Yes, that’s right, the age old competition between the two best selling ponycars is set to heat up with both taking roles in the new live action Transformers movie. The movie will stray from the original cartoon’s format to use a bright yellow Camaro concept car as the vehicle form of Bumblebee, portrayed (as the name would imply) in the original by a Volkswagen Beetle. Conversely, the Chevy-powered Autobot’s arch nemesis is a Decepticon character by the name of Brawl (originally transforming into a tank) that takes the shape of a Saleen Mustang cop car and reportedly jacks up poor Bumblebee.

Having originally debuted in 1984 as an animated series, Transformers was an instant hit. Telling the story of two opposing alien robotic factions that have chosen Earth as their battleground, the series gave birth to such household names as Optimus Prime and Megatron. As is the case with any popular animated series, it didn’t take long before a line of Hasbro toys followed; also being released to a waiting audience. It wasn’t long before the transforming toys became more popular than the show itself; eventually fizzling out in a three episode-long fourth season in 1987. Since then a Japanese animated movie came out (actually shown in Japan in 1986, a year prior to the show’s cancellation), and various Transformers-branded series have attempted to rekindle the enthusiasm of the original, but to no avail.

With most car-based series’ being screened in Japan, American audiences had to make do with the mid-’90s “Beast Wars” Transformer series that used the same formula, albeit modified with the characters battling it out on a deserted planet and transforming into animals. Of course, we don’t need to say that animals are far lamer than vehicles, so the show fizzled out. More recently, another animated series finally harkens back to the original with vehicle-based characters, and has found an audience.

But in today’s modern world of product placement, the almighty dollar can beat out even the most mighty of Transformers; who in case you were wondering was Devastator, a super-robot constructed from the six Decepticons called Constructicons - remember? Either way, with the displacement of fun-loving Bumblebee and destructive Brawl’s original forms of a Beetle and tank respectively, you can bet that both Ford and Chevy laid out some serious dough to get such coveted spots in the movie that debuts July 4th next year. And with the announcement that Chevy has approved the Camaro for production, the movie may just be the beginning of another Mustang vs. Camaro war to take place off the silver screen on our backroads and byways. Looks like Dodge should have announced the Challenger sooner.

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