Apparently, the animators at Pixar drew influences from many sources to create McQueen's final design. However, the two major car models he is based on are – the Chevrolet Corvette C1 (produced between 1953-1962) and the Chevrolet Corvette C6 (produced between 2004-2013).
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.
While McQueen is certainly partly inspired by the C6. R Corvette, his bodywork is an original design inspired by many different race cars, but mainly based on the Generation 4 NASCARs that made up the top level Stock Car field when the movie was released in 2006.
They said he can no longer use this car in any posts online citing, the actual movie Lighting McQueen was a BRZ. They made him switch to a Corvette, and they allow him to still do events and posts with that car instead. Why didn't Lightning McQueen just pay for the road damage in Cars 1?
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.
Voiced by actor Armie Hammer, Jackson Storm is the quick, cocky, and friendless rival for McQueen. In the movie he's younger, fitter, and faster than the lead. In the movie he's called a 2017 Custom-built “Next-Gen” Piston Cup Racer. In real life he most resembles the 2002 Cadillac Cien supercar concept.
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.
Apparently, the animators at Pixar drew influences from many sources to create McQueen's final design. However, the two major car models he is based on are – the Chevrolet Corvette C1 (produced between 1953-1962) and the Chevrolet Corvette C6 (produced between 2004-2013).
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.
The Hudson Hornet is a full-size car manufactured by Hudson Motor Car Company of Detroit, Michigan from 1951 until 1954, when Nash-Kelvinator and Hudson merged to form American Motors Corporation (AMC). Hudson automobiles continued to be marketed under the Hudson brand name through the 1957 model year.
Lighting McQueen is modeled after the Chevrolet Corvette C1 and the Chevrolet Corvette C6. However, if you were to ask McQueen himself, he would probably say something along the lines of a "2006 Custom-Built Piston Cup Racing stock car."
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.
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.
Strip "The King" Weathers is a main character in Cars and a side character in Cars 3. He is a Dinoco light blue ("Dinoco Blue") 1970 Plymouth Superbird. He is a seven-time Piston Cup champion (a feat that was later matched by Lightning McQueen) and a veteran Piston Cup racer.
Flo is simply based on a Motorama Show Girl, modeled after a 1957 GM Motorama Show Car. She is a modified 1955 Lincoln Futura with large tail fins. Her license plate reads "SHO GRL", a reference to the fact that she was a show girl before she came to Radiator Springs.
As Mater introduces everyone to the agents, Holley mentions that she is Mater's girlfriend, which also surprises Guido, as he and Luigi had not believed Mater claiming so back in Japan. Flo notices that Holley has a dent on her side, which was caused when Grem and Acer drove into her back in London.
John Lasseter, the director of the first two films, told the Los Angeles Times that he and his team had designed McQueen with a mix between a stock car and a more curvaceous Le Mans endurance racer in mind, "with some Lola and some [Ford] GT40.”
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. Sheriff was the first resident of Radiator Springs to appear in Cars and the first to meet Lightning.
Finn is said to be a 1965 Faultless GT, which is a fictional model name, and an allusion to the 1958 Peerless GT, one of Finn's design main inspirations. Finn's tires read "Firewall". Finn's grille resembles a Van Dyke mustache. According to Cars 2: The Video Game, "Finn McMissile" may not be his real name.
The car is based on the real-life Fabulous Hudson Hornet in NASCAR competition, with Hudson's racing career most closely resembling that of Herb Thomas, the record holder for highest career win rate (55 of 228 races, or 21.05%), and the first ever two-time champion.
