In Pixar’s Cars 2, who is the villainous scientist behind the Allinol plot?

Professor Zündapp is the villainous scientist behind the Allinol plot in Pixar’s Cars 2.

Zündapp is an eccentric German scientist who works with Sir Miles Axlerod. The conspiracy uses modified Allinol fuel and electromagnetic weapons to cause dangerous explosions during the World Grand Prix. Their objective is to discredit alternative fuel by making it appear unsafe.

The character is voiced by Thomas Kretschmann. His name and design evoke the historic Zündapp German motorcycle company, although the film’s character is a fictional vehicle rather than a real scientist.

Sir Miles Axlerod is the larger mastermind and the former oil baron who presents Allinol as a clean fuel. Finn McMissile and Holley Shiftwell investigate the conspiracy, while Mater becomes involved after being mistaken for an American spy. The plot gives Cars 2 a spy-thriller structure rather than the small-town racing focus of the first film.