The movie was based on genuine places and faces from actual historic Route 66 that are worth adding to the bucket list. Everyone is familiar with the Disney Pixar movie Cars, a favorite among children and adults alike. The film had us fall in love with the characters that lived in the town of Radiator Springs.
Many characters from "Cars" are drawn from real cars. Some are difficult to recognize, and some are exact copies of a real car. For example: Fillmore, Michael Schumacher, Snot Rod, Mama Topolino, Natalie Certain and many others from the cars movie are real car models.
He is not based on any particular type of vehicle, but seems to most closely resemble a C6 Chevrolet Corvette and Dodge Viper. His body is painted red with yellow and orange lightning bolt stickers featuring his racing number on his sides.
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Who is Flo in Cars in real life?
Former cafe owner Fran Houser was the inspiration for the Flo character in the movie and her signature Ugly Crust Pies can be found on the menu of the Cars Land carhop. Houser has sold the Midpoint Cafe since her brush with fame, but the new owner still serves the same food (including the famous pies).
I can picture an easy day at the Wheel Well Motel that Sally takes Lightning to visit, though its glory days are over. The real motel that inspired this sweet gem in the film is the Wagon Wheel Motel in Cuba, Missouri.
Chick is a 1979 Shyster Cremlin, a fictional car based on and designed after a 1986 Buick Grand National (Regal GNX). Chick is painted green, with the number 86 painted on his doors, and has yellow rims. He also has a grille, which serves as a mustache.
It takes until sunset to get it right. McQueen's top speed is gauged at 198 mph, which is still slower than Storm. He decides to head to Thunder Hollow which has a dirt track, but when Luigi gets worried about the press finding him there, Mack assures him he can give Lightning a disguise.
Dave Bonbright's fabulous Hornet provided the inspiration for Doc Hudson in the first Cars movie. If you're a fan of the movie Cars, there is no real-life car cooler than this. It's a 1951 Hudson Hornet owned by Dave Bonbright, one of the automotive historians who worked on the Cars films.
The Sally Special. A one-of-a-kind Porsche 911 designed in collaboration with Pixar as a tribute to none other than the iconic Sally Carrera of the studio's “Cars” franchise. That's right. A car.
Lightning's last name is a tribute to Glenn McQueen, a supervising animator at Pixar who passed away prior to the release of Cars, though the implied reference to the legendary actor and car guy Steve McQueen is certainly a bonus.
That's a rather long set-up to get us to Oatman, Ariz., probably the closest correlation to Radiator Springs, the fictional town represented in Cars Land. Oatman is known for the wild burros that wander the streets and even into shops.
Well, it doesn't really exist, but instead it's a composite of a lot of different places along Route 66. When the Pixar animators and story developers were researching Cars, they actually took a couple of Route 66 road trips (led by Route 66 historian Michael Wallis who ended up voicing the Sheriff in the movie).
Though the Koenigsegg Agera RS takes the top spot in terms of the fastest car on Earth, the carmaker isn't resting on its laurels. Teased well ahead of its 2019 Geneva Motor Show debut, Koenigsegg finally let slip what it has been working on: The Koenigsegg Jesko, the Agera RS replacement.
Although Storm is the fastest Piston Cup racer, he is not actually the fastest car in the franchise; the record is held by Francesco Bernoulli (Lightning's rival in Cars 2), with a top speed of 220 mph. He is one of the three racers to have a named hauler. The other two being Paul Conrev and Eric Braker.
>> LIGHTNING McQUEEN is the main character. A pure Pixar design, McQueen has a 750-hp V8 engine, is rear-wheel drive with coilover shocks and tubular frame, A-arm front suspension with a solid rear axle.
She takes some inspiration from the Jaguar F-Type, Chevrolet Corvette C7, and the Ferrari F12 Berlinetta. While training with McQueen, Cruz has a yellow livery with the Rust-eze Racing Center emblem on her doors.
DJ is a Reko-do Spinner, a model that closely resembles a 2004 Scion xB, also known as a Toyota bB in Japan. He has a large tuner spoiler and built in subwoofers and speakers. He is painted completely blue, with green lining on his doors.
Sheriff (voiced by Michael Wallis) is a 1949 Mercury Eight police car. Sheriff is painted in classic black and white with a single red light dome, two sirens, and curb feelers.
The highway quickly became a popular route because of the active promotion of the U.S 66 Highway Association, which advertised it as “the shortest, best and most scenic route from Chicago through St. Louis to Los Angeles.
Lightning McQueen and Sally are awed by a desert waterfall during their drive away from Radiator Springs; Cars fans who visit the Grand Canyon might recognize it as Havasu Falls, one of several located along Havasu Creek within Havasupai tribal lands.
As a guest at the Wigwam Motel, you become part of a living testament to the enduring legacy of the Cozy Cone Motel in “Cars.” The dedication to maintaining the Wigwam Motel's authenticity ensures that visitors can relish in the timeless charm that captivated audiences worldwide.
