In Pixar’s Cars, Radiator Springs is located along Route 66.
The fictional town reflects the real communities that grew along U.S. Route 66, the historic highway linking Chicago and Santa Monica. The road became famous for roadside businesses, motels, filling stations, diners, and unusual attractions, many of which inspired the visual design of Radiator Springs.
Cars uses the town to show what happened to places bypassed by newer interstate highways. When a modern road diverts traffic away, a once-busy town can lose visitors and economic activity. Lightning McQueen’s accidental arrival gives Radiator Springs a chance to recover its sense of community and public attention.
The film does not present Radiator Springs as a real Arizona town. It is fictional, but its setting and landmarks draw heavily on Route 66 locations that Pixar artists and filmmakers studied during research trips. The highway is therefore both the story’s geographic setting and a major part of the film’s historical atmosphere.