- Lightning McQueen: "Where am I?"
Mater: "Where are you? Shoot! You're in Radiator Springs. The cutest little town in Carburetor County." - —Lightning McQueen talking to Mater
Radiator Springs is the home town of Doc Hudson, Sally Carrera, Sarge, Fillmore, Ramone, Flo, Luigi, Guido, Lizzie, Mater, Red and most recently, Lightning McQueen and Mack in Cars.
Location
The location of Radiator Springs is not known exactly; however, it is most likely in eastern Arizona, along Route 66.
Radiator Springs is along Route 66, which is in the United States. Route 66 goes from Los Angeles, California, to Chicago, Illinois, which can be heard in the Route 66 song during the Cars end credits, so Radiator Springs must be somewhere on Route 66 in between Chicago and Los Angeles. Radiator Springs is surrounded by red rocks and desert, and is not near any large cities, so Radiator Springs must be on Route 66 in either California, Arizona, or New Mexico. According to The Art of Cars, Radiator Springs is located in between Gallup, New Mexico, and Kingman, Arizona (which both can be heard in the end credits song), so Radiator Springs must be located in between the two, and since Gallup is on the far west side of New Mexico, Radiator Springs is most likely in Arizona. The truckstop that Mack and Lightning McQueen passed by on their trip could not be west from Houck, Arizona, because of a sign which reads "LAST TRUCKSTOP FOR 500 MILES", and since Houck is on the far east side of Arizona, the truckstop was most likely in western New Mexico, and if Mack drove for only a few hours more after the truckstop before he fell asleep, then Radiator Springs is most likely in eastern Arizona.
History
Radiator Springs was founded by a Model T Ford named Stanley in 1906, and a statue of him is outside the town court. Later, Stanley married Lizzie, another Model T. Later, after Stanley died, more people came to live in Radiator Springs, and the town grew. It was a popular rest area where almost all cars would stop to shop and fill their gas tank, however in the the early 1960s, Interstate 40 was built near Radiator Springs, which greatly descreased traffic for Radiator Springs, since the Interstate bypassed the town, and Radiator Springs was left with a population of only 11. Later in 2006, famous racecar Lightning McQueen destroyed the town's main road in a hurry to get to a Piston Cup race in Los Angeles, California, and was arrested for five days to fix the road. McQueen soon became friends with the Radiator Springs populace, and after his race, he set up a racing headquarters in the town, and the town started to grow again. Lightning McQueen, his driver Mack, and two of his biggest fans, Mia and Tia, now live in the town.
Locations
- Radiator Springs Curio Shop
- Tow Mater Towing and Salvage
- The Racing Museum
- Dr. Hudson's Surgery
- Fillmore's Taste In
- Sarge's Surplus Hut
- Flo's V8 Cafe
- Ramone's House of Body Art
- The Cozy Cone Motel
- Luigi's Casa Della Tires
- The Tractor Field
- The Radiator Springs Courthouse (shared with the Radiator Springs Fire Department)
- The Impound
- Lightning McQueen's Racing Headquarters