Goldner notes, a movie the cost of “Transformers” needed corporate sponsorship — this was 2007, when VFX had rarely been used on such an ambitious scale.

The obvious choice for moneymen was car companies — what better product placement could there be than making their cars into heroic Autobots? Optimus Prime transforms into a trailer truck — a Peterbilt 379, produced by commercial truck manufacturer PACCAR. Ford, meanwhile, apparently didn’t mind having one of their cars be a bad guy; Barricade, the aforementioned cop car Decepticon, transforms into a Saleen S281 Mustang police cruiser. Barring Barricade and his six-foot minion Frenzy, the Decepticons all transform into military vehicles — Bay’s usual backer, the Pentagon, helped by supplying jets and helicopters.

General Motors, though, apparently gave the best offer. Plus, according to Goldner, the crew was wowed by the “sexiness” of their cars. This is why most of the Autobots transform into the then-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.