U.S. Route 66 helped inspire the design and history of Radiator Springs in Pixar’s Cars. Pixar filmmakers traveled the historic highway to study its landscapes, roadside businesses and surviving communities.
Route 66 once connected Chicago and Santa Monica and became famous through migration, tourism and popular culture. The opening of faster interstate highways reduced traffic through many small towns, leaving motels, diners and service stations struggling. Cars uses that history as the background for Radiator Springs.
The film incorporates visual references to real Route 66 landmarks and desert scenery. Sally Carrera’s effort to restore the town reflects preservation movements along the route. Although Radiator Springs is fictional, its decline and revival are rooted in recognizable American highway history.