One of the lesser-discussed perks of being a shape-shifting robot? Facelifts are apparently a breeze. For the latest installment of theTransformers series, due out next year, the Autobot hero known as Bumblebee is once again being played by a Chevrolet Camaro—and unlike all too many Hollywood leading men, the muscle car looks pretty good after its plastic surgery.
Transformers director and inexplicable Criterion Collection inductee Michael Bay released the first image of Bumblebee’s new look on Twitter this weekend, giving General Motors a shout-out for its work transforming a stock 2016 Camaro into Bumblebee’s civilian disguise. (Well, actually, he gave credit to stillborn Twitter account @generalmotors, instead of GM’s actual handle @GM . But hey, it was the weekend.)
Bay didn’t break down the changes GM made to Bumblebee’s Camaro body, but a quick glance is all it takes to see the General made some serious modifications. The entire front fascia has been remixed, picking up a matte black grille that looks more visually balanced than the regular Camaro’s face. The matte-black/gloss-yellow hood seems to have shark’s gill heat extractors peppering its upper surface, and Bumblebee’s chin has developed a lantern-jawed front spoiler.
We could live without the tacky black vents near the A-pillars, and the cooling intakes near the rear wheels look like the sort of skin growths that would send us screaming to a dermatologist. But overall, thisTransformers-spec Camaro is…really good-looking. Hell, we wouldn’t mind seeing a hint of Bumblebee’s swagger carried over to the next Z/28.
In the original comics, Bumblebee’s vehicle mode was a yellow Volkswagen Beetle; however, Michael Bay reported stated he thought the Beetle reminded him too much of Herbie the Love Bug, so out went the VW and in came the Chevy muscle car. Bumblebee has been portrayed by a series of Camaros throughout the previous four films, including a 1977 jalopy, a modified ’67, the 2006 Camaro Concept that set the stage for the fifth-gen production car, and a concept car-spec 2014 model that hinted at the sixth-generation Camaro’s styling.
And yes, you infer correctly—2017’s Transformers: The Last Knight will be the fifth Michael Bay-directedTransformers movie.