‘Transformers’ a GM ad in disguise

“It’s a company that understands Hollywood’s work process, and you need that,” said Lorenzo di Bonaventura, who served as a producer on the movie.

“In many ways, we couldn’t have made this movie without a company like GM,” he said.

Bay’s relationship with the automaker — both as a filmmaker and as a consumer — goes back many years, and he is longtime fan of the Camaro, the legendary Detroit muscle car that first hit the road four decades ago.

The director of “Armageddon” and “Pearl Harbor” saw a concept version of the new Camaro in 2005 at a GM design center and then in early 2006 at the Detroit auto show. Bay knew he wanted the iconic car to be the yellow-and-black Bumblebee, a courageous Autobot spy who protects LaBeouf’s character from danger.

Bumblebee transformed into a Volkswagen Beetle during the series’ 1980s heyday, but Bay was set on the concept Camaro.

GM staged a review of its product portfolio in California so the director could pick out the remainder of the movie’s automotive cast.

He selected the Solstice to be the stylish and wisecracking Jazz, which was a Porsche in the 1980s. Rounding out the Autobot lineup are the tough-as-nails Ironhide (the TopKick medium-duty truck) and the medical officer Ratchet, which converts from the Hummer H2.

The Autobot leader, Optimus Prime, is an 18-wheeler.

The Decepticons change into a jet, a helicopter and a police car — a Saleen Mustang, an aftermarket version of the famed Ford muscle car and a longtime Camaro competitor. Ford Motor Co. did not have any involvement in the vehicle’s appearance in the film.

The Solstice, TopKick and Hummer can be seen driving down a local thoroughfare on any given day, but the Camaro won’t be produced until late next year. Each of the three existing vehicles was slightly modified for the movie, but the Camaro took the most effort.

Its exterior in the film is very similar to what the production vehicle will look like, but “the interior isn’t quite cosmetically correct,” Bernacchi said. The movie Camaro’s chassis and engine actually belong to a Pontiac GTO built in Australia. GM designers provided the studio with the data so it could drop the Camaro shell on top of the chassis it was using for the film.

In “Transformers,” Bumblebee takes the shape of a well-traveled 1970s-era Camaro, prompting Fox’s character to ask: “Why if he’s such a super advanced robot does he turn into this piece of crap Camaro?”

Not long after, Bumblebee upgrades to the concept Camaro, an event that di Bonaventura said has been met with spontaneous audience applause at a number of screenings, including at a film festival in Italy.

GM is hoping car buyers have a similar reaction.

“I really think it’s going to make a difference,” Bernacchi said.

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