The Transformers robots we see in Michael Bay's movies are realistic and intricate. However, they are nothing like the ones we grew up with. They don't even read as robots, more like shape-shifting aliens made from a hard material that's clearly not steel.
The ones I remember looked just like toys, with massive car doors for arms and bumpers over the chest area. They also had the boldest lights and paintjobs in the world. If you've been a good boy and saved all your pennies, there's a company in Turkey that can even a full-scale version based all the coolest BMWs.
Their demo car builds on the E92 BMW 3 Series Coupe, and it's got that classic vibe about it. Hydraulic pumps pop the doors out, lift the body of the robot and pop a head out between the windshield and the hood. Of course, it's only got the outer shell of an E92, as the engine and interior would have gotten in the way.
Letvision, the Turkish company in question, has also published digital sketches of what the Transformers would look like if they were based on the X6, M4, M5 and 1 Series Coupe. Our favorite has to be the X6, which is like Optimus Prime crossed with Captain America.
This is about as close as you can get to looking inside the brain of a kid in the 90s. I don't know about you, but I think that the Transformers franchise has taken a turn for the worse since then. I mean, instead of cheap robots that transform into cars, Hasbro pretty much sells fixed action figures these days that might shoot the occasional rocket.
Mihnea's favorite cars have already been built, the so-called modern classics from the '80s and '90s. He also loves local car culture from all over the world, so don't be surprised to see him getting excited about weird Japanese imports, low-rider VWs out of Germany, replicas from Russia or LS swaps down in Florida. Full profile
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