What is the name of the international criminal mastermind in Pixar’s Cars 2?

Professor Zündapp is the international criminal mastermind in Pixar’s Cars 2.

Professor Zündapp is an eccentric German scientist who helps organize the plot against the World Grand Prix. He works with a group of lemons, or poorly regarded cars, and uses a device capable of causing dangerous reactions in vehicles running on Allinol.

The character’s name refers to Zündapp, a real German motorcycle manufacturer founded in Nuremberg in 1917. Cars 2 uses names from real automotive companies and vehicle history as part of its world-building.

Professor Zündapp is sometimes confused with Sir Miles Axlerod, who presents himself as the creator of Allinol, or with Finn McMissile, the British spy investigating the conspiracy. Zündapp is the scientist and conspirator, while those other characters occupy different roles in the film’s spy narrative.