Though the holiday season for giving extravagant gifts will have come and gone by the end of January, Barrett-Jackson, the World’s Greatest Collector Car Auctions®, will sell two ultimate toys at its Scottsdale auction. This duo that ranks among the most famous vehicles in the world from the Hollywood big screen will cross the block at WestWorld … and they can be yours.
Optimus Prime®, the iconic truck from the “Transformers™” movie franchise will sell to the highest bidder in front of a capacity crowd that includes more than 300,000 event participants and 5.5 million television viewers worldwide. Fear not, Optimus will not be alone. It will be accompanied by its brother-in-arms, a 1967 Chevrolet Camaro used in “Transformers 4: Age of Extinction,” known as Bumblebee™.
Like the movie character that it represents, Optimus Prime (Lot #1325.1) is big. It has real presence. Its shiny oversized exhaust stacks produce a rumble distinctive to its character. While the big truck doesn’t transform into a two-story synthetic military leader from Cybertron, it is a fully functional vehicle with a real VIN and title. As the title is even in Paramount Pictures’ name, you know you’re adding a true celebrity to your collection. Optimus Prime has some interesting features, including a mirror-finished custom aluminum bumper with matching aluminum wheels, tanks and storage boxes. Behind the extra-deep sleeper unit is an armor-like “headache rack.”
Three additional features really set Optimus Prime apart. To assist in the illusion that the Optimus Prime character drives himself, this stunt truck features dark tinted windows, which add to its ominous vibe. Adding to the truck’s character are rows of glowing lights that suggest an intelligent being looming within. But by far the centerpiece of the Optimus Prime stunt truck is its custom grille capped off with a silver and red “Autobots®” emblem. Imagine seeing that in your rearview mirror. Don’t mess with Optimus Prime!
Equally, if not more, impressive than Optimus Prime is Bumblebee, the 1967 Chevrolet Camaro Resto-Mod (Lot #1325.2) that starred in “Transformers 4: Age of Extinction.” The Bumblebee character has always assumed the role of a “little brother” amongst the Autobots. Precocious and seeking approval, Bumblebee is, in many circles, the most beloved Transformers character.
Transformers director Michael Bay is particularly fond of Bumblebee – so much so that he owns not one, but two Bumblebee Camaros in his personal collection, including a yellow 2010 Camaro and this 1967 Camaro being offered for sale at Barrett-Jackson Scottsdale. This heavily customized Camaro features so many unique parts, there is no mistaking this car as anything other than a proper Hollywood movie star.
The Bumblebee Camaro on offer has amazing stories to tell. While it does not speak, it plays a role in one of the coolest scenes from “Transformers 4: Age of Extinction,” when Mark Wahlberg’s character, Cade Yaeger, talks to Bumblebee and the car responds by performing burnouts indoors. The scene is filmed at the legendary GM Tech Center “Design Dome” in Warren, Michigan. The defiant Bumblebee – the very car being offered for sale at Barrett-Jackson – burns rubber within the building. Later in the movie, the 1967 Bumblebee Camaro transforms into a more familiar 2014 Camaro during a “drive-by” scene.
After its appearance on the silver screen, this particular 1967 Camaro selling at Barrett-Jackson has lived a charmed life as part of Michael Bay’s personal collection. This is no movie prop, though. It’s a running, driving car that can be enjoyed to the fullest. It’s also a full-fledged Resto-Mod Camaro with modern equipment and amenities wrapped in classic ’60s sheet metal. Resto-Mods are extremely popular these days, with similar Camaros selling for top dollar.
Like a brand-new Camaro, Bumblebee has been retrofitted with a modern, fuel-injected V8 engine with an overdrive manual transmission. The suspension has been upgraded and heavy-duty, four-wheel disc brakes have been added. Drivers and passengers will be comfortable with modern air conditioning, a modern stereo and late-model leather seating.
This 1967 Camaro has some special features that are instantly recognizable from “Transformers 4: Age of Extinction.” The features are by no means accidental, as Michael Bay set out to make Bumblebee more bold and muscular in the fourth film. The most obvious are the massive, one-off carbon-fiber flares that cover extra-wide Nitto tires wrapped around custom three-piece wheels. The flares are complemented by a carbon-fiber front “splitter” that juts out from below the front of the car. Lurking behind original-style “hideaway” headlight doors are custom LED Halo headlights that emit an ominous yellow glow when activated.
Completing the Bumblebee theme are various yellow accents, including a painted RideTech “TigerCage” roll bar peeking out of the cockpit, as well as a yellow rear spoiler and striping. The yellow theme is carried under the hood with custom carbon-fiber and yellow engine covers and billet aluminum core support bars. The smooth firewall supports a hydraulic assist braking system and modern Detroit Speed “Select-A-Speed” windshield wiper system.
With hardcore Resto-Mod features, globally recognized “Transformers” provenance and Michael Bay ownership, the Bumblebee 1967 Chevrolet Camaro is an exceptional opportunity for automotive and movie memorabilia collectors alike. Coupled with the sale of Optimus Prime, the truck that has starred in three “Transformers” films, all eyes will be on WestWorld and the Barrett-Jackson Scottsdale auction when these two movie icons sell.
For up-to-date information on these and other vehicles on the Scottsdale docket, click HERE.
