Picture Car Warehouse’s movie stars on the auction block, featuring vehicles from Indiana Jones, A-Team, Transformers, Fast& Furious and many more

Last Saturday, August 15th, a big movie props and vehicle auction was held at LA Center Studios. Most of the movie cars came from Picture Car Warehouse, Hollywood’s biggest provider of wheeled heroes, villains, stars and extras. PCW was founded by Ted Moser and has supplied vehicles for hundred of movies and TV shows, including the Fast and Furious franchise, Knight Rider, Grindhouse, XXX, Mad Men, Transformers and Indiana Jones. Up for auction were, among others, the green chopper from Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen that Megan Fox liked so much, along with the “Barricade” Saleen Mustang and the “Landmine” sandrail, the van from Little Miss Sunshine, some Challengers fromThe Bucket List, the ‘32 hot rod from the latest Indiana Jones, KITT from the TV movie Knight Rider 2000, a pair of humongous H2s from Dragonball , an F-Bomb Camaro from Fast & Furious… and an A-Team van replica! A few cars from other collectors and a lot of props were there as well.

Camaro Transformers Special Edition

First things first, a quick disclaimer. This kit won’t let your Chevrolet Camaro transform into the real Bumblebee. But it will certainly look the part. Chevy teams up with Hasbro to satisfy the craving for a real-life replica of Bumblebee from the Transformers movie. From the kit, you’ll get Autobot shields for the driver and passenger side panels, the same shield for the four wheel caps, Transformers logo for the driver and passenger sills, an Autobot embroidery on the center console, and black stripes running the length of the car with the Transformers logo embedded. Go ahead and profess your fanaticism for the beloved Bumblebee, but pray that there aren’t any Decepticons waiting to pounce. $995.

Megan Fox hearts Pontiac

This one was for the Pontiac GXP, a.k.a Jazz in the movie, and was linked to a website , killer3.com, on which viewers could win an actual GXP. Killer 3 because (I’m taking a guess here): killer talent, killer ride, killer of Decepticons, as written in the commercial. To help the sales a little more, Megan Fox was there, which couldn’t hurt. And they didn’t write “killer body” but “killer talent” which was considerate of them.

So if you buy the car, you’re cool, because you’re ride is a baddass Autobot and you got your chance with Megan Fox. Yeah…

This ad promotes four things: the Pontiac GXP, the Pontiac brand (which all of a sudden is sexy), the movie Transformers and Megan Fox’ career. Pretty smart.

Megan Fox Rolls Around in Boy-Toy’s Mercedes G500

When you're engaged to Megan Fox you definitely have some precious goods to keep safe so what better SUV than the Mercedes G-Wagon. My personal choice would have been a black G-Wagon but who ever said that Megan Fox plays by the rules? Last I heard she was into girls...

Megan Fox Washed Bay's Car for "Transformers" Role

Actor Ramon Rodriguez previously revealed the bizarre audition with Michael Bay that he went through for "Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen." "For 90 minutes, he had me jumping, running, diving over the furniture in his office -- that was the audition," said Rodriguez. "I was drenched in sweat. He told me, 'OK, hide behind the desk!' 'Now, run over here!' And man, I was looking in his eyes, and he was enjoying it."

It seems that Michael Bay knows what he's looking for when he hires actors. So what kind of an audition did Megan Fox go through when she tried out for "Transformers"?

According to Fox, Bay made her wash his Ferrari while he filmed her at his house. She said that she didn't known what had happened to that footage. And when The Guardian asked Bay about it, he uncomfortably replied: "Er, I don't know where it is either."

Trasformer 2 - Revenge of the Fallen (Movie Trailer)

Transformer - Optimus Prime

Optimus Prime has most often been a semi throughout the history of the Transformers. It was only a question as to whether he'd be a cab-over or conventional in the film.



Lots of chrome and lots of lights ensure that Optimus would look dramatic no matter how he was shot. Both trucks modified to portray O.P. were mid-'80s conventional Peterbilts with full sleepers. Their drivetrains — including their enormous six-cylinder diesel engines — were left untouched.



Since Optimus doesn't pull a trailer in Transformers, it was important that he be just as photogenic from the rear as the front.



The fiery paint on Optimus is as good as that on many hot rods. The color scheme also recalls later versions of Optimus seen in the cartoon series.



The Autobot symbol replaces that of Peterbilt's atop the grille. The whole grille has been modified so the truck can't be instantly recognized as Pete and to make producing the toys simpler.

Transformer - Hummer H2

n a perfect world, every search and rescue team would have as good-looking a vehicle as the Ratchet H2. Of course, a perfect world also wouldn't have marauding, intergalactic transforming robots in it either.



The cartoon series Autobot and Decepticon badges have been incorporated into the graphics of all the robot vehicles where they could be. The problem is that wherever there's a helpful Autobot, there always seems to be an evil Decepticon right behind.



Ratchet's roof rack was fabricated, like the rest of its body, by Auto Motion, and is something of a work of art on its own.



The additional weight of Rachet's new steel box required the fitment of rear airbags to maintain ride height. But the running gear and suspension are otherwise stock H2.



Ratchet's interior is also stock Hummer H2, only with worse rearward visibility. That's what happens when the side windows are replaced by sheet steel.



The rear bumper is a modified part from Road Armor and the rear corner guards come from the same source. The stock H2 taillights were incorporated into the new steel box, while the H2's rear door handles became the door handles for the crew door at the rear of Ratchet.



All the rise in Ratchet's ride height come from the tall BFGoodrich Krawler T/A tires on massive wheels.

Transformer - Ford Mustang

From most angles, Barricade looks an awful lot like a Ford Mustang. But remember, it's actually a Saleen S281. There isn't a Blue Oval in sight.



Barricade came from Saleen already painted black and white and already wearing the dark finish on its wheels. All the movie producers had to add were the light bar, front push bar and decals.



Like every production S281, the three Barricades came equipped with a modified suspension, 20-inch alloy wheels and tires, and oversize brakes. What they don't have is the 335-horsepower Saleen-modified 4.6-liter SOHC V8. They make do with the Mustang GT's 300-hp engine.



Since they're burning through about $100,000 an hour whether film is being shot or not, movie producers don't like to wait for a broken car to be fixed. So duplicates of virtually any significantly featured vehicle are a necessity.



The standard Ford shifter on the five-speed automatic transmission was adequate for filming. The fun in Barricade came from the additional lighting controlled by the makeshift panel just to the shifter's right.



It's not like the Decepticons are trying to hide their intentions, is it?

Friends and allies together on screen

Friends and allies together on screen, these Autobots go forward fighting against Decepticons and for GM's increased market share.

From Cars and Trucks to Autobots and Decepticons

"This is kind of a special movie in that the cars are characters in the movie," explained Transformers director Michael Bay. In other words, as much care was taken in casting the vehicles as there was in casting the human actors. And if the right vehicle wasn't available for a role, the production company would simply build one. That's tough to do with human actors.

"It's a big show," said Picture Vehicle Coordinator Steve Mann while Transformers was still shooting. "Before we're done we'll have used over 100 cars and doubles of those cars — somewhere between 100 and 150 vehicles. We have six car haulers on this show and four mechanics. And everyone has been putting in long hours."

We've already reported on our drives of both the 1976 Camaro and the new Camero Concept that portray "Bumblebee," the most prominent and heroic of the Autobots. Now it's time to meet the supporting cast — including a villainous Mustang Decepticon that's not a Mustang, and Optimus Prime, the universe's most noble Peterbilt.

Autobots, Decepticons and General Motors
In the Transformers universe there's an ongoing, thousands-of-years-old battle between good robots — the "Autobots" — and bad robots — the "Decepticons." Both the Autobots and the Decepticons have the ability to transform themselves from ordinary, unthreatening forms into furiously athletic, immensely destructive and just plain immense robots. It's all based on several successive cartoon series that, in turn, drew their inspiration from a line of ludicrously popular toys Hasbro launched in 1984.

Toys were, in fact, a major consideration the filmmakers had in mind while choosing their mechanical actors. Because, no surprise, there is a series of Transformers toys being produced based on the new film, and all the Autobots and Decepticons had to be based on vehicles whose manufacturers would license their design to Hasbro. If your car is one that transforms into a heroic Autobot, that's one thing. It's something else if your car's role is that of an evil, fascistic Decepticon.

It was General Motors that got the call to supply most of the Autobots and with the exception of Optimus Prime, their wise and paternal leader, all the Autobots in Transformers are GM products. "I have the best relationship with GM," director Bay said. After all, he had directed commercials for the corporation before and was one of the first buyers to take delivery of a Chevrolet SSR truck. And GM was eager to be part of what promises to be a blockbuster.

"I didn't hesitate and immediately saw the opportunity," avowed Steve Tihanyi, GM's general director of marketing alliances and entertainment. "We've done a lot of things together with Michael Bay. I look for true integration into the film — for the vehicles to be real characters with real importance to the story. At GM we have a very clear vision of what we want to do in the branded entertainment space. We know what works and doesn't work. This is going to be a giant opportunity. A cornerstone activity going into next year."

The Decepticons are mostly played by military equipment including an MH-53 helicopter and an F-22 Raptor fighter. But there is one evil car, and at first sight, it's exactly the car fans would want to see going up against the Bumblebee Camaros. Only it's not a Mustang.

Barricade — the Evil Saleen S281
For Ford there would be little upside to seeing its Mustang take on the role of "Barricade," the berserk cop car Decepticon that is Bumblebee's archrival. Or for that matter, having a generation of kids grow up pretending to do vile, nasty things with Barricade toys that look just like the company's pony car. So in Transformers, Barricade isn't a Mustang at all. Instead it's a trio of Saleen S281s.

Of course, the Saleen S281 is based on the Mustang. But Saleen is officially recognized as a small manufacturer by the United States government and the S281 is a product of Saleen, not Ford. There's plenty of upside for tiny Saleen in getting its limited-production products up on the big screen, and it was fine with licensing the car to Hasbro for the villainous side of its toy line.

At Saleen's facility in Michigan, while the company's Show Car Body Shop was furiously refitting two Pontiac GTOs with fiberglass replicas of the Camaro Concept's body to portray Bumblebee, the three S281s that would star as Barricade were making their way down the regular production line. Like every S281, they were fitted with all the external body parts, suspension pieces, 20-inch wheels and tires, and interior trim items that make them distinct from a Mustang. However, unlike regular S281s, these were painted black and white, and instead of the 335-horsepower 4.6-liter SOHC 24-valve V8 "Z Motor" other S281s get, they have the Mustang GT's 300-hp version of the same engine under their hoods.

It's no surprise that the Barricade we were able to pilot for a few minutes around the Transformers set drove exactly how we expected it would: like a new S281 but with slightly less power. The standard shifter is aboard to control the production five-speed automatic transmission and the car seems to react instantly on its oversize P275/35ZR20 Pirelli P Zero tires. In short, it's a very nice car.

The fun came in turning on the light bar and chasing down the Camaros. With the lights going and the Must...er, S281's engine roaring, we may have looked like bad guys. But we felt like heroes. Sort of. After all, no villain thinks he's the villain, does he?

Ratchet — Heroic Hummer
In the old cartoons, Ratchet was the Autobot medic and transformed from a vanlike ambulance. In the film, the ambulance is gone and Ratchet is now a rescue vehicle based on the Hummer H2. There were actually two Ratchets built for the production.

Built by Auto Motion Industries in Saugus, California, the movie Ratchet is basically a stock H2 with the rear two-thirds under a new steel shell. In fact, opening any of the access doors on the new sheet metal reveals the stock structure of the H2 is still painted in its original yellow. The suspension is also stock, except for the addition of airbags in the back to handle the additional weight. A set of huge BFGoodrich Krawler T/A rock-crawling tires on massive wheels add some height to Ratchet, but it's hardly a radical lift.

The massive front bumper and "Atlas II" nose guard come straight out of the Road Armor catalog and are installed unmodified. The rear bumper is also from Road Armor but has been widened and capped on either end with the same company's corner guards.

Much of what makes Ratchet work convincingly are details like the custom-built roof rack and graphics. But running a stock drivetrain, there's no reason to believe it drives much differently from a stock H2.

Ironhide — TopKick Warrior
Back in the '80s, Ironhide started as a minivan and has been upgrading ever since. After all, he's a warrior Autobot, and transforming a Chevy Uplander would have been too goofy. This latest incarnation starts as a thundering GMC TopKick pickup before becoming a defender of humanity.

The TopKick 4500 is not a traditional consumer product, but a 2-ton medium-duty truck. You know, the sort of truck that has a commercial bed on the back and the name of a business stenciled on the door. However, Monroe Equipment in Monroe, Wisconsin, has built a strong business around converting TopKicks into pickups by fitting them with the same beds used on the smaller Sierra 350 dualy. The Transformers picture car department started with two Monroe-converted TopKick 4500 crew cab 4x4 pickups as the base to build two Ironhides and cosmetically massaged them for on-screen duty.

Most obvious among the changes is the adoption of single wheels in back in place of the standard duals. This was accomplished with custom 20-inch steel wheels from Taylor Made Wheels in South Gate, California — the front and rear wheels are identical except they're mounted with the offsets reversed so the wheels are tucked in up front and stick out in back. The tires are 35-inch-tall Nitto Mud Grapplers.

Road Armor supplied the aggressive front and rear bumpers while the picture car department built the (rather flimsy) chrome sidestep bars and tall exhaust stacks. They also replaced the TopKick's huge side mirrors with those from a Yukon.

The TopKick's 6.6-liter Duramax turbodiesel V8, Allison six-speed automatic transmission and suspension were all left stock. Also stock is the interior, which isn't seen onscreen. It's not easy to park, but it's one mean-looking Ironhide.

Optimus Prime — Big Truck, Big Heart
When Optimus Prime, leader of the Autobots, was first conceived way back in the '80s, he was a transforming semitruck. And for the Transformers film, he returns as...a semitruck. As scattershot as much Transformers character development has been through the years, Optimus Prime has retained the most consistent design and personality. In fact actor Peter Cullen, who was the voice of Optimus Prime through many of the cartoon series, returns to the role in the film.

While at times Optimus Prime has been a cab-over semi, in the movie he will be a conventional long-nose Peterbilt. Actually, however, while the two trucks built by the Transformers picture car department are based on mid-'80s Peterbilts, they have been "genericized" to remove all manufacturing markings and distinctive details. That makes getting the toys into production much simpler.

While heavily chromed pieces give Optimus some flash, it's the gorgeous purplish blue and red flame paint that is this truck's most outstanding feature. This is a classic hot-rod paint job done on a multiacre scale and it looks as good up close as it does on camera. Optimus may be the most dignified and respected of the Autobots, but at least in the movie, he's also the flashiest dresser.