Perspective is a funny thing. Whereas North American readers may find the R32 Nissan Skyline rare and valuable, and worthy of preservation, and think of the fifth-generation Camaro as unexceptional, a person on the other side of the planet may think just the opposite.
To wit, there is at least one person in Japan who thought that the 2010-2015 Chevrolet Camaro was cool and interesting enough to hack up a 1993 Nissan Skyline and mold it, crudely, into Bumblebee from the Transformers films.
Without wishing to sound too harsh, I’m not sure quite how successful I would consider this transformation to have been. I will admit that the front fascia is pretty well done and, from head on, is pretty much looks like a Camaro.
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From literally any other angle, though, the conversion is less successful. To begin with, the roofline is unchanged and reads as Nissan, not Chevy. The added body panels along the sides, meanwhile, sit over the original bodywork like a bulky winter coat.
That might not be a problem if this was simply an extreme widebody kit, or if the original doors weren’t so visible. As it is, though, it looks like both cars are fighting to be seen at the same time.
Even at the back where, I presume, the taillights come straight from a Camaro, there’s something about the way the lines intersect and the angle of the trunk lid that make it look wrong. Worse still, the owner admits that there are cracks in the body work.
I hate to just rain on someone’s parade, though, and it’s clear that a lot of work went into this oddity. Especially on the inside, where a brown and cream suede-like material abounds, and a Bride racing seat is positioned behind a Momo steering wheel. The intention of the project is also made clear inside thanks to the Autobot crest in the middle of the dash.
According to the auction page, meanwhile, the RB25 engine (swapped from an R33 Skyline) makes 400 hp (298 kw/405 PS) and is connected to a five-speed manual transmission. Although it shows 122,600 km (76,180 miles) on the odometer, the engine has apparently done just 75,000 km (46,603 miles).
If you’re one of the people who clicked on this article out of genuine intrigue, rather than morbid curiosity, then it could be yours. For sale on Yahoo Japan, the starting bid was set at 3.2 million yen ($22,881 USD at current exchange rates).
