Yesterday, not long after we posted a story about a gay-centered General Motors marketing video for Chevrolet's new Camaro, the video was mysteriously pulled from YouTube. As it turns out, GM itself has copped to the disappearing act, as it reportedly ordered the popular video hosting site to yank the footage.

According to a USA Today article, GM spokesman Dave Barthmuss felt that the video – which featured a pair of so-called 'go go boys in Camaro-branded underwear washing a new 2010 model – was "not appropriate and not in good taste." The footage was filmed as part of a Transformers 2: Revenge of the Fallen gay day promotion at a Hollywood movie theater.

Despite pulling the video, GM has reportedly launched a more concerted campaign to broaden the scope of its marketing efforts as it applies to the Camaro, with more overt efforts to target gays, bisexuals and the transgendered. It is not immediately clear what (if any) effect pulling the footage will have on the rest of the automaker's p.r. efforts.

[Sources: USA Today; Mlive]

Michael Bay may never win the Best Director Oscar, but he sure does know how to get the most out of his actors during their auditions. U.K. broadcaster Jason Solomons wrote in a recent column that Bay had Ms. Megan Fox wash his (unspecified) Ferrari at his home as part of her audition for her role in the first Transformers movie. And since Bay was doing "official" auditions, he apparently recorded every minute of it.

Solomons reportedly asked Fox if she knew where the footage was, and he says she was unsure where the footage was, adding that she was "concerned" as to where it may be. According to Solomons, Bay all but confirmed the tape's existence, allegedly saying "Er, I don't know where it is either" when asked by the broadcaster. Hmmm.

Since the role of Mikaela Banes required Fox to act as sexy as she already looks, we can see why Bay chose for her to wash a Ferrari as part of the audition, but the fact that the 'audition' took place at his home and the tape has gone missing does seem a bit "casting couch" to us. That said, we can think of few things we'd rather see than Megan Fox, a Ferrari, and a bunch of suds. What we don't understand, though, is why this footage wasn't part of our bonus footage in our special edition Transformers DVD.



[Source: SFGate]

With Transformers 2: Revenge of the Fallen holding the number box office spot for two weeks, there couldn't be a better time for this ardent Autobot fan to be flogging his truck on eBay. Done up thoroughly enough to qualify as an Optimus Prime replica, this 1997 Peterbilt 379 wears custom PPG paint and clearcoat, along with hand-applied pinstripes.

If you do actually want to haul things, under that extended hood – just like Prime has – there's a 475 horsepower Caterpillar running through a ten-speed Eaton Fuller transmission. Bidding is up to $20,300 at time of writing, but you've got nine days left to get your bid in and make room in your back yard... and then you can retrieve the Allspark.

Perhaps unsurprisingly, Optimus has been showing up all sorts of odd places lately, including a guest appearance on The Light Show With David Letterman last night. The booming Autobot leader led his vocal talents to the program's trademark Top 10 list, and you can check out how he did by watching the video after the jump. Hat tip to 94 Taurus owner!



[Sources: eBay; YouTube]

We didn't much care for Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen when we went out and saw it on opening night, but we're still smitten by the concept of robots that transform into all manner of vehicular machinery. In Michael Bay's new flick, motorcycles may have taken a more prominent role than in the past, but we prefer the classic Norton Commando in the short clip after the break to the two-wheeled robotic movie machines.

Composed and rendered by Steve Twist, a student from Bournemouth University gunning for his undergraduate degree in Computer Visualisation and Animation, this eight-month project looks to be time well spent to our eyes. Better still, in our heads, this is exactly what an old Norton motorcycle would sound like if it could talk.

Perhaps Twist can get in touch with Bay to instill at least a modicum of realism for the inevitable Transformers 3? Nah, probably not. Click past the break to watch the video.

[Source: Motorcycle News]

We played with Transformers as kids and have a considerable appetite for anything automotive, making the second installment of the Transformers film franchise a must watch in an otherwise uninspiring summer blockbuster season. While we didn't dare hope for a compelling story line, we were pretty sure Director Michael Bay wouldn't let us down with regards to special effects. We hit the theater to see if Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen lived up to the considerable hype, and basically got exactly what we expected. Hit the jump to check out our brief review.

Less than one week before Transformers 2: Rise of the Fallen goes into wide release in China, fans of the morphing vehicle-turned-robot movie franchise took to the streets of Beijing in full Bumblebee regalia.

What looks to be a well-organized event was put on by website Autohome.com.cn, and it appears that they even managed to get General Motors' Chevrolet division in on the act, with a new Bumblebee-spec Camaro to lead the procession of like-painted fan cars.

We're not sure we'd go with the yellow-and-black stripes treatment on our own rides, but we remain impressed with both the dedication and the sheer variety of cars that have been given the 'Full Bumblebee,' including a couple of new Cruze sedans and a passel of Aveos, a Ford Focus, a Suzuki Swift and an SX4, a Citroen C4 – even a Mark II Volkswagen Golf. Check out the high-res photo gallery after the jump, and be sure to click on the link below for even more shots of the event. Thanks for the tip, Joe!



[Source: Autohome.com.cn via Google Translate]

As you'd expect in the runup to one of this summer's most widely-anticipated movies, product placement announcements are rolling in fast and furious ahead of the June 24th launch of Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen.

Included amongst the obviously large number of vehicles from General Motors will be an Aprilia RS125, a bike we happen to be rather fond of. In fact, seeing this machine once again reminds us how much we'd love to see the Italian motorcycle maker wrap a similar package around the excellent V-twin powerplant in its RXV and SXV line of bikes.

Oh, and it's also an excuse to run these two images of Megan Fox. In leathers – all in the name of safety, we're sure. Two questions... where's her helmet, and what's up with Shia The LeBeouf's tendency to ride pillion?




[Source: Aprilia]

General Motors isn't the only vehicle manufacturer with an interest in promoting the upcoming Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen flick, as evidenced by last weekend's AMA Pro Daytona SportBike at Road America in Wisconsin. Italian motorcycle maker Aprilia used the race to unveil fresh new livery for the RSV 1000 Factory race bike ridden by Ben Thompson, who currently sits 22nd in the points standings and finished in 41st position at the end of Saturday's race and 20th on Sunday. Naturally, you can expect to see a large Aprilia-shaped cameo in the movie, which is slated to hit a theater near you on June 24th.

Of course, the most interesting development from Aprilia is the new V4-powered 2010 RSV 4 superbike, which also made an appearance at Road America in Wisconsin over the weekend. Currently, the RSV 4 is doing battle in World Superbike competition, where rider Max Biaggi has scored 126 points and currently sits in fifth position in the overall standings. That's mighty impressive considering this is the bike's first year in competition.



[Source: Aprilia]

The idea behind building a stunning performance car like the new Chevy Camaro is as much about selling the car itself as it is about casting a bright light on the rest of the automaker's range. The muscle car in the window may bring you into the dealership, but you're more likely to walk out with something more practical. Say, a Cruze, for example.

That's what happened with one customer in China, where the price of an imported Camaro is, according to one report at least, the equivalent of a whopping $200,000. Having apparently geeked out like the rest of us at Michael Bay's blockbuster hit Transformers, the customer looks to have fallen in love with Bumblebee like that little punk Shia LeBeouf with Megan Fox (who really should be with a certain blogger whose name starts with an "N" and ends with an "oah"), but...where were we? Oh yeah, the Chinese fan gave his Chevy Cruze the full Bumblebee treatment, which looks to have involved a bit more than just plastering on some racing stripes. Check it out in the gallery below.



[Source: China Car Times I Images: Club.Sohu.com]

For those who can't get enough of Shia LaBeouf, Megan Fox, and gigantic interstellar shape-shifting robots, Hollywood director Michael Bay is here to help. He's released a trio of new television spots for the upcoming summer blockbuster, Transformers 2: Revenge of the Fallen. If you haven't found them on TV because you're busily skipping over commercials thanks to your DVR, you can check out the bevy of explosions, shape-shifting cars, planes, and helicopters after the jump.

[Source: Vimeo via MichaelBay.com]