Which real road inspired the setting and visual design of Pixar’s Cars?

U.S. Route 66 inspired the setting and visual design of Pixar’s Cars.

The filmmakers researched the historic highway during a road trip through the American Southwest. Route 66 once connected Chicago and Santa Monica and became strongly associated with roadside businesses, motels, signs, and small communities.

That history appears in Radiator Springs, whose decline follows the construction of a newer interstate that bypasses the town. Lightning’s forced stay allows him to see the cultural and personal value of a place that modern traffic has left behind.

Route 66 is not the name of the fictional town, and the movie does not take place in a literal real-world settlement called Radiator Springs. The highway is the real inspiration behind the town’s atmosphere, landmarks, and story.