Pixar Cars Movie Characters:
Radiator Springs Cars
In the Cars movie, Lightning McQueen gets lost off the interstate on his way to the tiebreaker race for the Piston Cup in California. He comes across the sleepy town of Radiator Springs. Back in the days of Route 66, Radiator Springs was a lively little town with thriving businesses and lots of smiling patrons and townsfolk. Now there are only a handful of characters left, but they're full of personality. Let's learn more about them!
Sally Carrera
She's a beautiful royal blue 2002 Porche 911 Carrera and her name is Sally. In Sally Carrera's former life, she was a high-flying attorney living in Los Angeles always on the go, living life in the fast lane. But she was unhappy.
One day she just couldn't take it anymore and she took off and just drove. She found herself in Radiator Springs and never left. Doc fixed her up and Flo took her in, and everyone took good care of her. Sally became the attorney for Radiator Springs and she stands up for taking good care of it.
She bought the Cozy Cone hotel and restored it to its former glory and later meets Lightning McQueen, whom she doesn't care for in the beginning, even calling him "Stickers" to make fun of his fake headlights. But the term becomes indearing, and she eventually falls in love with McQueen, teaching him lessons about trust.
Mater
Mater is an old, rusty, redneck tow truck who has lived in Radiator Springs his entire life and befriends Lightning McQueen. He resembles a 1950s-style International Harvester or GMC truck.
Mater speaks with a hillbilly twang and has huge buck teeth. In Sally's rendition of Radiator Springs in it's glory, Mater was a baby blue color and still had his hood. Mater is trusting and child-like in his simple mindedness, but Lightning McQueen learns from Mater how to enjoy his life more. He's also the fastest at driving backward and whip his tow line around with expertise.
One of the simple things Mater has always wanted was to ride in a helicopter. Because McQueen has learned the value of trust and keeping his word, he follows through and Mater is elated to get to ride on a helicopter at the end of the Cars movie.
Doc Hudson
Also known simply as Doc, Doc Hudson is a 1951 Hudson Hornet. Nobody in Radiator Springs knows it, but Doc used to be the most famous race car ever back in the early 1950s. He had won three Piston Cups in succession: 1951, 1952 and 1953.
Doc's racing career ended abruptly when, in 1954 during the Piston Cup championship race final lap, he suffered a terrible crash that put him out for the rest of the racing season. Upon Doc's return, however, nobody cared; his fans had left him for the next new car and this left Doc bitter on the racing world and he vowed never to return.
He continued his life and became a doctor of internal combustion. Doc moved out to Radiator Springs and stayed with the town, even after Interstate 40 took away the vitality of the Route 66 town. Doc also serves as the Radiator Springs judge. He's well-respected in Radiator Springs, and no one knows of his younger life as a race car.
And in Cars the movie, this is why nobody in town understands the hostility Doc feels toward Lightning McQueen when he comes into court. Doc wants nothing to do with the rookie race car - he just wants him GONE.
But at Sally's point that McQueen needs to fix the road, Doc must let him stay for the community service. Doc does get to put McQueen in his place when he challenges McQueen to a race around Willy's Butte and McQueen loses.
However, when Lightning McQueen finally finishes the road, he keeps hanging around, and this aggravates Doc, so he makes some calls to those looking for McQueen to take him away to the Piston Cup final in Los Angeles.
His mistake was not realizing how much Lighting McQueen meant to everyone in Radiator Springs. After some soul searching he dons his racing stripes again and serves as a surprise crew chief for McQueen's big race. He receives applause and astonishment from the crowd as his image is on the big jumbo screens.
Sheriff
Sheriff is the old police car that patrols Radiator Springs. He's based on a 1949 Mercury Club Coupe and is painted the usual black and white. Sheriff has a single red light on top with two siren horns on either side and whiskery curb feelers on his wheel wells.
We first meet Sheriff in the Cars movie when Lightning McQueen is speeding down the road, frantically looking for Mack. Sheriff starts to chase McQueen, commenting that he hasn't gone that fast in years and subsequently starts backfiring. McQueen thinks he's being shot at and starts driving erratically to avoid being hit and the chase turns into a disaster for McQueen.
Sheriff cannot trust McQueen, but later befriends him, offering to escort him to California.
Flo and Ramone
These two delightful cars are married to one another. Flo owns the V8 Cafe gas diner and she is inspired by several 1950s-style show cars such as Buicks and Chryslers.
Ramone is the local artist. He owns Ramone's Paint and Body Art and comes up with lavish, colorful designs for himself. Ramone is a 1959 Chevy Impala lowrider. Later in Cars the movie, he gives Lightning McQueen a new paint job - Ramone really loves the sparkling, vibrant paint!
Sarge
Sarge is a military-green WWII-era Willys MB Jeep. He's a veteran who owns an army surplus store called Sarge's Surplus Hut. Sarge shows Lightning McQueen around his store and lets him try some night-vision binoculars. At the end of the Cars movie he opens a new Army Camp to train fancy city type SUVs to go off-road.
Fillmore
Fillmore is a hippie in every sense of the word. He's a late 50s or early 60s VW Microbus colorfully painted with flowers and words saying Peace and other hippie-dippy designs. His license plate is placed to look like a soul patch and he talks with that slow laziness of someone whose seriously laid back.
Fillmore runs an organic fuel cafe called Fillmore's Organic Fuel and he's right next door to Sarge's place. They quarrel every morning when Sarge raises the American flag to the tune of Reville, and in turn, Fillmore blares out the Jimi Hendrix version of The Star Spangled Banner. It's a good-natured argument, though, and the two are friends often seen hanging out and talking with one another.
Lizzie
The old widow of Radiator Springs' founder is Lizzie, who is a black 1923 Ford Model T coupe. She's a real old, frail gal who has a hard time hearing and is a bit senile. Lizzie still runs the curio shop selling souvenirs about Radiator Springs and Route 66.
Stanley
Stanley was the founder of Radiator Springs and married to Lizzie. Although gone now, his statue remains outside City Hall and he was probably a steam-driven car, like a Stanley Steamer.
Lightning McQueen accidentally uprooted the statue, and in the process during another mishap, the statue landed right back where it was before. Lizzie often still talks to the Stanley statue, as if he were still there.
Red
To help put out fires and water the flowers, Radiator Springs relies on Red, a 1960s-style fire truck. Red is extremely shy and succumbs to his emotions, bursting into tears when he becomes upset. He never actually says anything in Cars the movie, but his personality still shines.
At first Red doesn't like Lighting McQueen because McQueen ruined his flowers, but later he is shown bursting into tears (again) when everyone thinks McQueen left town without saying goodbye.
All movie stills are copyright Pixar/Disney
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