In Pixar's Cars 2, what is the name of the elderly German weapons expert?

Professor Zündapp is the elderly German weapons expert in Pixar's Cars 2.

Professor Zündapp, often called Professor Z, is one of the film's main villains. He works with the criminal mastermind Miles Axlerod and helps develop the electromagnetic pulse devices used to sabotage racers during the World Grand Prix.

The character's design and name evoke a German engineering tradition. His surname is also a reference to Zündapp, a real German motorcycle manufacturer founded in 1917. The name is frequently written without the umlaut as “Zündapp” or “Zundapp” in English-language references, but the character is officially styled Professor Zündapp.

Cars 2 uses Professor Zündapp as part of its spy-thriller structure, alongside secret agents Finn McMissile and Holley Shiftwell. He is not the film's central mastermind: that role belongs to Axlerod, who presents himself as an environmental entrepreneur while secretly directing the plot.