U.S. Route 66 inspired the road on which Radiator Springs is located in Pixar's Cars.
The historic highway, commonly called Route 66, ran from Chicago to Santa Monica and became closely associated with American road travel. After the Interstate Highway System diverted traffic away from many older towns, numerous Route 66 businesses declined. Cars uses that history as the background for Radiator Springs.
Pixar filmmakers researched the highway by traveling through the American Southwest and observing its landscapes, roadside businesses, signs, and surviving communities. The film transforms those observations into the fictional town and its neighboring Ornament Valley.
Radiator Springs is not a real Route 66 town, and its residents are not literal historical figures. Instead, the setting combines elements from several places, including roadside attractions and towns in Arizona and New Mexico. The Route 66 connection explains the film's themes of slowing down, remembering local communities, and valuing journeys rather than only reaching a destination.