General Motors used the Chicago Auto Show to introduce the world to its latest concept vehicle, the Corvette Stingray, which will be featured in the upcoming Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen movie on June 26th. According to GM, the vehicle is nothing more than a styling buck that was influenced by the original 1959 Stingray racer when it was spotted by director Michael Bay while he was touring GM's operations looking for inspiration for the first Transformers movie. Don't expect this concept to spawn any sort of production vehicle, which, needless to say, is a shame.

In robot mode, the Corvette Stingray Concept will take the form of Sideswipe, who will reportedly be a skater with wheels for feet. The General doesn't have anything in the way of new product to show off here in Chicago, so it's using the blockbuster movie to drum up interest instead. It's working... sorta.

Hit the jump for a video of Ed Welburn discussing the design of the Corvette Centennial Concept, along with GM's press release.



Live photos copyright ©2009 Drew Phillips / Jeremy Korzeniewski / Weblogs, Inc.

We haven't really heard a peep about the Corvette Centennial Concept since late last year, but that'll be changing in short order as hype about Revenge of the Fallen, the upcoming sequel to the wildly successful live-action Transformers movie, gets closer to its release on June 26th. We're expecting to see a real car from General Motors to go along with the movie roll, but it's not something that you'll be able to buy. This machine is meant as nothing more than a tribute to the Corvette, and it coincides nicely with GM's 100th anniversary.

The most current set of rumors suggest that the Centennial 'Vette will take the form of Transformers character Sideswipe, though there's no official word on that point quite yet. Regardless, the robot mode has been revealed via a new Transformers toy leak. Pay close attention (click on the image to enlarge) to the robot's feet -- he's a skater, and that should make for some interesting scenes in the movie. Just a few more months to go. Thanks for the tip, everyone!

[Source: Transformers Live Action Movie Blog]

This shot of the Corvette Centennial Concept comes courtesy of our friends over at Jalopnik who have a few more in their own gallery. For those of you living under a rock, the Corvette Centennial Concept is both a tribute to General Motors' 100-year history and a budding young actor on the Hollywood stage with a bit part in Transformers 2: Revenge of the Fallen. It is not, we repeat not, a production car, a concept intended to hint at the future design direction of the Corvette or any such thing, at least as far as we know. Being a flight of fancy concept, however, doesn't take away from its inherent coolness. The view from the rear is particularly mind blowing as you can see the split rear window, incredibly sculpted rear fenders and nuevo Sting Ray badge. We're not sure when the actual car will be revealed, but GM is celebrating its 100-year anniversary this month. Then again, the official debut might also coincide with the release of the Transformers sequel in 2009. We'll have to wait and see.

[Source: Jalopnik]

Click above to view video after the jump

Michael Bay's first attempt at bringing the Autobots into the real world, the 2007 live action Transformers film, has been all over HBO lately. When looking for HD programming to justify the expense of a flat screen and DirecTV to the Mrs., this movie really hits the spot. So in addition to once in the theater, I've seen it about 10 more times at home. Suffice it to say, I'm ready for T2: Revenge of the Fallen. While we've seen plenty of shots from filming and learned that the once mysterious addition to the Autobots is in fact the Corvette Centennial concept, we haven't had so much as a teaser trailer yet to wet our whistle. The video after the jump is a mere sip, but it will have to do for now. Thought to be shot in Long Beach, CA where filming has moved, it features a caravan of Autobots obeying the most famous of all Optimus Prime orders: Roll Out! The group includes Optimus, of course, and Bumblebee and Ironhide, as well as the Chevy Beat and Trax concepts and the Corvette Centennial concept. There's no sign of any Decepticons yet, but you just wait. Follow the jump to watch the video in high-res for yourself.

[Source: TFLiveBlog via eGMCarTech]