In Pixar’s Cars, what desert highway community is known as the town of Radiator Springs?

Radiator Springs is the desert highway community featured in Pixar’s Cars.

Lightning McQueen reaches the town after accidentally damaging the road and being separated from his transport truck, Mack. His court-ordered repair work introduces him to the residents and gradually changes his attitude toward competition and friendship.

The town is fictional, but its setting and businesses draw heavily on historic U.S. Route 66 communities. Pixar artists researched the highway, its roadside architecture, and its declining tourist towns while developing the film.

Radiator Springs is located in the fictional Carburetor County. Route 66 is the real highway that inspired the town; it is not the town’s name. The community later becomes central to McQueen’s identity and training.