Awesome / Cars

The Fabulous Hudson Hornet!

Slow down, you're gonna crash
Baby, you're a-screaming, it's a blast, blast, blast
Well, look out babe, you've got your blinders on
Everybody's lookin' for a way to get real gone
Real gone!

Sheryl Crow, "Real Gone"

• The very opening. The cuts to speeding cars in between the darkness before our protagonist finally shows himself and revves his motor.
• Guido changing all four of Lightning's tires by himself in about four seconds, giving Lightning just enough time to get out of the pit and beat the pace car. Without that, Lightning would've been a lap down and in no position to win the race.
  "Pit stop."
  • To amplify the awesomeness of this, a professional pit crew, that works for Chick Hicks, who was mocking him just a few seconds earlier can do nothing but watch in Stunned Silence.
• It's not as flashy as the tire change, but Lightning McQueen sacrificing the race for The King definitely counts.
  • Plus everybody (except Chick Hicks) realizing why he did it, and recognizing McQueen as the real winner.
  Tex Dinoco: There's more to racing than just winning.
• Also from the final race, Chick spinning Lightning out, only for Lightning to drive right past him... in reverse.
  Chick: WHAT?!
  Mater: Whoa! Git-R-done! Hahaha! (aside to Chick's pit crew) I taught him that. (flashes his mirror at them) Ka-chow!
• Another small moment: Red standing up to a stampede of tractors.
• Doc Hudson's drive around Willie's Butte, especially when he turns right to go left. And don't forget the long-awaited praise he got at the Piston Cup tiebreaker. Pretty much everyone was in disbelief—even Chick Hicks' own pit crew was in awe—and the WHOLE CROWD starts cheering that he made an appearance.
• Lightning managing to dodge the wreckage in the Dinoco 400, ending with him jumping clear in slow motion. Acknowledged as such in the third film, as watching him leaping through the air proved to be a formative and inspiring moment for a young Cruz, who would eventually go on to become Lightnings protege.
• Lightning posing for the paparazzi. Even though this was before his Heel–Face Turn, he does get to show off.
• The scene where Luigi starts the Willy's Butte race is intense and awesome all at once.
• Lightning barely managing to slip past an incoming train while catching up to what he believes is Mack.
• Mater gets to show off his backward driving skills to McQueen, with such a combination of stunts, tricks and high speed that the pro racer is amazed by the truck's ability. Especially the "twister of lights". He was not kidding when he says that he's the world's best backwards driver.
  Mater: Ain't no need to watch where I'm goin'. Just need to know where I been.
  Lightning: (genuinely impressed) WHOA-HO! That was incredible! How'd you do that?
  Mater: Rear. View. Mirrors.
• A more minor one, but Red the Firetruck standing in front of the tractors stampeding towards the statue of Stanley, and blasting his horn at them. Considering he's been constantly pulling Screw This, I'm Outta Here up to that point, this was a big change.

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Real gone!