Cars 2 is the only Pixar Cars trilogy movie centered on international spy missions.
The film follows Mater after he is mistaken for an American agent during the World Grand Prix. He works with British spies Finn McMissile and Holley Shiftwell while trying to uncover a plot involving the Allinol fuel program and a group of conspirators.
Cars, the 2006 original, is primarily a road-trip and small-town friendship story set around Radiator Springs. Cars 3 returns to a racing and mentorship focus, following Lightning McQueen’s response to the rise of next-generation competitors. Cars 2 is therefore the franchise’s clear departure into espionage.
The spy elements draw on classic spy-film conventions, including secret identities, gadgets, international locations, and covert operations. The film still includes the World Grand Prix as its racing framework, but Mater’s investigation drives the main plot. It was released in 2011 and directed by John Lasseter and Brad Lewis.