The teaser trailer of a new Transformers live-action movie is out, and trust us, it is going to be different and huge! Two reasons for that. One, Transformers: Rise of the Beasts is the second movie that is not directed by Michael Bay. And two, for the first time ever in the live-action Transformers Series, there is an Autobot that is a Porsche, more specifically a 964-Gen 911 Turbo. But wait, there’s more!
But if you dive deep into the Transformers franchise car world, this isn’t the first Autobot to be a Porsche. Three rather interesting Autobots took Porsche forms in the iconic 1980s Transformers Animated Series by Hasbro and Takara Tomy. As for the first-ever Porsche in the live-action series, another surprise is that the Porsche is the Autobot Mirage.
One of Mirage’s coolest tricks is to create duplicates of itself to fool Decepticons. There are lots of transforming animal robots in the teaser, which, if you are a 90s kid, will be stroked to see. Director Steven Caple Jr. is hitting it hard on nostalgia by bringing the 1990s Transformers: Beast Wars to the big screen.
That means there will be two good guys this time – Optimus Prime who has gone back to being a red Freightliner cab-over semi-truck, and Optimus Primal giving off strong robotic King Kong vibes! The teaser has already gotten us hooked with loads of cool 90s sports cars as well. Waiting to see the Porsche and Maximals on the big screen on June 9, 2023, is clearly going to be a test of patience!
Mirage Is The 964-Gen Porsche 911 In Transformers: Rise Of The Beasts
Mirage is the Autobot that takes the form of the 946 Porsche 911 Turbo in the latest Transformers flick. The name dates back to the iconic Transformers animated series of the 80s and 90s. But back then, Mirage used to be a Formula One car that was designed in line with that of the 1980s Equipe Ligier JS11.
But that was an animated series and didn’t have practical restrictions. Having an F1 car in this movie would be pointless because it would be impossible to ride on public roads. And so the makers made a clever and creative division to give Mirage a Porsche form.
A major reason why we are sure that the Porsche is Mirage is because of the duplicating scene in which the white-and-blue 911 projects five copies of itself to fool the cops. Yup! Clearly, something that an Autobot with the name “Mirage” would do!
We don’t expect the 946 Porsche 911 from the movie to have any performance upgrades. The old-school sportscar will pack the famed 3.6-Liter air-cooled flat-six engine that pumps out 247 hp and 228 lb-ft of torque. And even if the makers wanted to spice things up, it is not that hard to modify a 964 911. There are tons of aftermarket options.
A Part Of Us Wished The Porsche 911 To Be Jazz
If you are someone who has gotten old watching the iconic Transformers animated series of the 80s and 90s then Porsche will be more synonymous with the Autobot Jazz. While this is the first-ever use of a Porsche car in the live-action Transformers franchise, the German sportscar was alive and kicking back in the 80s.
In fact, there have been three transformers whose car form was a Porsche. The first, called Cliffjumper, transformed into a cartoonish version of the Porsche 924. Later on, Dead End, a Decepticon, morphed into a 1980s Porsche 928 which was yet again disproportionate and looked awkward. But many will remember Jazz whose car form was a sick Martini-livered Porsche 935 racecar.
Animation technology had evolved enough to get the car right in terms of proportion and detail. And so, most of you millennials out there who were hooked to the Transformers animated series will instantly connect with the Porsche-Jazz saga. But in the live-action universe, Jazz was given a gray Pontiac Solstice GXP with a hardtop.
The New Transformers Movie Plans To Hit The Right Nostalgic Chords
Another exciting revelation in the teaser trailer is of the huge animal Autobots called Maximals. This is yet again, another throwback integration from the Transformers: Beast Wars TV Series. Just like the modern-day Optimus Prime, the animal Autobots had a gorilla leader called Optimus Primal. And yes, both the Primes will fight together against the impending evil in the new Transformers movie – which is said to be Scourge, the leader of Terrorcons.
The devilish villain lord transforms into a sinister-looking semi-truck which reminds us strongly of the Dreadnought from the Death Race movie! Every aspect of the storyline seems to be strongly influenced by the 80s and 90s shows, we feel that this will be a strong nostalgic rollercoaster for those who grew up watching the iconic animated series.
Other Cool And Interesting Cars From Transformers: Rise Of The Beasts
The movie takes place in the 1990s, so we will be seeing a lot of slain Autobots back in action. Arcee and Wheeljack are back with the former taking the form of the iconic 1990s Ducati 748, and the latter, the iconic Volkswagen bus! Bumblebee is back in his iconic original form – a second-gen bright-yellow Chevrolet Camaro.
Bumblebee, for a brief moment in the teaser, can also be seen taking a Dakar-ready form tagging along with a giant sprinting Cheetah! In the Terrorcon bunch, we can see an orange-and-black tow truck, named Battletrap. Along with that, we have another notorious antagonist called Nightbird which takes the form of a cool modified Nissan R33 Skyline GT-R with purple wheels.
But despite the interesting and nostalgic automobile line-up, it is the classic Porsche that we are eagerly looking forward to!
Sources: Paramount Pictures, Hasbro, Steven Caple Jr. Via Instagram