“Cars” Film Celebrates Major Milestone

READY FOR A movie fun fact? The Pixar animated classic “Cars” turns 20 years old this summer, and I for one can hardly believe it. The story of rookie racer Lightning McQueen hit theaters in the U.S. on June 14, 2006, and has never stopped racing to stay a beloved fan favorite over the past two decades.

The movie became a franchise that spawned two sequels, dozens of shorts, and a countless number of die-cast cars and merchandise. The secret to the film’s success is part of Pixar Animation Studio’s larger secret sauce: Telling great “what if?” stories that are fun, engaging, and relatable to audiences around the world.

The movie “Cars” tells the story of Lightning McQueen (voiced by Owen Wilson), a self-centered hot shot rookie racer on a relentless journey to win his first Piston Cup, but he learns along the way that friendship and sacrifice mean more than any “empty cup” can offer.

In this world of living cars, what vehicle could better personify racing ahead with little regard for things around them than a race car?

It’s a great message for all of us in our fast-paced lives, with the reminder to slow down and enjoy the things around us before they pass us by. There’s also humor and heart delivered in true-blue friendship of Mater (voiced by Larry the Cable Guy), who demonstrates that what really matters is what we’re made up of on the inside.

“Cars” may have been an animated family film, but even the somewhat-jaded automotive journalist community took note of the level of accuracy and detail that was put on screen; from the correct engine sounds of a Porsche 911 for Sally, to suspension set ups, paint reflections, and even down to details like bias-ply tires on the older cars.

Autoweek magazine went as far as saying that “Cars” was one of the best car movies of all time. Full stop.

Without a doubt, what you see on the screen is rooted in authenticity — featuring real, fully detailed vehicles (and a number of our own “in-house” designs), plus a deep amount of NASCAR and Route 66 research to bring those stories to life as authentically as possible.

Besides getting the mechanical and location details right, the movie also had actual NASCAR, Indy, and F1 champions lend their voices to on-screen characters. Racing legends that spanned generations including Richard Petty, Mario Andretti, and Michael Schumacher all played a part.

I ran into Mario at SEMA many years ago, and he told me there is hardly a week that goes by without another child’s request to sign his “Cars” die-cast character. He jokingly said, “They don’t know that that I won the Daytona 500 or a Formula 1 Championship, but they sure know that movie!”

I’m often asked who my favorite “Cars” character is, and I have to say, without hesitation, that it’s Doc Hudson, played by legendary actor and racer Paul Newman. It’s even more poignant that “Cars” was the last feature film Newman starred in before passing away in 2008.

So here we are, two decades later, and “Cars” is still inspiring new automotive fans every day. It’s mind-blowing to think that a number of children who grew up on the movie are now old enough to race cars themselves. In fact, Lightning McQueen has been cited as a personal inspiration to NASCAR drivers like Danuel Suarez and Red Bull Racing F1 teammates Liam Lawson and Isack Hadjar, who can all quote lines from the movie by heart.

It goes without saying that this film’s enduring popularity has personally opened so many doors in my life over the years and continues to do so on a daily basis. I’ve encountered most of my automotive icons because of “Cars” in some way and met so many wonderful friends in the Concours and collector car worlds as well. As we approach this special 20th anniversary, let me be the first to say, “Ka-Chow” and here’s to 20 more!

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