The Cars of the Cars Movie

The Cars movie introduced us to a world full of living cars, each with their own style and personality. Here’s a look at the cars that made the Cars movie.

“Life is a Highway” is Still Stuck in My Head

Back in 2006, Disney and Pixar brought us the wonderful animated Cars movie (and a catchy soundtrack to go with it). It’s a story following Lightning McQueen, a conceited rookie in the Piston Cup racing championship, who takes an accidental detour to the old town of Radiator Springs on Route 66. While he’s stuck there, McQueen meets a cast of memorable characters that help in his rise to be a better racer and a better perso- err… car. The Daily Driver took a look through all the memorable Cars movie characters and matched them with their real-life models (just don’t expect the real ones to talk). Here’s all the different cars that made major appearances in the first Cars movie.

Lightning McQueen

The hot shot rookie race car that the Cars movie follows is voiced by Owen Wilson. McQueen’s design is a combination of NASCAR stock car, Porsche 911, some Ford GT40 curves, and a little bit of classic Corvette; especially when he gets that fancy paint job and white wall tires in Radiator Springs.

Strip Weathers “The King”

The King is voiced by the real-life racing King himself, Richard Petty. There’s no better car to represent Richard Petty in the Cars universe than a bright blue #43 Plymouth Superbird, a car he himself drove during his championship runs. His wife Lynda Petty even received a cameo as Lynda Weathers, a Chrysler Town & Country station wagon from the same 70s era.

Chick Hicks

Chick Hicks is the grizzled vet and the main antagonist of the Cars movie that is voiced by Michael Keaton. “The Runner-Up” resembles a Buick Grand National stock car, but I’m betting he would have won a lot more Piston Cup events if he was a GNX.

Mack

Mack is the semi-truck tasked with hauling Lightning to all of his Piston Cup events, including the cross-country trip for the championship. He is based off a Mack semi-truck, but more specifically a sleeper cab. His cab style is possibly a little foreshadowing, as Mack ended up snoozing on the road which led to Lightning falling out of the trailer and ending up in Radiator Springs.

Sally Carrera

Sally Carrera is Radiator Springs’ town attorney and the love interest of Lightning in the Cars movie. She is voiced by Bonnie Hunt and she’s based off of a Porsche 911 Carrera. Not many Porsches have pin-stripping on their trunk lid though.

Tow Mater

The loveable Mater is a rusty tow truck that lives in Radiator Springs and is voiced by Larry the Cable Guy. He quickly becomes Lightnings best friend (at least in his eyes) and is based off of two classic truck designs. Mater’s front takes some inspiration from the early Chevrolet 3800 Task Force pickups, while the rear and side mirrors are based off of an International tow truck.

Luigi

Luigi runs the local tire shop in Radiator Springs and is a huge European racing and Ferrari fan. His small car design is based off of a 60s Fiat 500. If you look closely, you’ll notice that his “hair” is actually the convertible roof of the Fiat model.

Guido

Guido works closely with Luigi at his tire shop and is one of the quickest tire changers the Piston Cup has ever seen. Guido is obviously a forklift, but his design is reminiscent of a BMW Isetta with his three-wheeled setup.

Lizzie

Lizzie is the oldest member of Radiator Springs (and the Cars movies for that matter). She’s a portrayed as being a little senile in her old age. Lizzie is based off of a Ford Model T 2-door and her late husband Stanely appears to be an early Stanely Steamer Model E2.

Ramone

Ramone runs the local paint shop, but he probably uses his service more than any other car. His colors and pin-stripping may change throughout the Cars movie, but his design is based on late 50s Chevrolet Impala low rider. He’s gets so low that you could probably classify him as being slammed.

Flo

Flo runs the V8 Café in Radiator Springs and was a one-of-a-kind show girl back in the day. Her design is based off of an actual one-off concept show car from the 1957 GM Motorama Show. Those prominent tail fins and that bright 50s blue color fit in perfectly alongside the neon lit gas station she resides in.

Red

Red is the gentle giant of the Cars movie, as he is a character of few words and is commonly found taking care of the flowers around Radiator Springs. He also commonly gets upset and brings out the water works. Red is obviously a firetruck, but more specifically he resembles an early Pirsch Cab Forward Pumper.

Sheriff

Sheriff is the typical no-nonsense small-town officer you’d find in rural America. His design is based off of Mercury Police Cruiser, otherwise known as the Mercury Club Coupe for pedestrian use. That car’s grille design worked perfectly as a “mustache” for Radiator Springs’ Sheriff.

Sarge

Sarge runs an army surplus and boot camp outside of town where he hardens some soft SUVs with his military experience. His design is based off of a WWII era Willys Jeep MB. Sarge’s backstory kind of makes you wonder, was there a Cars World War?

Fillmore

Fillmore is a classic portrayal of a “good vibes” hippy. His paint job is very vibrant and whimsical with flowers and peace signs plastered around. His design is based off the classic hippy mobile, the 70s Volkswagen Bus. You commonly find him touting his organic fuel.

Doc Hudson

Last on our list is the Fabulous Hudson Hornet himself, Doc Hudson. The once a famous dirt track racer now resides in Radiator Springs living out his days as the town doctor and judge. He makes quite the impression on Lightning during his stay and goes on to be his crew chief at the Piston Cup Championship. Doc is based off a 50s Hudson Hornet as well as the real Fabulous Hudson Hornet race car. The character was voiced and based on the late, great Paul Newman who was both a famous actor and an avid racer himself.