The decline of U.S. Route 66 inspires the story of Radiator Springs in Pixar’s Cars.
Route 66 was an important U.S. highway connecting Chicago and Santa Monica. After newer interstate highways redirected long-distance traffic, many towns that depended on Route 66 travelers lost business. Cars uses that history as the background for Radiator Springs, a once-busy roadside community bypassed by a faster route.
Pixar filmmakers researched Route 66 communities during production. The film incorporates roadside architecture, desert landscapes, neon signs, and historic roadside attractions associated with the highway’s popular image.
Interstate 40 is the road that bypasses Radiator Springs within the film’s story, but it is not the historic highway that inspired the town. The specific inspiration is U.S. Route 66, also called the Will Rogers Highway.