Pixar’s Cars connects Radiator Springs with historic U.S. Route 66.
In the film, Radiator Springs has been bypassed by a newly built interstate, causing traffic and visitors to disappear. This fictional decline reflects the real history of towns along Route 66 after the Interstate Highway System redirected long-distance travel.
The town’s setting draws on landscapes and communities across the American Southwest. Pixar artists researched Route 66 during development, and the film incorporates roadside attractions, desert scenery, neon signs, and classic roadside architecture.
Route 66 originally ran from Chicago to Santa Monica. It was established in 1926 and removed from the United States Numbered Highway System in 1985, but it remains a major cultural symbol. Radiator Springs is fictional, although its inspiration is spread across several real Route 66 locations.