What highway inspired the setting and roadside atmosphere of Pixar’s Cars?

U.S. Route 66 inspired the setting and roadside atmosphere of Pixar’s Cars.

The film’s fictional town of Radiator Springs reflects communities along the historic highway, especially places affected when interstate roads diverted traffic away from older business routes. The story uses that change to explain why Radiator Springs has become quiet and isolated.

John Lasseter and members of the Cars production team traveled along Route 66 during research trips. They studied roadside landmarks, landscapes, diners, service stations, and the communities connected to the highway. Those observations influenced both the film’s locations and its broader theme of valuing overlooked places.

U.S. Route 66 originally ran from Chicago to Santa Monica. It was established in 1926 and removed from the United States Highway System in 1985, although historic sections remain important cultural and tourist sites. Radiator Springs is fictional, so it is not a single real Route 66 town.