I know I’m not the only one out there that thinks Michael Bay’s Transformers movies are pretty awful, but that doesn’t mean I wouldn’t want some of the cars used in the film. In fact, the cool autos are the flick’s biggest saving graces. Thanks to auction house Barrett-Jackson, you can now buy one of the cars directly. Paramount Pictures is selling the iconic truck used in the film to portray Optimus Prime in the first three movies and Michael Bay himself is putting his 1967 Chevrolet Camaro SS (otherwise known as Bumblebee in Transformers: Age of Extinction) on the auction block.
“We’re excited that Paramount Pictures and Michael Bay have chosen us to sell Optimus Prime and Bumblebee, two of the leading heroes from the Transformers movie franchise. Our Scottsdale auction is always electric and will serve as the ideal venue for these two celebrities seeking new homes,” Craig Jackson, chairman and CEO of Barrett-Jackson, said in a recent press release.
The sales will be taking place January 23-31, during Barrett-Jackson’s nine-day 45th Anniversary Auction at WestWorld of Scottsdale. The Optimus Prime truck took quite a long time to get right, with a team of artists working on sketches and mockups for months until they found the finished look. The L6 diesel, Peterbilt tractor truck boasts a custom bumper, “headache rack,” dark tinted windows, glowing blue lights and of course, its recognizable blue/red flamed paint job and Autobots badge on the grille. Optimus is drivable (though it’s not street legal), carries a real VIN and title in Paramount’s name, and is up for grabs without reserve.
The smaller Bumblebee 1967 Chevrolet Camaro SS is also being sold with no reserve and has “custom suspension, an LS3 Corvette engine with overdrive transmission, and Wilwood brakes with added stunt caliper.” With a satin black paint job and glossy yellow accents, the V8 two-door coupé also has a custom carbon-fiber air dam and fender flairs. Plus, it’s also autographed by the director himself, making it a pretty cool collectible.
