All the Route 66 Places that Inspired Pixar "Cars"

The casa della tires tower is inspired by the Pisa Tower in Italy, even Luigi is italian!

'Cars' is among the few modern Disney animated films that Walt would have personally loved and been very proud to release, if he were still alive today. No doubt!

Radiator Springs is one of Pixar's best inspirations in a franchise, as its a vivid and compassionate landscape around Arizona. Truly magic!

I was at a place in New Mexico,I asked the owner what had helped their tourism business was it the money spent by the state tourism agency or the movie CARS? He said that after CARS came out and every summer since they have seen a big swing upwards of people checking out the “ Mother Road”, most people didn’t know it existed

Fun fact: that gray building in the background of the tow Mater clip that’s in Galena, Kansas, is actually a supposedly haunted old brothel. I’m from Kansas and it makes me really proud of that a town from my state was one of the inspirations for one of the best Pixar movies ever made

I honestly didn't understand the significance of Route 66 till after I became a truck driver. Between Oldtimers you meet at truck stops and some of the radio chatter you start to get an idea. There is the Dixie truck stop on I-55 in Illinois where they used to have a History Channel DVD of the history of Route 66 playing on a loop over a big shelf of diecast cars for sale. Then there is the Missouri Welcome center on I-44. The whole place is set up like a love letter to Route 66. The picknick area has shelters over the tables made up like famous businesses along the route. Then the building itself is set up with the color scheme of the time Route 66 was in its prime. Complete with neon signs and payphones. It still makes me laugh because they had to put up signs that the payphones are non-functional and for display only.

Went to USA on a road trip through California and Arizona last week. I visited Kingman and Seligman, where they draw giant white letters K and S on hills, what inspired Pixar for the RS letters on the Cap Mountain

The name for Radiator Springs could also have come from the town of Radium Springs, NM, which is just north of Las Cruces.

I was on a business trip in 2017 to Kansas City and on one of my days off I went down and went through Galena, KS and saw the real tow mater... Dean Walker was there and I talked with him for a bit. He told me he could turn his feet around, but he didn't do it for me (I didn't ask him to either). He pointed out some places nearby that were also used in the movie. He also suggested I check out the rainbow bridge in nearby Baxter Springs, KS... I did and was not disappointed :)

Hearing all this has definitely expressed more of my gratitude towards cars for how underrated it is. Fun fact, last year I went on a family trip to Williams Arizona which is also on Route 66 that had a lot of similar architecture in the movie, they even had a weird car with McQueen and mater fused together that I find funny lol

Back when Pixar movies had extra effort. I miss that era.

I feel proud that I got to see some of these places, and it's one of my big goals in life to drive all of Route 66.. Went on a road trip a couple years ago, and got to drive through Shamrock and stay a night at the Blue Swallow in Tucumcari. Sitting outside when the sun went down and the neon lit up really left me feeling nostalgic. It was the last big trip I got to take with my dad before he died that November, made a lot of memories that summer.

The Cosy Cone was actually inspired by the Kozy Corner, a motel and tow/gas station in Anteres, Arizona.

i always thought luigi's leaning tower of tires was based on the leaning tower of pisa

While I was doing the Route 66, I met the lady that inspired Flo. At the Half way mark of Route 66 there is a diner, to the right of the diner is a curio shop and the owner(or at the time when I drove Route 66 in 2016) is the lady that is the official inspiration of Flo. Nice lady and we chatted for a while. Cars inspired to make the flight from Australia to drive about 95% of the actual road that are still there. Started in Chicago. Took me 3 weeks to make the journey and loved every second of it. even when some of the roads were shaking the life out of my SUV. Some of the roads are in poor condition. LOVED IT. Now I got to do it LA to Chicago.

Great inspiration of the historical landmark of route 66

I thought the leaning tower of tires was reference to the leaning tower of Pisa because Luigi was Italian. But yeah one of the reasons Cars is my favorite Pixar movie franchise is because they direct referenced Route 66. I especially love that scene where Sally imagines the place in its heyday. I have never found a scene so relatable in a movie before. I literally do that same thing whenever I look at abandoned Route 66 pictures. I just look at these images and imagine all the old 50s-era, 60s-era cars driving on it. I've been obsessed with The Mother Road since I was a little kid and I've never known why. I've never even physically been to it, or any landmark on it. Other than photo tours.

Love this! I used to go in a Route 66 road trip every year since I was a kid. I LOVED all the roadside attractions & gift shops 😊❤

Might be reaching on the leaning tower of tires due to guido and Luigi’s Italian origins that could just be a pun. HOWEVER it’s still a great video

This is pretty neat to see! I appreciate all the references and designs that accurately line up with buildings on route 66!