In Pixar's Cars, Radiator Springs lies along historic U.S. Route 66.
The fictional town is portrayed as a once-thriving roadside community bypassed after Interstate 40 redirected traffic away from the old highway. That premise reflects the real history of many Route 66 towns, whose businesses declined when faster interstate roads changed travel patterns.
Route 66 ran from Chicago to Santa Monica and became one of the best-known roads in the United States. Pixar filmmakers researched the highway during development, visiting roadside attractions and communities to capture its landscape, architecture, and culture.
The film’s setting is not a literal real town. Radiator Springs combines features inspired by places in the American Southwest, including landmarks and roadside businesses. Route 66 is therefore both the town’s location and a major theme: the story contrasts fast modern travel with the value of stopping and remembering older communities.