This is a
list of characters from the 2006
PixarPixar Animation Studios is a CGI animation production company based in Emeryville, California, United States. To date, the studio has earned twenty-two Academy Awards, four Golden Globes, and three Grammys, among many other awards, acknowledgments and achievements. It is one of the most critically...
film
CarsCars is a American animated feature film produced by Pixar and directed by both John Lasseter and Joe Ranft. It is the seventh Disney/Pixar feature film, and the final film by Pixar before it was bought by Disney...
.
Lightning McQueen
Lightning McQueen, typically referred to by his surname
McQueen, and occasionally called "
Stickers" by Sally, is the main character and is voiced by actor
Owen WilsonOwen Cunningham Wilson is an American actor, comedian and writer.-Early life:Wilson was born in Dallas, Texas, to photographer Laura Cunningham Wilson and Robert Andrew Wilson, an advertising executive and operator of a public television station. He has an older brother, Andrew and a younger...
. He is named after
Glenn McQueenGlenn John McQueen was a computer character animator. He started his career at Pacific Data Images, and later moved to Pixar. While at Pixar, he helped create some of Pixar's most well-known characters such as Woody in Toy Story and Boo in Monsters, Inc.The production of Finding Nemo was...
, a Pixar Animator who died of
melanomaMelanoma is a malignant tumor of melanocytes which are found predominantly in skin but also in the bowel and the eye . It is one of the less common types of skin cancer but causes the majority of skin cancer related deaths. Melanocytes are normally present in skin, being responsible for the...
in October 2002. His overall profile was inspired by stock cars and a "more curvaceous Le Mans endurance racer", e.g., Lola and
Ford GT40The Ford GT40 was a high performance sports car and winner of the 24 hours of Le Mans four times in a row, from 1966 to 1969 . It was built to win long-distance sports car races against Ferrari...
. His number, 95, is a reference to the year Pixar released its first feature-length movie,
Toy StoryToy Story is a 1995 American computer-animated family/buddy film, directed by John Lasseter and featuring the voices of Tom Hanks and Tim Allen. The film was co-produced by Ralph Guggenheim and Bonnie Arnold and was distributed by Buena Vista Distribution. It was written by Joss Whedon, Andrew...
. In the beginning of the film, Lightning McQueen is a narcissistic, selfish race car, especially towards his pit crew. He hopes to be the first rookie to win the Piston Cup race and gain a lucrative endorsement deal from Dinoco in the final race of the season, but finishes in a three-way tie with perennial runner-up Chick Hicks and veteran Strip "The King" Weathers after losing his huge lead on the final lap (#400) because of two blown tires. He gets lost in Radiator Springs on his way to California and meets new friends who teach him there is more to life than winning car races and gaining deals. It is there he meets Mater and falls in love with the town attorney, Sally Carrera. He changes his look at the end of the movie, while his bad attitude changes during his time in Radiator Springs. He learns these valuable lessons: true friendship; how greed affects others; keeping promises; teamwork; and that life is about the journey, not the destination. These values lead him to rejuvenate Radiator Springs back to its heyday. Therefore, he decides to call the little town his home, and the headquarters of Team Lightning McQueen which gets finished in
Cars Mater-NationalCars Mater-National is a title for video game consoles and handhelds released on October 30, 2007 by THQ. It is the sequel to the popular Cars video game based on the Cars film from Pixar.-Plot:...
and Mater called it a club house.
Mack
Mack is a 1980s-era
Mack Super-LinerThe Mack Super-Liner is a Class 8 heavy-duty truck that was introduced by Mack Trucks in 1977, to replace the Mack RW model. Its production lasted for fifteen years until it was discontinued in 1993. The model designation is RW...
truck bearing license plate "RUSTEZ3", voiced by
John RatzenbergerJohn Deszo Ratzenberger is an American actor. He is best known for his role as Cliff Clavin in the sitcom Cheers.-Career:...
. A dedicated member of the Rust-eze Medicated Bumper Ointment Team, Mack pulls
Lightning McQueenLightning McQueen, typically referred to by his surname McQueen, is an anthropomorphic racecar and the main protagonist in the 2006 animated Pixar film Cars. He was named after Pixar animator Glenn McQueen who died from skin cancer in 2002. He is no particular car, but his main design is based on...
's trailer to his races. After McQueen's entire pit team quits, Mack remains as the rookie racer's only friend. McQueen exhorts Mack to drive through the night to his tiebreaker race with Chick Hicks and Strip Weathers in
Los Angeles, CaliforniaLos Angeles is the largest city in the state of California and the second largest in the United States. Often abbreviated as L.A. and nicknamed The City of Angels, Los Angeles has an estimated population of 3.8 million and spans over in Southern California...
, hoping to reach the venue first and to hang out with the Dinoco team. During the long drive, Mack falls asleep and falls victim to the Delinquent Road Hazards, a group of reckless street racers. The Delinquent Road Hazards knock Mack all over the road, causing one of McQueen's bobble heads to fall off its perch and hit a button, opening his trailer door and dump a sleeping McQueen onto the road. When Mack wakes up, he is unaware that McQueen has gotten lost and has ended up in Radiator Springs. Eventually, Mack travels to Radiator Springs and, under threat of being fired by McQueen's agent, Harv, transports McQueen to Los Angeles. There he serves as McQueen's pit crew until a group of McQueen's friends from Radiator Springs show up to help. After the race, Mack moves to Radiator Springs with McQueen and is shown at Flo's Cafe in the short film
Mater and the GhostlightMater and the Ghostlight is a 2006 Pixar computer animated short created for the DVD of Cars, which was released on October 25, 2006 in Australia and in the United States on November 7, 2006. It is about a mysterious blue light haunting Larry the Cable Guy's character, Mater...
, as well as in the video game based on the film.
John Ratzenberger was given the part in honor of his father, who drove a Mack truck.
Lightning McQueen's pit crew
Lightning McQueen's pit crew are generic forklifts who quit after McQueen didn't go to the pits for tires, which nearly cost him the season's final race. One of them, presumably the acting
crew chiefCrew chief may refer to:*In auto racing, a crew chief is the head person on a pit stop*In baseball, a crew chief is usually the most experienced or senior Umpire in a game...
, since the official crew chief had recently been fired, is referred to by McQueen as "Chuck", who retorts angrily afterwards, "And my name is not Chuck!" In the credits, he is referred to as "Not Chuck" and is voiced by
Mike Nelson.
Harv
Harv is
Lightning McQueenLightning McQueen, typically referred to by his surname McQueen, is an anthropomorphic racecar and the main protagonist in the 2006 animated Pixar film Cars. He was named after Pixar animator Glenn McQueen who died from skin cancer in 2002. He is no particular car, but his main design is based on...
's agent. Never seen on-screen, McQueen speaks to Harv via his speaker phone when McQueen and
MackMack Trucks is one of the world's leading truck-manufacturing companies. It is currently a subsidiary of AB Volvo. The company's headquarters are located in Greensboro, North Carolina...
are on route to the tiebreaker race and again when Mack is in Radiator Springs to pick up McQueen. Consequently, little is known of Harv's character except that he would fire Mack if he didn't get McQueen in Mack's trailer.
Harv is voiced by actor
Jeremy PivenJeremy Samuel Piven is an American actor. He is best known for his role of Ari Gold in the hit HBO series, Entourage, for which he has won the Emmy award for Best Supporting Actor on three occasions and a Golden Globe Award....
and is based on his character
Ari GoldAriel A. "Ari" Gold is a character on the Dramedy television series Entourage. He is played by Jeremy Piven.-Biography:Ari Gold is Vince's agent. He is a product of the public school system, and a self-described "lowly Harvard grad with a J.D./M.B.A...
from the HBO series
EntourageEntourage is an American comedy-drama that premiered on HBO on July 18, 2004. The series was created by Doug Ellin and chronicles the rise of Vincent Chase, a young A-list movie star, and his childhood friends from Queens, New York City, as they navigate the unfamiliar terrain of Hollywood,...
. In the
United KingdomThe United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland is a sovereign state located off the northwestern coast of continental Europe. It is an island country, spanning an archipelago including Great Britain, the northeastern part of Ireland, and many small islands...
edition of the movie, Harv is voiced by Top Gear's host,
Jeremy ClarksonJeremy Charles Robert Clarkson is an English broadcaster and journalist who specialises in motoring. He is best known for his role on the BBC TV show Top Gear along with co-presenters Richard Hammond and James May...
. This equivalent of Harv is implied by Clarkson to be a 1979
Ford Granada GhiaThe Ford Granada was a large executive car manufactured by Ford Europe at both its German factory in Köln and its British factory in Dagenham from 1972 until 1976 when production switched entirely to Germany...
, while the American version is said to be a 1996
OldsmobileOldsmobile was a brand of automobile produced for most of its existence by General Motors. It was founded by Ransom E. Olds in 1897. In its 107-year history, it produced 35.2 million cars, including at least 14 million built at its Lansing, Michigan factory...
.
Rusty and Dusty Rust-eze
The
Rust-eze Brothers,
Rusty and
Dusty, are the spokescars for Rust-Eze, the team that sponsors Lightning. Rusty is a 1964
Dodge A100The A100 line was a family of compact vans and trucks produced by Chrysler and sold under the Dodge and Fargo brands from 1964 through 1970, competing with the Ford Econoline and Chevy Van, all inspired by the Volkswagen Type 2. It included a pickup truck and van, both with a "cab forward" design...
, and Dusty, a 1963
Dodge DartThe Dodge Dart is an automobile built by the Dodge division of the Chrysler Corporation from 1960 to 1976 in North America, with production extended to later years in various other markets. The Dart was introduced as a lower-priced, shorter wheelbase, full-size Dodge in 1960 and 1961, became a...
. Rusty and Dusty are voiced by real-life brothers
Tom MagliozziThomas Louis Magliozzi is an American radio talk show host. He and his younger brother Ray Magliozzi, also known collectively as Click and Clack, The Tappet Brothers, are the hosts of National Public Radio's Car Talk....
and
Ray MagliozziRaymond F. Magliozzi is a co-host of NPR's winning weekly radio show, Car Talk. They are known as "Click and Clack, the Tappet Brothers"...
(respectively) of
National Public RadioNational Public Radio is a privately and publicly funded non-profit membership media organization that serves as a national syndicator to 797 public radio stations in the United States. NPR was created in 1970, following congressional passage of the Public Broadcasting Act of 1967, signed into law...
's
Car TalkCar Talk is a radio talk show broadcast weekly on National Public Radio stations throughout the United States and elsewhere. Its subjects are automobiles and repair, and it often takes humorous turns...
. The '63 Dart bears an intentional resemblance to Ray Magliozzi's infamous green Dart, named "The Dartre". In a deleted scene shown on the DVD, these two would have had no association with
Lightning McQueenLightning McQueen, typically referred to by his surname McQueen, is an anthropomorphic racecar and the main protagonist in the 2006 animated Pixar film Cars. He was named after Pixar animator Glenn McQueen who died from skin cancer in 2002. He is no particular car, but his main design is based on...
other than a chance encounter at a
truck stopA truck stop is a commercial facility predicated on providing fuel, parking, and often food and other services to truck drivers. Truck stops are usually located on or near a busy road and consist of a diesel grade fueling station with bays wide and tall enough for modern tractor/trailer rigs, plus...
, where Mack was allowed to stop briefly. According to their respective die-cast, Rusty's license plate states "Rust" and Dusty's sports "Eze". The license plates also show that they're from "R Fair City", a reference to how the brothers refer to their hometown of
Cambridge, MassachusettsCambridge is a city in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, United States, in the Greater Boston area. It was named in honor of the University of Cambridge in England, a nexus of the Puritan theology embraced by the town's founders. Notably, Cambridge is home to two internationally prominent...
on
Car Talk.
Strip "The King" Weathers
Strip Weathers (simply known as
The King) is a Dinoco Blue veteran racecar voiced by
NASCARThe National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing is a family-owned and operated business venture that sanctions and governs multiple auto racing sports events. It was founded by Bill France Sr. in 1947-48. As of 2009, the CEO for the company is Brian France, grandson of the late Bill France Sr...
veteran
Richard PettyFor the president & C.E.O. of Maple Leafs Sports & Entertainment, see Richard PeddieRichard Lee Petty is a former NASCAR driver who raced in the Strictly Stock/Grand National Era and the NASCAR Winston Cup Series...
. He is based on Petty's 1970
Plymouth SuperbirdThe short-lived Plymouth Road Runner Superbird, a sister design to the Dodge Charger Daytona, was designed to beat the Ford Torino Talladega at NASCAR stock car racing and to lure Richard Petty back to Plymouth...
; his number, 43, was Petty's racecar number. He is one of the racecars in the 2005 Piston Cup three-way tie, along with Chick Hicks and
Lightning McQueenLightning McQueen, typically referred to by his surname McQueen, is an anthropomorphic racecar and the main protagonist in the 2006 animated Pixar film Cars. He was named after Pixar animator Glenn McQueen who died from skin cancer in 2002. He is no particular car, but his main design is based on...
. He is Dinoco's "Golden Boy", having won seven Piston Cups (the same number of NASCAR season championships won by the real-life Petty), and is hoping for another win in the tie-breaker race. He tells
Lightning McQueenLightning McQueen, typically referred to by his surname McQueen, is an anthropomorphic racecar and the main protagonist in the 2006 animated Pixar film Cars. He was named after Pixar animator Glenn McQueen who died from skin cancer in 2002. He is no particular car, but his main design is based on...
that he would be nowhere without his team, but the rookie does not pay any attention, being more preoccupied with the thought of taking over the Dinoco sponsorship after The King's retirement. On the final lap of the tie-breaker race, Chick rams The King, sending him into a terrible rollover crash. When McQueen sees what has happened, he realizes that The King's career might end the way Doc Hudson's did. So after deliberately letting Chick win, McQueen helps The King across the finish line. The King is last seen visiting the racing museum with his wife and another NASCAR racer, Dale Jr.
Lynda Weathers / Mrs. The King
"Mrs. The King", as Mater calls her, is The King's wife. She is voiced by Richard Petty's real-life wife,
Lynda Petty. A 1974
Chrysler Town and CountryThe Chrysler Town and Country was introduced by Chrysler Corp. in 1941. This was a debute of the first woodie wagon with an all-steel roof. The car was dubbed the Town & Country. Production of the cars stopped during World War II. In 1941 and 1942, less than 1,000 were manufactured.After the war,...
station wagon, she is modeled after the car in which the Petty family used to go to Richard's races during the 1970s. During the races, she sits in a special VIP booth with Dinoco's sponsor, cheering for her husband.
Tex Dinoco
Tex Dinoco, voiced by Humpy Wheeler, is a gold 1975
Cadillac Coupe de VilleThe Coupe deVille was a model of Cadillac from 1949 through 1993. The name has become famous through pop culture, with references in pop songs, movies, and other media.-Model history:...
and owner of Dinoco. In his packaging as a diecast car, his name is listed as "Tex Dinoco". It is unknown whether Dinoco is Tex's last name, or whether the name was simply added to give the consumer a better idea of who Tex was. In the movie, he has a Hoosier accent. Tex was mainly inspired by the gold Cadillacs with Long Horns that are used at the Big Texan Steak Restaurant in Amarillo, Texas to bring guests for dinner.
Chick Hicks
Chick Hicks (voiced by
Michael KeatonMichael John Douglas , better known as Michael Keaton, is an American actor, well known for his early comedic roles in films such as Night Shift, Mr...
) is an obnoxious green
GM G platform (RWD)The General Motors G platform was an automobile platform designation used for mid-sized rear wheel drive cars from 1982 to 1988...
- most likely a Buick Grand National model that was popular in the 1980s - and is the primary antagonist. He has spent his entire career trailing Strip "The King" Weathers, and is bitter about this fact. His number is 86 (86 is a reference to the phrase
eighty-sixed, idiom for being fired from a job; it is also Chick's model year, as well as the year
PixarPixar Animation Studios is a CGI animation production company based in Emeryville, California, United States. To date, the studio has earned twenty-two Academy Awards, four Golden Globes, and three Grammys, among many other awards, acknowledgments and achievements. It is one of the most critically...
was established). It also may have something to do with 86 is 43 (The King's number) multiplied by two. His sponsor is the "Hostile Takeover Bank." Determined to do whatever it takes to win, Chick will often ram other cars in order to cause a wreck (though how he always gets away with this without being penalized is never explained). He hates Lightning McQueen, but tends to copy him, and adopts the nickname 'Thunder' which McQueen originally used as a put-down ("Thunder always comes after Lightning"). Chick and McQueen share the same dream of being the new face of Dinoco. On the final lap of the tie-breaker race, Hicks becomes so determined not to come in behind The King again that he rams the older racer off the track, sending Dinoco's champion into a roll. He expects a huge ovation after McQueen deliberately lets him win the Piston Cup, but is instead booed off the stage, denied the opportunity to represent Dinoco, and forced to make a quick getaway with his trophy. In many ways, he represents what Lightning McQueen could have become.
Mater
Mater (voiced by
Larry the Cable GuyDaniel Lawrence Whitney , better known by the stage name Larry the Cable Guy, is an American stand-up comedian and actor...
) was inspired by a 1951
International HarvesterInternational Harvester Company was an agricultural machinery, construction equipment, vehicle, commercial truck, and household and commercial products manufacturer. In 1902, J.P...
tow truck but bears more of a resemblance to a 1955-57
ChevroletChevrolet is a brand of automobile produced by General Motors Company . Founded by Louis Chevrolet and ousted GM founder William C. Durant in 1911, Chevrolet was acquired by General Motors in 1917...
or GMC; the actual inspiration may be the 1955-56 version since the hood which Mater recovers at the end of the film after a twenty-year absence lacks the "gunsights" of the 1957 model. Mater runs "Tow Mater Towing and Salvage." Along with the movie, he also stars in an animated short,
Mater and the GhostlightMater and the Ghostlight is a 2006 Pixar computer animated short created for the DVD of Cars, which was released on October 25, 2006 in Australia and in the United States on November 7, 2006. It is about a mysterious blue light haunting Larry the Cable Guy's character, Mater...
, and acts as an announcer in the
Cars video game. He speaks with a thick Southern accent with a bit of hillbilly
twangSouthern American English is a group of dialects of the English language spoken throughout the Southern region of the United States, from Southern and Eastern Maryland, West Virginia and Kentucky to the Gulf Coast, and from the Atlantic coast to throughout most of Texas and Oklahoma.The Southern...
, and often misspells words or uses incorrect syntax. Mater is also the (self-proclaimed) world champion backwards driver. He attributes his skill to his rear-view mirrors and his own philosophy: "Don't need to know where I'm going, just need to know where I've been." In the movie, Mater befriends and supports Lightning throughout his adventure in Radiator Springs. In the end, McQueen gives Mater an opportunity to fly in a Dinoco helicopter like he always wanted.
His color was originally
baby blueAt right is displayed the color baby blue. The color baby blue as shown here is identical to the web color light cyan. Baby blue is known as one of the pastel colors....
, as shown in a flashback; however, over the years, he has rusted into a patchwork light brown/orange color, with some of the blue still showing through. He is missing his hood and his left headlight. In the credits he managed to fish his hood (which has more of its original color on it than the rest of Mater does) from a cliff up in Tailfin Pass, but then sneezed, causing it to fall back down the cliff. His license plate number is
A113A113 is an inside joke present as an Easter egg in animated films created by alumni of CalArts, referring to the classroom number used by graphic design students at the school...
; the passenger locomotive which nearly crashes into McQueen before his initial entry into Radiator Springs bears the same number on its identification plates. His final personality was based on his voice actor, Larry the Cable Guy, and he uses many of Larry's catchphrases, including "Git-R-Done" during the final race sequence and "I don't care who you are; that's funny right there" during the
tractor tippingCow tipping or cow pushing is the purported activity of sneaking up on a sleeping, upright cow and pushing it over for fun. As cows do not sleep standing up, cow tipping is a myth.-Myth and reality:...
scene, among others.
Real life replicas of Mater and Lightning are shown at
Disney's California AdventureDisney's California Adventure Park is a theme park in Anaheim, California, adjacent to Disneyland Park and part of the larger Disneyland Resort. It opened on February 8, 2001...
at
Disneyland ResortThe Disneyland Resort is a recreational resort complex, that opened in 1955, in Anaheim, California. The resort is owned and operated by The Walt Disney Company through its Parks and Resorts division and is home to two theme parks, three hotels and a shopping, dining, and entertainment area.Known...
in Anaheim, CA and
Disney's Hollywood StudiosDisney's Hollywood Studios is a theme park at the Walt Disney World Resort. Spanning 135 acres in size, its theme is show business, drawing inspiration from the heyday of Hollywood in the 1930s and 1940s...
of Walt Disney World in Lake Buena Vista, FL. In addition unofficial replicas have been created by fans of the movie.
The original vehicle on which Mater's appearance was based currently sits at the "Four Women on the Route" diner and souvenir store in Galena, KS. In the series of shorts called
Cars ToonsA Cars Toon; Mater's Tall Tales is an animated short series by Pixar featuring the characters Mater and Lightning McQueen from the film Cars. The shorts air on Disney Channel, Toon Disney, and ABC Family, with their first broadcast was on October 27, 2008...
,he is the main character and tells Mcqueen about his past occupations and always get Mcqueen into the story.
Sally Carrera
Sally Carrera (voiced by
Bonnie HuntBonnie Lynne Hunt is an American actress, comedienne, writer, director, television producer and daytime television host.-Early life:...
) is a
royal blueRoyal blue describes both a bright shade and a dark range of blue. It is said to have been invented by millers in Rode, Somerset, a consortium of which won a competition to make a dress for Queen Charlotte....
2002 Porsche 911 Carrera. Her California license plate number is 301PCE. She also appears in the
Cars video gameCars is a video game based on the film of the same name, and a sequel to the Disney/Pixar film. It is available or in production for the following systems: Mac OS X, Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 2, PlayStation Portable, Xbox, Xbox 360, Nintendo GameCube, Wii, Game Boy Advance, Nintendo DS, Mobile...
, in which she is a playable character. Sally,
Lightning McQueenLightning McQueen, typically referred to by his surname McQueen, is an anthropomorphic racecar and the main protagonist in the 2006 animated Pixar film Cars. He was named after Pixar animator Glenn McQueen who died from skin cancer in 2002. He is no particular car, but his main design is based on...
's love interest and later girlfriend, is the snazzy town attorney of Radiator Springs. She came to the town several years before, when, in her own words, "I never felt -- happy. One day I just drove and drove, and finally broke down right here. Doc fixed me up, Flo took me in -- well, they all did -- and I never left." Sally then fell in love with the town, and the land around it, and settled down in the town. Sally runs the Cozy Cone Motel. Later, she and Lightning reopened the Wheel Well Hotel. She calls McQueen "Stickers," first as a way to tease him (because of his fake headlights), and later as a friendly nickname. In the UK cars magazine
Top GearTop Gear is an automobile magazine published by BBC Worldwide, and named after the BBC's Top Gear television show. It was first published in October 1993 and is published monthly at a price of £3.95. The major presenters of the television series - Richard Hammond, James May and Jeremy Clarkson -...
, Sally was included in the magazine's list of the 10 sexiest cars in the World.
Doc Hudson
Doc Hudson (voiced by
Paul NewmanPaul Leonard Newman was an American actor, film director, entrepreneur, humanitarian, and auto racing enthusiast...
); also known as
"Dr. Hudson" or simply
"Doc". His license plate reads 51HHMD (a reference to his year and track number(51) model (Hudson Hornet) and profession (medical doctor)). Doc was once known as the
Fabulous Hudson HornetThe Fabulous Hudson Hornet was a famous NASCAR Grand National and AAA stock car produced by the Hudson Motor Car Company. Marshall Teague and Herb Thomas each drove in a Hudson Hornet that they nicknamed the "Fabulous Hudson Hornet"....
(#51), one of the most famous racecars to have ever lived; he won three Piston Cups, and still holds the record for most wins in a single season (27, a reference to real-life Hornets winning 27
NASCARThe National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing is a family-owned and operated business venture that sanctions and governs multiple auto racing sports events. It was founded by Bill France Sr. in 1947-48. As of 2009, the CEO for the company is Brian France, grandson of the late Bill France Sr...
races in 1952). All that changed for the famous Hornet when a terrible crash on the track during the final lap of the 1954 Piston Cup championship race saw him put out for the season. Upon his return, he was received with a complete absence of fanfare and told that he was a has-been who had been passed up for the next rookie in line. He kept a newspaper article on the career-ending crash as a reminder never to return to the life that nearly killed him.
Jaded by the racing scene, he left that world, apparently taking out time to study medicine. The famous #51 disappeared into obscurity, leaving many wondering where he had gone. He instead opted for a simple
navy blueNavy blue is a very dark shade of the color blue almost appears as black. Navy blue got its name from the dark blue worn by officers in the British Royal Navy since 1748 and subsequently adopted by other navies around the world....
paint job and the life of a
physicianA physician — also known as medical practitioner, doctor of medicine, medical doctor, or simply doctor — practices the ancient profession of medicine, which is concerned with maintaining or restoring human health through the study, diagnosis, and treatment of disease or injury...
in the tiny town of Radiator Springs, the "shining
GemstoneA gemstone or gem is a piece of attractive mineral, which—when cut and polished—is used to make jewelry or other adornments...
" of the Mother Road -
Route 66U.S. Route 66 was a highway in the U.S. Highway System. One of the original U.S. highways, Route 66, US Highway 66, was established on November 11, 1926. However, road signs did not go up until the following year...
. He runs Doc's Clinic as a "doctor of internal combustion". As times changed and the town got bypassed in favor of
Interstate 40Interstate 40 is a major west-east Interstate Highway in the United States. Its western terminus is at Interstate 15 in Barstow, California; its eastern terminus is at a concurrency of U.S. Route 117 and North Carolina Highway 132 in Wilmington, North Carolina. Much of the western portion of I-40,...
, Doc stayed on, even when the population had dwindled to a meager dozen or so residents. He is respected, well-loved, and serves not only as the town's physician, but as its judge as well. However, nobody in the town had any idea of his past as a racer; he was just an ordinary
Hudson HornetThe Hudson Hornet is an automobile that was produced by the Hudson Motor Car Company of Detroit, Michigan between 1951 and 1954. The Hornet was also built by American Motors Corporation in Kenosha, Wisconsin and marketed under the Hudson brand between 1955 and 1957.The first generation Hudson...
to them.
Upon meeting the young hotshot
Lightning McQueenLightning McQueen, typically referred to by his surname McQueen, is an anthropomorphic racecar and the main protagonist in the 2006 animated Pixar film Cars. He was named after Pixar animator Glenn McQueen who died from skin cancer in 2002. He is no particular car, but his main design is based on...
, Doc saw far too much of his past in the rookie. After McQueen finished fixing the road he damaged and decided to stay for a while, Doc was unable to bear having him around any longer and called the news and press to immediately take him away to the Piston Cup, declaring that it is best for everyone. But seeing how disheartened everyone was by his unplanned departure, Doc realized that McQueen had become more important to them than he thought. He took back his old #51 colors to become McQueen's pit crew chief, bringing nearly the entire town to the Piston Cup to support Lightning as his pit crew. By the end of the film, Doc opts to keep his racing colors, and becomes a trainer as well as crew chief to the young McQueen. Just like McQueen, Doc learned some lessons: friendship, promises, how greed affects others, and that secrets can't be kept forever.
The car is based on the real-life
Fabulous Hudson HornetThe Fabulous Hudson Hornet was a famous NASCAR Grand National and AAA stock car produced by the Hudson Motor Car Company. Marshall Teague and Herb Thomas each drove in a Hudson Hornet that they nicknamed the "Fabulous Hudson Hornet"....
in NASCAR competition driven by
Herb Thomas----Herbert Watson Thomas was a NASCAR pioneer who was one of the series' most successful drivers in the 1950s.-Background:...
and
Marshall TeagueMarshall Teague was an American race car driver.He was nicknamed by NASCAR fans as the "King of the Beach" for his performances at the Daytona Beach Road Course....
.
Sheriff
Sheriff (voiced by
Michael WallisMichael Wallis is a journalist from Missouri and popular historian of the Western United States. He has written 10 books, including the bestsellers Route 66: The Mother Road, The Real Wild West: The 101 Ranch and the Creation of the American West, and Pretty Boy: The Life and Times of Charles...
) is a 1949
Mercury Club CoupeMercury is an automobile marque of the Ford Motor Company founded in 1939 by Edsel Ford, son of Henry Ford, to market entry-level-luxury cars slotted between Ford-branded regular models and Lincoln-branded luxury vehicles, similar to General Motors' Buick brand and Chrysler's namesake brand....
police carA police car is the description for a vehicle used by police, to assist with their duties in patrolling and responding to incidents. Typical uses of a police car include transportation for officers to reach the scene of an incident quickly, to transport criminal suspects, or to patrol an area,...
, bearing Carburetor County license plate
001. Sheriff is painted in the classic law enforcement black and white, with a single red light dome, two
sirensA siren is a loud noise maker. The original version would yield sounds under water, suggesting a link with the sirens of Greek mythology. Most modern ones are civil defense or "air raid" sirens, tornado sirens, or the sirens on emergency service vehicles such as ambulances, police cars and fire...
, and
curb feelerCurb feelers or curb finders are springs or wires installed on a vehicle which act as "whiskers" to warn drivers that they are too close to the curb or other obstruction.The devices are fitted low on the body, close to the wheels...
s. Sheriff was the first resident of Radiator Springs to appear in the film and also the first to meet
Lightning McQueenLightning McQueen, typically referred to by his surname McQueen, is an anthropomorphic racecar and the main protagonist in the 2006 animated Pixar film Cars. He was named after Pixar animator Glenn McQueen who died from skin cancer in 2002. He is no particular car, but his main design is based on...
during a police chase when McQueen was speeding through the town, trying to find Mack. He later befriends Lightning McQueen, even offering him a police escort to California, and joins his pit crew for the championship race. He borrows a line used by actor Joe Higgins, who played a sheriff in early 1970s
DodgeDodge is a United States-based brand of automobiles, minivans, sport utility vehicles, and pickup trucks, manufactured and marketed by Chrysler Group LLC in more than 60 different countries and territories worldwide....
commercials: "Boy, you're in a heap of trouble."
At one point in the film when Sally gives McQueen some Gas he was worried that McQueen would try to escape the town. McQueen of course smiles when he sees the end of the town like he was going to escape. Sherrif then turns on his siren in case, frowning. Sally then asks McQueen, "Hey Stickers! Are you coming, or What?" which gets McQueen to not even try to escape.
Luigi
Luigi (voiced by
Tony ShalhoubAnthony Marcus "Tony" Shalhoub is a Lebanese-American actor, best known for his role as obsessive-compulsive sleuth Adrian Monk on the TV series Monk.-Early life:...
) is a 1959
Fiat 500The Fiat 500 is a car produced by the Fiat company of Italy between 1957 and 1975, with limited production of the Fiat 500 K estate continuing until 1977. The car was designed by Dante Giacosa....
ragtop. He is a
Scuderia FerrariScuderia Ferrari is the name for the Gestione Sportiva, the division of the Ferrari automobile company concerned with racing. The racing team has competed in numerous classes of motorsport since its formation in 1929. Currently the team races in Formula One only, under the team name "Scuderia...
fan, and has followed racing his entire life. His license plate reads 445-108, which is the latitude and longitude for the main
FerrariFerrari S.p.A. is an Italian sports car manufacturer based in Maranello, Italy. Founded by Enzo Ferrari in 1928 as Scuderia Ferrari, the company sponsored drivers and manufactured race cars before moving into production of street-legal vehicles in 1947 as Ferrari S.p.A....
factory in
ModenaModena is a city and a comune on the south side of the Po valley, in the Province of Modena in the Emilia-Romagna region of Italy....
,
ItalyItaly , officially the Italian Republic , is a country located on the Italian Peninsula in Southern Europe and on the two largest islands in the Mediterranean Sea, Sicily and Sardinia. Italy shares its northern, Alpine boundary with France, Switzerland, Austria and Slovenia...
. Luigi owns a tire shop, Casa Della Tires, which is known for its "Leaning Tower of Tires," a tower of several tires shaped like the
Leaning Tower of PisaThe Leaning Tower of Pisa or simply The Tower of Pisa is the campanile, or freestanding bell tower, of the cathedral of the Italian city of Pisa...
. His assistant is an Italian
forklift truckA forklift is a powered industrial truck used to lift and transport materials. The modern forklift was developed in the 1920s by various companies including the transmission manufacturing company Clark and the hoist company Yale & Towne Manufacturing...
named Guido. Inside his shop are many framed pictures of
World Sportscar ChampionshipThe World Sportscar Championship was the world series run for sports car racing by the FIA from 1953 to 1992.The championship evolved from a small collection of the most important sportscar, endurance and road racing events in Europe and North America with dozens of gentleman drivers at the grid,...
endurance racingEndurance racing is a form of motorsport racing which is meant to test the durability of equipment and endurance of participants. Teams of multiple drivers attempt to cover a large distance in a single event, with participants given a break with the ability to change during the race...
Ferraris from various points in history. At first, Luigi and Guido do not respect
Lightning McQueenLightning McQueen, typically referred to by his surname McQueen, is an anthropomorphic racecar and the main protagonist in the 2006 animated Pixar film Cars. He was named after Pixar animator Glenn McQueen who died from skin cancer in 2002. He is no particular car, but his main design is based on...
when he comes to Radiator Springs, because he is not a Ferrari ("Luigi follow only the Ferraris"), but later on they learn to show courtesy to McQueen, fitting him with whitewalls. In the end, McQueen directs a group of Italian sports cars — a Ferrari (voiced by
Michael SchumacherMichael Schumacher is a German former Formula One driver and seven-time Formula One world drivers' champion, and current advisor for Ferrari. According to the official Formula One website, he is "statistically the greatest driver the sport has ever seen"...
) and two
Maserati QuattroporteThe Maserati Quattroporte is a luxury four-door saloon made by Maserati of Italy. The name translated from Italian literally means "four doors". There have been five generations of the car, each separated by a period of roughly five years....
s — to his shop, having recommended it. The presence of a celebrity Ferrari in their store causes both Luigi and Guido to faint from shock and happiness.
For the Italian version of the film, Luigi was voiced by comedian Marco Della Noce; one of Della Noce's most popular characters was "Oriano Ferrari", a parody character meant to represent the leader of Ferrari's pit stop crew.
Guido
Guido (voiced by
Guido QuaroniGuido Quaroni is a computer modeller and animation scientist at Pixar Animation Studios. He was the former developers of solidThinking, a NURBS based 3D modeling and rendering software. He provided voices for two of Pixar's feature films.He worked as modler for Toy Story 2 and Monsters, Inc., he...
) is a forklift, who works at Luigi's Casa Della Tires, and is Luigi's best friend. The only language Guido can speak and understand fluently is
ItalianItalian is a Romance language spoken by about 60 million people in Italy, and by a total of around 70 million in the world. In Switzerland, Italian is one of four official languages. It is also the official language of San Marino, as well as the primary language of Vatican City...
, though he appears to understand
EnglishEnglish is a West Germanic language that developed in England during the Anglo-Saxon era. As a result of the military, economic, scientific, political, and cultural influence of the British Empire during the 18th, 19th, and early 20th centuries, and of the United States since the mid 20th century,...
, and even speaks a few phrases, including "Pit stop" but pronounced "Peet stop!" His dream is to perform a
pit stopIn motorsports, a pit stop is where a racing vehicle stops in the pits during a race for refuelling, new tires, repairs, mechanical adjustments, a driver change, or any combination of the above....
for a real racecar. Near the end of the movie, as Lightning's pit crew, he performed the fastest pit stop in Piston Cup history, changing all four tires in four seconds, shocking Chick Hicks' pit crew (and making their moustaches fall off) in the process who had earlier made fun of him.
In order to preserve the "language barrier" gags between Guido and the other characters in the Italian dub, his lines (and the other cars' lines in Italian) have been rendered with the
Emiliano-RomagnoloEmiliano-Romagnolo is a Romance language mostly spoken in Emilia-Romagna, Italy. It belongs to the Northern Italian group within Romance languages , which is included in the wider group of western Romance languages...
accent spoken in the town of
ModenaModena is a city and a comune on the south side of the Po valley, in the Province of Modena in the Emilia-Romagna region of Italy....
, Italy, home of the
FerrariFerrari S.p.A. is an Italian sports car manufacturer based in Maranello, Italy. Founded by Enzo Ferrari in 1928 as Scuderia Ferrari, the company sponsored drivers and manufactured race cars before moving into production of street-legal vehicles in 1947 as Ferrari S.p.A....
car manufacturer and racing team.
Alex ZanardiAlessandro "Alex" Zanardi is an Italian racing driver. He won two CART championship titles in North America during the late 1990s. He also had a less successful career as a Formula One driver. More recently, he has attracted widespread praise for his return to competition in the aftermath of a...
, an Italian race driver who is a native of Bologna, the largest city in the Emilia-Romagna region (and thus presumably familiar with that dialect), voiced Guido for the Italian version. Coincidentally, or as a pun by the authors, the name "Guido" is a perfect
homonymIn linguistics, a homonym is one of a group of words that share the same spelling and the same pronunciation but have different meanings, usually as a result of the two words having different origins...
for the Italian inflected verb meaning "I drive".
Ramone
Ramone (voiced by
Cheech MarinRichard Anthony "Cheech" Marin is an American comedian and actor who gained recognition as part of the comedy act Cheech & Chong during the 1970s and early 1980s, and as Don Johnson's quick-and-scheme partner, Insp. Joe Dominguez on Nash Bridges...
) is a 1959
Chevrolet ImpalaThe Chevrolet Impala is a full-size automobile built by the Chevrolet division of General Motors. One of America's most successful nameplates, the early Impala became the best-selling automobile when full-sized cars dominated sales, though the name was eventually revived in 2000 for a full-size...
lowrider]A lowrider is a car or truck which has had its suspension system modified so that it rides as low as possible. Lowriders often have user controlled height adjustable suspension...
who owns the Ramone's Paint and Body Art store, where he paints himself and other cars, including
Lightning McQueenLightning McQueen, typically referred to by his surname McQueen, is an anthropomorphic racecar and the main protagonist in the 2006 animated Pixar film Cars. He was named after Pixar animator Glenn McQueen who died from skin cancer in 2002. He is no particular car, but his main design is based on...
later in the film. His license plate reads "L0WNSL0", which is a reference to his catchphrase, "Low and slow." He is married to Flo, whose restaurant is next door to his store. Ramone is usually depicted as purple with a yellow and orange flame job, but throughout the film he changes his paint job every morning to keep his skills sharp, owing to a lack of customers. This situation changes after Radiator Springs becomes vibrant again.
In a deleted scene that told the story of how Ramone and Flo fell in love, the only customer Ramone has refused to paint was his future wife Flo. When she asked him, "Whassamatta, you too good to paint me?" he promptly and smoothly replies, "No way, you too good for me to paint," and saying that he couldn't touch a classic like Flo, which made her heart melt. The story took place in Radiator Springs of 1974.
Flo
Flo (voiced by
Jenifer LewisJenifer Jeanette Lewis is an American film and television actress.-Career:Soon after she arrived in New York City, Lewis began on Broadway in a small role in Eubie , the musical based on the work of Eubie Blake...
) is the owner of Radiator Springs only gas diner, "Flo's V-8
CafeA café , also spelled cafe, is an informal restaurant offering a range of hot meals and made-to-order sandwiches. This differs from a coffee house, which is a limited-menu establishment which focuses on coffee sales. Depending on the jurisdiction, a café may be licensed to serve alcohol. The term...
" and is married to Ramone, the town's body artist. Her license plate reads "SHOGRL", the same as the license plates applied to many
MotoramaMotorama was an auto show staged by General Motors from 1949 to 1961. These automobile extravaganzas were designed to whet public appetite and boost automobile sales with displays of fancy prototypes, concept vehicles and other special or halo models....
show cars, and an obvious pun on the term "
showgirlA showgirl is a dancer or performer in a stage entertainment show."Showgirl" is often used as a term for a promotional model in trade fairs and car shows, etc...
". A shot of Flo's rear end during the cruising scene shows a secondary plate above her license plate which reads "Motorama 1957." According to a deleted scene, she is indeed a Motorama showcar and came to Radiator Springs during a national tour. She appears to be inspired by three early- to mid-fifties show cars: the 1951
Buick LeSabreThe Buick LeSabre is a full-size car made by the Buick division of General Motors from 1959-2005. For many years, the LeSabre was considered the entry level full-size Buick, carrying the lowest base price in the Buick lineup...
(front-end lines, the basic hood shape, lights mounted near the corners, and front-quarter trim), the 1951 Buick XP-300 (side trim), and the 1956/57 Chrysler Dart (cockpit, deck lid, and tailfins).
Fillmore
Fillmore (voiced by
George CarlinGeorge Denis Patrick Carlin was an American stand-up comedian. He was also an actor and author, and he won five Grammy Awards for his comedy albums....
) is a
Volkswagen Type 2The Volkswagen Type 2 was the second automotive line introduced by German automaker Volkswagen. It was a van introduced in 1950, initially based on Volkswagen's first model, the Type 1, also known as the "Beetle". The Type 2 is the forerunner of modern cargo and passenger vans...
microbus of late 1950s/early 1960s vintage as evidenced by his pointed front turn signals and small rear window. Fillmore's license plate reads "51237", which is a reference to May 12 1937, the birthdate of George Carlin. He is a stereotypical
hippieThe hippie subculture was originally a youth movement that began in the United States during the early 1960s and spread around the world. The word hippie derives from hipster, and was initially used to describe beatniks who had moved into San Francisco's Haight-Ashbury district...
, with his license plate positioned to resemble a
soul patchThe soul patch is a small patch of facial hair just below the lower lip and above the chin. It came to prominence in the 1950s and 1960s, when it was a style of facial hair common among African American men, most notably jazzmen and other musicians. It became popular with beatniks, artists, and...
. His name is a reference to the
Fillmore EastFillmore East was entertainment promoter Bill Graham's late 1960s – early 1970s rock palace in the East Village area of the Manhattan borough of New York City, New York.-Pre-Fillmore East history:...
, a venue that was an epicenter for rock performances throughout the 1960s and 1970s (The Allman Brothers, The Grateful Dead, and
Jimi HendrixJames Marshall "Jimi" Hendrix was an American guitarist, singer and songwriter...
all made notable live recordings there, to name a few). He owns an
organic fuelBiofuel is defined as solid, liquid or gaseous fuel obtained from lifeless or living biological material and is similar to fossil fuels, which are derived from long dead biological material. Also, various plants and plant-derived materials are used for biofuel manufacturing...
shop (Fillmore's Organic Fuel) which features several flavors, and believes gasoline companies are lying to the public. In the morning, when next-door neighbor Sarge plays
Reveille"Reveille" is a bugle call most often associated with the military; it is chiefly used to wake military personnel at sunrise. The name comes from the French word for "wake up".- Commonwealth of Nations and the United States :...
and raises the
Flag of the United StatesThe flag of the United States of America consists of thirteen equal horizontal stripes of red alternating with white, with a blue rectangle in the canton bearing fifty small, white, five-pointed stars arranged in nine offset horizontal rows of six stars alternating with rows of five stars...
, Fillmore interrupts Sarge's bugle
reveille"Reveille" is a bugle call most often associated with the military; it is chiefly used to wake military personnel at sunrise. The name comes from the French word for "wake up".- Commonwealth of Nations and the United States :...
with
Jimi HendrixJames Marshall "Jimi" Hendrix was an American guitarist, singer and songwriter...
's rendition of "
The Star-Spangled Banner"The Star-Spangled Banner" is the national anthem of the United States of America. The lyrics come from "Defence of Fort McHenry", a poem written in 1814 by the 35-year-old amateur poet Francis Scott Key after witnessing the bombardment of Fort McHenry by Royal Navy ships in Chesapeake Bay during...
." This is much to Sarge's irritation, as he shouts at Fillmore:
- Sarge: "Will you turn that disrespectful junk off?!"
- Fillmore: "Respect the classics man, it's Hendrix!"
Despite this, he is friends with Sarge, and the two can be seen chatting throughout the film.
He has a sticker on his rear that says "I brake for Jackalopes". The
jackalopeThe jackalope is an imaginary animal of North American folklore described as a jackrabbit with deer antlers and a pheasant's tail...
is a mythical creature which features in the theatrical short "
Boundin'Boundin' is a 2003 Oscar-nominated short film, shown at the start of the Disney-Pixar film The Incredibles. The film was written, directed, narrated and featured the musical composition and performance of veteran PIXAR animator Bud Luckey.-Plot:...
" shown with
The IncrediblesThe Incredibles is a 2004 computer-animated superhero film produced by Pixar Animation Studios and distributed by Walt Disney Pictures. It was written and directed by Brad Bird, a former director and executive consultant of The Simpsons. It stars an ensemble cast including Holly Hunter, Craig T....
.
Sarge
Sarge (voiced by
Paul Dooley-Personal life:Dooley was born Paul Brown in Parkersburg, West Virginia, the son of Ruth Irene , a homemaker, and Peter James Brown, a factory worker. Dooley was a keen cartoonist as a youth and drew a strip for a local paper in Parkersburg. He joined the Navy before discovering acting while at...
) is a
WillysWillys was the brand name used by the United States automobile company, Willys-Overland Motors, best known for its design and production of military Jeeps and civilian versions , during the twentieth century.-History:...
JeepJeep is an automobile marque of Chrysler. It is the oldest off-road vehicle brand, with Land Rover coming in second. The original vehicle which first appeared as the prototype Bantam BRC became the primary light 4-wheel-drive vehicle of the US Army and allies during the World War II and postwar...
. A veteran with a military green paint job and a slightly stylized Sergeant Major (E-9) insignia on his sides, he appears to be a
World War IIWorld War II, or the Second World War , was a global military conflict which involved a majority of the world's nations, including all great powers, organized into two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
era
Willys MBThe Willys MB US Army Jeep, along with the nearly identical Ford GPW, was manufactured from 1941 to 1945. They are considered the iconic World War II Jeep...
. His license plate reads "41WW2", which indicates the date the Willys MB entered the service of the U.S. Army (1941 World War II). He runs a surplus store, named "
Sarge's Surplus Hut", next door to Fillmore. Near the end of the film, it is revealed he later opens an Army Camp to train SUVs and 4x4s in rugged and dirt terrain, including T.J. Hummer, Murphy, Frank "Pinky" Pinkerton, and Charlie Cargo.
Lizzie
Lizzie (voiced by
Katherine HelmondKatherine Marie Helmond is an American film, theater and television actress, who is famous for playing Jessica Tate on Soap, Mona Robinson on Who's the Boss?, and Debra Barone's mom on Everybody Loves Raymond....
), a 1923
Ford Model TThe Ford Model T is an automobile that was produced by Henry Ford's Ford Motor Company from 1908 through 1927. The Model T set 1908 as the historic year that the automobile came into popular usage...
coupe, is the widow of Radiator Springs' founder, Stanley, and the elderly owner of a roadside souvenir and accessory shop (Radiator Springs Curios). Her license plate, "MT23", is a reference to her model and year. Her name is derived from Tin Lizzie, one of the Model T's popular nicknames. She appears to have gone somewhat senile, and has a crush on
Lightning McQueenLightning McQueen, typically referred to by his surname McQueen, is an anthropomorphic racecar and the main protagonist in the 2006 animated Pixar film Cars. He was named after Pixar animator Glenn McQueen who died from skin cancer in 2002. He is no particular car, but his main design is based on...
. When she is shown teasing Luigi and Guido in the film, stating that "the new road makes your place look like a dump", Luigi angrily says that she is a crazy, devilish old woman.
Red
Red (voiced by
Joe RanftJoseph Henry "Joe" Ranft was an American magician, animator, storyboard artist, and voice actor who worked for Pixar and Disney...
) is a mid-1960s closed-cab pumper bearing Carburetor County license plate "002." He is shy and emotional, often bursting into tears and/or hiding whenever he is upset. He spends most of his time
gardeningGardening is the practice of growing ornamental or useful plants. Ornamental plants are normally grown for their flowers, foliage, or overall appearance. Useful plants may be grown for consumption or for a variety of other purposes, such as medicines or dyes...
and washing things, such as the statue of Stanley next to his
fire stationA fire station is a structure or other area set aside for storage of firefighting apparatus , personal protective equipment, fire hose, fire extinguishers, and other fire extinguishing equipment...
. It was stated by Mater that Red hated McQueen for accidentally killing his flowers, but it is clear that Red had forgiven McQueen and warmed up to him, especially since he burst into tears and fled when he thought McQueen left without saying goodbye (which he didn't, but was, unfortunately, forced to do later). Joe Ranft died in a car accident in 2005, shortly before the movie was released. Red is absent in the video game, not because of Ranft's death but because Pixar thought Red wasn't an important character.
Stanley
Stanley is Lizzie's late husband and was the founder of Radiator Springs. Stanley was probably a
Stanley SteamerThe Stanley Motor Carriage Company was a steam engine vehicle manufacturer that operated between 1902 and 1924. During the company's peak years, their vehicles outsold every gasoline-fuelled car, with sales second only to Columbia Electric...
, a steam-driven automobile. A statue of Stanley stands outside the town hall, and although it was broken off its pedestal and dragged through the streets on a cable by Lightning McQueen, it was fortunately undamaged, and another mishap placed the statue right back where it was. Although dead, Stanley continues to exert an influence on the town, particularly over Lizzie, who often talks to his statue in memory of him.
Frank
Frank is a generic orange
combine harvesterThe combine harvester, or simply combine, is a machine that harvests grain crops. The objective is to complete three processes, which used to be distinct, in one pass of the machine over a particular part of the field. Among the crops harvested with a combine are wheat, oats, rye, barley, corn ,...
that resembles a bull, and the guardian of the tractors. After
Lightning McQueenLightning McQueen, typically referred to by his surname McQueen, is an anthropomorphic racecar and the main protagonist in the 2006 animated Pixar film Cars. He was named after Pixar animator Glenn McQueen who died from skin cancer in 2002. He is no particular car, but his main design is based on...
's first encounter with Frank during a night of tractor tipping with Mater, Lightning has a nightmare that he, The King, and Chick Hicks (the last of whom does not even survive in the nightmare) are beaten by Frank in the tie-breaker race after beginning to feel that he is being distracted by his time in Radiator Springs. He is last seen with the tractors at the drive-in theatre scenes. He is also seen in the short
Mater and the GhostlightMater and the Ghostlight is a 2006 Pixar computer animated short created for the DVD of Cars, which was released on October 25, 2006 in Australia and in the United States on November 7, 2006. It is about a mysterious blue light haunting Larry the Cable Guy's character, Mater...
when Mater races past him, waking him up.
Darrell Cartrip
Darrell Cartrip is an announcer at the Piston Cup races. He is a 1977
Chevrolet Monte CarloThe Chevrolet Monte Carlo was an American-made automobile. Originally introduced by Chevrolet for the 1969 model year , it has gone through six generations as of 2007...
, and a former Piston Cup Racer. His name is a play on
Darrell WaltripDarrell Lee Waltrip is a three-time former NASCAR Winston Cup champion, the 1989 Daytona 500 winner, current television race commentator with Fox Broadcasting Company and columnist at Foxsports.com. He is the older brother of current NASCAR driver Michael Waltrip.- Local racer :Waltrip was born in...
, who provides the character's voice. Cartrip utters, "Boogity boogity boogity!" as the tiebreaker race starts; the real-life Waltrip is also known to use the phrase at the start of every
NASCARThe National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing is a family-owned and operated business venture that sanctions and governs multiple auto racing sports events. It was founded by Bill France Sr. in 1947-48. As of 2009, the CEO for the company is Brian France, grandson of the late Bill France Sr...
race. Cartrip appears in the
Cars video game as the sole announcer; he is also a playable character in the Piston Cup VS. and Arcade mode. On his side it says, "Boogity boogity boogity" and on the back of him it says, "DWstore.com". These do not appear in the video game.
The car is based on a real-life 1977 Monte Carlo Waltrip drove with DiGard Racing, although it does not have the actual paint scheme (which is owned by Pepsico, the successor to the team's sponsor at the time). The most famous of those cars was the infamous "Bertha," which is at the International Motorsports Hall of Fame in Dallas, Texas.
Bob Cutlass
Bob Cutlass is an announcer at the Piston Cup races and friend of Darrell Cartrip. He is voiced by
Bob CostasRobert Quinlan "Bob" Costas is an American sportscaster, on the air for the NBC network since the early 1980s.-Early life:...
, the renowned
NBCThe National Broadcasting Company is an American television network and former radio network headquartered in the GE Building in New York City's Rockefeller Center with additional major offices in Burbank,California...
sportscaster and journalist and his name, like Darrell Cartrip's, is a play on that of his voice actor. The character's name is obviously a reference to the
Oldsmobile CutlassThe Oldsmobile Cutlass was a line of automobiles made by the Oldsmobile division of General Motors. The Cutlass began as a unibody compact car, but saw its greatest success as a body-on-frame intermediate car....
. Cutlass is actually supposed to resemble a 1999
Oldsmobile AuroraThe Oldsmobile Aurora was a fullsize luxury sports sedan / executive car made by the Oldsmobile division of General Motors and launched in 1995. The Aurora rode on the same Cadillac-derived G platform as the 2-door Buick Riviera....
, even though the Aurora was never offered in a 2 door model.
Mia and Tia aka The Twins
Mia, (voiced by
Lindsey Collins), and
Tia, (voiced by
Elissa KnightElissa Knight is an American employee at Pixar Animation Studios and voice actress. As a voice actress, her most recent, and first major, role was in the 2008 film WALL-E as a robot named EVE.-Biography:...
), are identical twin 1990-1997 Mazda Miata sisters who are
Lightning McQueenLightning McQueen, typically referred to by his surname McQueen, is an anthropomorphic racecar and the main protagonist in the 2006 animated Pixar film Cars. He was named after Pixar animator Glenn McQueen who died from skin cancer in 2002. He is no particular car, but his main design is based on...
's self-proclaimed biggest fans. They are, however, quite fickle; after McQueen's disappearance, the twins suddenly become ardent fans of Chick Hicks. By the end of the movie, they are McQueen's fans once more, turning against Hicks after he deliberately caused Strip "The King" Weathers to wreck in the tie-breaker race. Mia and Tia eventually moved to Radiator Springs and work as waitresses at Flo's V8 Cafe. In Lightning McQueen's daydream about the Dinoco Sponsorship, the twins are Dinoco blue, except for the scene in the penthouse, where they are solid gold. In a deleted scene on the
Cars DVD, the twins were waitresses at a truck stop at which McQueen stopped.
When they first meet Lightning, Mia and Tia flash their headlights at him, similar to groupies pulling up their shirts to
flashExhibitionism, known variously as flashing, apodysophilia and Lady Godiva syndrome, is the psychological need and pattern of behavior involving the exposure of parts of the body to another person with a tendency toward an extravagant, usually at least partially sexually inspired behavior to...
celebrities.
Van and Minny
Van (voiced by
Richard KindRichard J. Kind is an American actor known for his roles in the sitcoms Mad About You and Spin City .- Early life :...
) and
Minny (voiced by
Edie McClurgEdie McClurg is an American character actress. She is known for her perky Upper Midwestern accent.-Career:McClurg began her career with a role in the 1976 Brian De Palma horror film Carrie as Helen Shyres, one of Carrie's classmates. In 1980, she was a regular performer on The David Letterman Show...
) are husband and wife. They are lost and pass through Radiator Springs while trying to find their way back to Interstate 40. Minny also mentions that Van did the same when they were heading up to the "Crazy Days" (a parody of Derby Days) in Shakopee. Van refuses to ask directions, claiming not to need them due to having a
GPSThe Global Positioning System is a U.S. space-based global navigation satellite system. It provides reliable positioning, navigation, and timing services to worldwide users on a continuous basis in all weather, day and night, anywhere on or near the Earth.GPS is made up of three parts: between 24...
. Both of them are equipped with
car alarmA car alarm is an electronic device installed in a vehicle in an attempt to discourage theft of the vehicle itself, its contents, or both. Car alarms work by emitting high-volume sound when the conditions necessary for triggering are met, as well as by flashing some of the...
s, which they arm after their encounter with Lightning McQueen when he begs them to call for help. After the end of the credits, we find out that Van and Minny have ended up somewhere lost in the desert, having never asked for directions, and Van has almost been driven to
insanityInsanity, craziness or madness is a spectrum of behaviors characterized by certain abnormal mental or behavioral patterns. Insanity may manifest as violations of societal norms, including becoming a danger to themselves and others, though not all such acts are considered insanity...
. Their names combined is a pun on "
minivanA minivan, multi-purpose vehicle , people-carrier, people-mover or multi-utility vehicle is a type of automobile similar in shape to a van that is designed for personal use...
". Van is a 2003
Ford WindstarThe Ford Windstar is a minivan that was produced and sold by the Ford Motor Company from March 1994 to 2003. This front-wheel drive minivan would eventually replace Ford's aging rear-wheel drive Aerostar minivan. The two ran concurrently for three model years until the Aerostar's demise in 1997....
and Minny appears to be a 1996
Dodge CaravanThe Dodge Caravan is a minivan manufactured by Chrysler, along with its rebadged variant, the Plymouth Voyager. Both were introduced in November 1983, for the 1984 model year — followed by the Dodge Grand Caravan and Plymouth Grand Voyager long-wheelbase models in 1987, the rebadged Chrysler...
.
Delinquent Road Hazards
The
Delinquent Road Hazards are a group of four cars that intentionally cause trouble on the highway: Boost (
PurplePurple is a general term used in English for the range of shades of color occurring between red and blue. In additive light combinations it occurs by mixing the primary colors red and blue in varying proportions...
Neon/Silver 1994
Mitsubishi EclipseThe Mitsubishi Eclipse is a coupe that has been in production since 1989 for left hand drive markets. It was named after an eighteenth century English racehorse which won 26 races, and has also been sold as the Eagle Talon and the Plymouth Laser captive imports through Mitsubishi Motors' close...
), DJ (
BlueBlue is a colour, the perception of which is evoked by light having a spectrum dominated by energy with a wavelength of roughly 440–490 nm. It is considered one of the additive primary colours. On the HSV Colour Wheel, the complement of blue is yellow; that is, a colour corresponding to an equal...
2004
Scion xBThe Scion xB is a vehicle made by Toyota for the United States market and sold under their youth-oriented Scion brand. It is a box-shaped, 5-door compact station wagon.-First generation :...
), Wingo (
GreenGreen is a color, the perception of which is evoked by light having a spectrum dominated by energy with a wavelength of roughly 520–570 nanometres. In the subtractive color system, it is not a primary color, but is created out of a mixture of yellow and blue, or yellow and cyan; it is considered...
and
purplePurple is a general term used in English for the range of shades of color occurring between red and blue. In additive light combinations it occurs by mixing the primary colors red and blue in varying proportions...
Nissan SilviaThe Nissan Silvia is the name given to the company's long-running line of sport coupes based on the Nissan S platform. Although recent models have shared this chassis with other vehicles produced by Nissan , the name Silvia is not interchangeable with the...
) and Snot Rod (
OrangeThe colour orange occurs between red and yellow in the visible spectrum at a wavelength of about 585–620 nm, and has a hue of 30° in HSV colour space. It is numerically halfway between red and yellow in a gamma-compressed RGB colour space The complementary colour of orange is azure, a slightly...
1970
Plymouth BarracudaThe Plymouth Barracuda is a 2-door car that was manufactured by the Plymouth division of the Chrysler Corporation from 1964 through 1974.The first-generation Barracuda, a fastback A-body coupé based on the Plymouth Valiant, had a distinctive wraparound back glass and was available from 1964 to...
). They catch Mack nodding off to sleep on the way to California, and amuse themselves by nudging him onto the rumble strips along the shoulder. The resulting vibration causes Mack's trailer door to open and a sleeping McQueen to roll out of the trailer. When the chronically-sniffly Snot Rod sneezes, Mack is startled awake, and accelerates away, leaving the still-sleeping McQueen behind near Radiator Springs. During the end credits the Hazards are seen being apprehended by Sheriff for speeding on the outskirts of town, impounded, and are then sentenced to messy roadwork towing Bessie.
Kori Turbowitz
Kori Turbowitz (voiced by San Francisco Bay Area DJ
Sarah Clark) is a 1997
Ford PumaThe Ford Puma was a small coupé produced by the Ford Motor Company from 1997 to 2001, for sale in Europe. The Puma was solely built at Ford's Niehl plant in Cologne, Germany.-Technical details:...
; a news reporter who shows up in the movie three times.
Jay Limo
Jay Limo, like his voice actor
Jay LenoJames Douglas Muir "Jay" Leno is an American stand-up comedian and television host. From 1992 to 2009, Leno was the host of NBC's The Tonight Show with Jay Leno. During his tenure, the show held the top ratings position in its time slot on nearly every weekday...
, is a talk show host. He resembles the latest generation of the
Lincoln Town CarThe Lincoln Town Car is a full-size, rear-wheel drive luxury sedan sold by Ford's upscale Lincoln brand. The Town Car features a V8 engine and large exterior and interior dimensions....
. He remarks "I don't know what's harder to find;
Lightning McQueenLightning McQueen, typically referred to by his surname McQueen, is an anthropomorphic racecar and the main protagonist in the 2006 animated Pixar film Cars. He was named after Pixar animator Glenn McQueen who died from skin cancer in 2002. He is no particular car, but his main design is based on...
or a crew chief who'll work with him!"
Albert Hinkey
Albert Hinkey (voiced by Douglas "Mater" Keever) is an RV that proclaims that he is Lightning's biggest fan. He is seen in the background of races. He has another friend that is a fan of Lightning also that is voiced by Larry Benton.
Fred
Fred (voiced by
Andrew StantonAndrew Stanton is an American film director, screenwriter, producer, and occasional voice actor based at Pixar Animation Studios. His film work includes writing and directing Finding Nemo and WALL-E; both films earned him the Academy Award for Best Animated Feature.-Life and career:Stanton was...
) Fred is a starstruck, very rusty old car. Everybody knows his name, because his license plate says "FRED." When McQueen says his name, he shouts, "He knows my name! He knows my name" and, in his excitement, his front bumper falls off. Later, when he is unable to gain access to the tie-breaker race and
Mario AndrettiMario Gabriele Andretti is a retired American automobile racing driver, one of the most successful Americans in the history of the sport. He is one of only two drivers to win races in Formula One, IndyCar, World Sportscar Championship and NASCAR...
(who would be waved through the gate on sight as a celebrity) likewise reads his license plate, Fred says, "Mario Andretti knows my name! You gotta let me in now!" He was seen again in the end credits spinning around in a circle with rust falling out from under him. When he stopped, his front bumper fell off again. He also shows up in Mater National.
TJ Hummer
TJ Hummer is a vain
Hummer H2The Hummer H2 is an SUV and SUT sold by General Motors under the Hummer brand. It is a large truck with room for six passengers...
that Sarge teaches in his boot camp during the end of the movie. He refuses to go off road, but Sarge forces him to do so.
Elvis
Elvis (voiced by
Sheryl CrowSheryl Suzanne Crow is an American singer-songwriter and musician. Her music blends rock, country and pop into one mainstream sound, and she has won nine Grammy Awards...
) is a camper van that acts like
Elvis PresleyElvis Aaron Presley was an American singer and actor. A cultural icon, he is commonly known simply as Elvis and is also sometimes referred to as The King of Rock 'n' Roll or The King....
. His first line is, "Uh!" (which is part of the song "Real Gone", also by Sheryl Crow) and he is seen in the first part of the movie and briefly on the stadium of the tie-breaker race. He has the Elvis trademark coif and his bodywork is painted like a sparkling suit.
Sven "The Governator"
Sven "The Governator" (based on and voiced by
Arnold SchwarzeneggerArnold Alois Schwarzenegger is an Austrian American bodybuilder, actor, businessman, and politician, currently serving as the 38th Governor of the state of California....
) is a
HummerHummer is a brand of off-road vehicles by Sichuan Tengzhong, earlier owned by General Motors. The original Hummer H1 was based on the military High Mobility Multipurpose Wheeled Vehicle...
. His only line is "Lightning McQueen must be found at all costs!" The name and vehicle refers to Schwarzenegger's position as
California governorThe Governor of California is the highest executive authority in the California state government, whose responsibilities include making annual "State of the State" addresses to the California State Legislature, submitting the budget, and ensuring that state laws are enforced.The position was...
and the fact that he was one of the first
Hummer H1The Hummer H1 is a civilian off-road vehicle based on the M998 High Mobility Multipurpose Wheeled Vehicle , which was created by AM General. The vehicle was produced from 1992 through 2006, and was the first of what became the Hummer line. For collectors, the most desirable model is the H1 Alpha,...
owners.
Michael Schumacher
Michael SchumacherMichael Schumacher is a German former Formula One driver and seven-time Formula One world drivers' champion, and current advisor for Ferrari. According to the official Formula One website, he is "statistically the greatest driver the sport has ever seen"...
is a 2006
Ferrari F430The Ferrari F430 is a sports car produced by the Italian automaker Ferrari from 2004 to 2009, as a successor to the 360. It debuted at the 2004 Paris Motor Show. European left-hand drive sales began in November 2004, but right-hand drive sales did not start until Spring 2005, and the North American...
sports car voiced by Schumacher himself. He is a Ferrari in reference to his recent championships with Ferrari F1. He appears at Luigi's shop at the end of the movie after being told by Lightning McQueen that "this is the best place in the world to buy tires", and asks to order a few sets of tires for himself and a pair of
MaseratiMaserati is an Italian manufacturer of racing cars and sports cars, established on December 1, 1914, in Bologna. The company's headquarters are now in Modena, and its emblem is a trident. It has been owned by the Italian car giant Fiat S.p.A. since 1993...
QuattroportesThe Maserati Quattroporte is a luxury four-door saloon made by Maserati of Italy. The name translated from Italian literally means "four doors". There have been five generations of the car, each separated by a period of roughly five years....
who accompany him. After Luigi faints from the excitement of having "a real Michael Schumacher Ferrari in his store", Schumacher speaks to Guido in Italian, and Guido subsequently faints. The phrase he speaks is in Italian, "I hope that your friend is okay, I hear that you're the best."
Jerry Recycled Batteries
Jerry (voiced by
Joe RanftJoseph Henry "Joe" Ranft was an American magician, animator, storyboard artist, and voice actor who worked for Pixar and Disney...
) is a 1979
PeterbiltPeterbilt Motors Company is a manufacturer of medium- and heavy-duty Class 5 through Class 8 trucks headquartered in Denton, Texas. The company is a subsidiary of PACCAR....
352 that Lightning McQueen mistook for Mack. He has the words "Recycled Batteries" on his side.
Bessie
Bessie is a
tarmacTarmac is a type of road surface. Tarmac refers to a material patented by Edgar Purnell Hooley in 1901...
laying machine that is used to fix roads. When
Lightning McQueenLightning McQueen, typically referred to by his surname McQueen, is an anthropomorphic racecar and the main protagonist in the 2006 animated Pixar film Cars. He was named after Pixar animator Glenn McQueen who died from skin cancer in 2002. He is no particular car, but his main design is based on...
accidentally destroyed the road with the statue of Stanley, the residents of Radiator Springs sentenced him to fix the road with her. She was later seen at the end of the movie when the Delinquent Road Hazards had to fix the road with her as punishment for speeding. Sometimes Bessie boils over and splats tar onto the car(s) pulling her. Bessie is the only vehicle that can't move by itself in the film and has no voice actor.
Lightyear Blimp (Al Oft)
The
Lightyear Blimp (a parody of the
Goodyear blimpThe Goodyear Blimp is the collective name for a fleet of blimps operated by Goodyear Tire and Rubber Company for advertising purposes and for use as a television camera platform for aerial views of sporting events...
), is a
blimpA blimp, or non-rigid airship, is an airship without an internal supporting framework or keel. A non-rigid airship differs from a semi-rigid airship and a rigid airship in that it does not have any rigid structure, neither a complete framework nor a partial keel, to help the airbag maintain its...
whose name is
Al Oft. His only line is "Oh yeah, Whoo!" He flies above the racetrack and tapes overhead footage of the race with his video camera. The title is also a reference to Buzz Lightyear from
Toy Story. His name, Al Oft, is a reference to "aloft" meaning 'in flight'.
Dale Earnhardt Jr. #8
Dale Earnhardt Jr. #8, is a Piston Cup racecar, and is voiced by the
NASCARThe National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing is a family-owned and operated business venture that sanctions and governs multiple auto racing sports events. It was founded by Bill France Sr. in 1947-48. As of 2009, the CEO for the company is Brian France, grandson of the late Bill France Sr...
driver, closely resembling his #8 NASCAR car which was driven until
2008The 2008 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series began on February 9, 2008 at Daytona International Speedway with the Budweiser Shootout, followed by pole qualifying on Sunday, February 10, 2008 for the 50th Daytona 500 on February 17...
, with the exception that the
BudweiserBudweiser is an American-style lager and is one of the most popular beers in the United States. Budweiser is made with a large proportion of rice in addition to hops and barley malt. Budweiser is produced in various breweries located around the United States and the rest of the world. It is a...
stickers were replaced by Dale Earnhardt Inc. stickers to avoid advertising beer in the film. He is a 2003
Chevrolet Monte CarloThe Chevrolet Monte Carlo was an American-made automobile. Originally introduced by Chevrolet for the 1969 model year , it has gone through six generations as of 2007...
stock car. Junior was first seen in the race at the beginning of the film where he was approaching the track and is later seen in the pits. He was seen again during the "McQueen's Missing" scene saying that he hoped that Lightning was OK, then at the tie-breaker Junior is seen wishing The King good luck in his last race. Junior was last seen at the Radiator Springs racing museum with The King and his wife Lynda.
Mario Andretti #11
Mario AndrettiMario Gabriele Andretti is a retired American automobile racing driver, one of the most successful Americans in the history of the sport. He is one of only two drivers to win races in Formula One, IndyCar, World Sportscar Championship and NASCAR...
voices his eponymous character, who is a former racecar that believes every day is a great day for racing. He is based on the 1967
Ford FairlaneThe Ford Fairlane was an automobile model sold between 1955 and 1971 by the Ford Motor Company in North America. The name was taken from Henry Ford's estate, Fair Lane, near Dearborn, Michigan....
that the real Andretti drove to Victory in the 1967 Daytona 500.