In Pixar’s Cars, Lightning McQueen stays in the town of Radiator Springs after leaving the highway.
Radiator Springs is a fictional community in Carburetor County, located along the old U.S. Route 66. Lightning reaches the town while trying to find the interstate after being separated from his transport truck. His reckless driving damages the road, and the local judge, Doc Hudson, orders him to repair it before he can leave.
The town’s residents include Sally Carrera, Mater, Luigi, Guido, Fillmore, Sarge, and Ramone. As Lightning repairs the road, he learns about the community’s history and develops relationships with people he initially dismisses. The town’s decline is connected to the construction of Interstate 40, which diverted traffic away from Route 66.
Radiator Springs is partly inspired by real Route 66 towns in the American Southwest. Pixar artists researched the highway and its roadside landmarks before creating the fictional setting. The name is a mechanical pun, combining an automobile part with the word “springs.”