Characters / Cars - First Film

aka: Cars Lightning Mc Queen

Cars franchise character index
First Film | Second Film | Third Film
Cars Race-O-Rama | Planes films

Characters of the Cars franchise introduced in the original 2006 film itself.

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Radiator Springs

As a whole

The gang’s all here.^note From Left to right: Front and center: Lightning McQueen. Second row: Sally and Doc Hudson. Third row: Luigi, Guido, Mater, Sheriff and Flo. Back row: Sarge, Fillmore, Red, Ramone and Lizzie. Not pictured: Cruz Ramirez.

• Almighty Janitor: Although they come from an obscure town, its residents are highly proficient in their respective fields, just like Lightning and Doc are in racing, with Guido's pit work and Ramone's artistic skills being examples. Lightning's presence has helped to bring more recognition to them.
• Badass Crew: In Cars 2, they save Lightning, Mater, Finn, and Holley from the Lemons and help them out in defeating them.
• Beauty, Brains, and Brawn: The townsfolk can be divided into three distinct groups:
  • Beauty: Sally (a very attractive car to Lightning), Ramone (an artist who repeatedly gives himself new paint jobs) and Flo (a stylish showcar).
  • Brains: Doc (a retired racecar who's knowledgeable in both racing and repair work), Luigi (knowledgeable in tires and Ferraris), Guido (capable of changing tires in seconds), Fillmore (knowledgeable on alternative fuels), Lizzie (knowledgeable about Radiator Springs' history).
  • Brawn: Lightning (an incredibly fast, powerful racecar), Mater (a bulky tow truck), Sheriff (a bulky police car who can keep up with Lightning), Sarge (a tough-as-nails army jeep), Red (a large fire truck with a powerful hose), Cruz (like Lightning, a fast, powerful racecar).
• Community-Threatening Construction: Before Lightning's arrival, Interstate 40 was constructed, resulting in the town to get bypassed to save driving time. As a result, the town literally vanished from the map, but the folk never gave up on trying to attract customers again.
• Dying Town: Their home was initially this with thanks to the nearby interstate being constructed. Finally averted by the end of the film when Lightning permanently moves there.
• Let's Get Dangerous!: They may be goofy, simple townsfolk, but when one of them is threatened, they can all band together to fight in their own unique ways.
• Only One Name: Luigi, Guido, Flo, Ramone, Fillmore, Sarge, Red, Sheriff, and Lizzie do not have last names.
• Out of Focus: Their roles have gotten slightly smaller in later movies, with only Luigi, Guido, Fillmore and Sarge accompanying Lightning throughout most of the second movie. The first two accompany him throughout most of the third movie.
• Pals with Jesus:
  • All of them to Lightning after he permanently moves in with them. Also with Cruz, after becoming Lightning's student.
  • Also with Doc, who is revealed to be a former racer himself. At least until his death.
• Sixth Ranger: Cruz Ramirez joins the gang at the end of Cars 3.
• Town Girls: Showgirl Flo is femme, boisterous Lizzie is butch (Later joined by feisty Cruz), and sweet Sally is neither.
• Token Minority: Luigi, Guido (Italian) and Ramone (Mexican), are the only members of the gang who are foreign. Later joined by Cruz (Hispanic).
• True Companions: Initially averted at first upon Lightning's destruction of the town, but played straight in the climax of the first film onward. Most of them are part of his pit crew, and are there for him. They all act like this toward each other as well.
• World's Best Warrior: The town is home to not just two of the best racecar drivers, it also includes cars like Guido as a one-man pit crew.
• Vague Age: All of them act like young adults, with Doc as the oldest. They are also old enough to live on their own. However, they seem to keep the same appearances as years pass (as seen in the "Our Town" montage where they look the same as they do now and in Doc's newspaper where he still looks as old as he does today), and don't even show any signs of aging at all.

Montgomery "Lightning" McQueen

"Ka-chow!"

Voiced by:

Owen Wilson (Films, Mater and the Ghostlight, Cars: The Video Game, Fast As Lightning, The Radiator Springs 500 1/2, Cars On The Road, theme parks)

Keith Ferguson (Mater's Tall Tales, Mater-National Championship, Race-O-Rama, Cars 2: The Video Game, Tales From Radiator Springs (except The Radiator Springs 500 1/2), Miss Fritter's Racing Skoool)

Ben Rausch (Cars 3: Driven To Win)

Dubbed by:

Guillaume Canet (European French in the films)

Daniel Brühl (German in the first film)

Guillaume Canet (European French in the films)

Ofer Shechter (Hebrew in the first two films)

Yuval Segal (Hebrew in the third film and Cars on the Road)

Kuno Becker (Latin Spanish in the films)

Sergio Gutiérrez Coto (Latin Spanish; recurring voice in other works)

Basis: 2006 Custom-built Piston Cup racer ("A hybrid between a stock car and a more curvaceous Le Mans endurance racer")

"The racing is the reward, not the stuff!"

The central character of the franchise, a young, ambitious but arrogant, self-centered race car who wants to win the Piston Cup. His desire to be the first to California leads him getting lost and stranded in Radiator Springs. However, his time with the eccentric townsfolk open his eyes to his own demeanor and learns to slow down in life, turning him into a better person. In Cars 2, he participates in the World Grand Prix. In Cars 3, he is outmatched by a new, high-tech generation of racers led by rookie Jackson Storm, causing him to suffer a near-fatal crash which puts his career in jeopardy, and struggles to get back on top with the help of fellow racing technician Cruz Ramirez, who has a dream of becoming a racer just like him.

Unlike most of the other characters in the franchise, McQueen is not based on any one real world design, instead incorporating design features from many different sports and racing cars.

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• 10-Minute Retirement: When he isolates himself in Doc's garage for four straight months following his near-fatal crash, thinking the same that happened to Doc will happen to him.
• The Ace: A champion in the racing world.
• Affectionate Nickname: "Stickers" by Sally.
• Alliterative Name: His real first name is Monty.
• Almost Kiss: He and Sally in the first film before Mater interrupts.
• Always Someone Better: In Cars 3. First Jackson Storm, then Cruz Ramirez.
• Amusing Injuries: He suffers from some at the expense of the audience in the first movie when he's practicing at Willy's Butte, from crashing into cacti, to getting a hairful of dirt and grass, to falling out of the track, and concluding with a godforsaken saguaro falling on top of him.
  Lightning: OOOOOWWWWWWWWWW!
• Badass Boast: He gets a pair in the first film.
  • His self-Rousing Speech at the start, to help concentrate:
    (whispering to himself) "Speed... I am speed. One winner, forty-two losers. I eat losers for breakfast. [...] I'm faster than fast, quicker than quick... I am lightning!"
  • His brief one before he and Doc race at Willy's Butte:
    "Speed, I am speed! Float like a Cadillac, sting like a Beemer!"
• Badass Driver: Literal example as he's a race car with mad skills. Demonstrated at the Dinoco 400 in the first film as he squeezes past a car by tilting and jumping clear of a wreckage, and at the Los Angeles 500 and Florida 500 in the third film when he manages to pass several next-gens quite easily.
• Berserk Button:
  • He is offended every time Jackson insults him or overtakes him during a race, but overtaking him in the Los Angeles 500 is what cranks his rage level to 100%.
  • He also doesn't like it every time someone calls him old or unfit, though on a minor detail and played for humor.
• The Bet:
  • Doc offers him a deal in the first movie. If Lightning wins the race, Doc will fix the road instead. It's a Batman Gambit, however, as Doc knows Lightning doesn't know how to drive on dirt (until his appearance in the second movie).
  • Ends up going through one in Cars 3 — he has to win the Florida 500 or he'll lose his job forever.
• Beware the Nice Ones: After becoming a nice guy, Lightning is usually laid-back, easy-going, and plays fair, but the moment when someone insults him or threatens his friends, Lightning will get serious and get payback.
• Big "NO!": He says this in Cars 3 (along with a Rapid-Fire "No!") as he struggles to catch up to Jackson; notably the last thing he says before his iconic crash.
• Bishie Sparkle: Often when he is seen speeding by from a long enough distance, his paintwork briefly gives off a faint glow. One of his lightning bolt stickers also glows whenever he strikes a pose and says his famous catchphrase.
• Bitch in Sheep's Clothing: He was this as a rookie: He acts nice and gentle when racing and with his fans, but the real him was spoiled, vain, rotten, and extremely self-centered, this even caused his own crew to quit on him. Averted as of his change of heart due to the time he spent in Radiator Springs, since he’s now a good-natured friend when and when not racing.
• Break the Haughty: Happens to him in the first movie where he gets stranded in Radiator Springs after an accident involving the Delinquent Road Hazards and him being separated from Mack and he is forced to fix the road he destroyed while worrying that Chick is in California schmoozing Dinoco. He eventually learns to be more humble while he stays in Radiator Springs.
• Broken Ace: At the start of the first movie, he's an extremely talented, popular, charismatic racer who was one of the three top picks (alongside Chick Hicks and The King) to win the Piston Cup. He's also an arrogant, impulsive jerkass who mistreated his crew to the point where they left and doesn't seem to have any friends besides Mack.
• Buffy Speak: "I think you're forgetting the insulting part of that insult."
• Butt-Monkey: In Mater's Tall Tales and some of the other Cars Toons. It is rare for one to not involve something bad happening to him. Though he does have his moments in the films as well. For example falling into cacti twice, getting forced on a train track, and having a drip pan put underneath him just in case he leaks.
• Calling Your Attacks: In "Tokyo Mater" whenever he is about to execute a "dragon" skill, an announcer shouts out what he's unleashing.
  SPINNING DRAGON ATTACK! LIGHTNING DRAGON FIREBALL!
• Catapult Nightmare: He has one in the first film where he, The King, and Chick Hicks are racing on Motor Speedway of the South and are on the last lap until Frank appears out of nowhere and mows Chick while the King moves out of the way, and so does Lightning, but it costs him the win where Frank crosses the finish line first and wins Dinoco while Lightning gets licked by tractors and he wakes up screaming No!.
• Character Catchphrase:
  • "Ka-chow!"
  • "Speed... I am speed."
  • "I'm sorry, Mater. That did not happen." (in Mater's Tall Tales)
  • "Wow!" (a quirk inherited from his voice actor)
  • "You gotta be kidding me."
• Character Development: In the first film, he starts off as an egotistical, conceited, and arrogant racer who couldn't care less about others and cared only about his image, but later discovers that there's more to racing than just winning after hearing Doc's backstory and becomes friends with the townsfolk of Radiator Springs. Come the third film, not only is he still the warmhearted racing legend of today, he is also a wise and proud teacher just like Doc was.
• Character Tics: Lightning often sticks his tongue out when thinking of something. He also licks his upper lip at seldom moments, such as when the last lap of the tiebreaker race begins, when he's being interviewed by Shannon in the Dinoco Light 350 post-race coverage, and when Storm taunts him before the start of said race. When racing, he usually smiles with determination, but when he gets serious or tries to catch up, he clenches his teeth furiously. He also fidgets one of his wheels sometimes when he's confused or draws a blank. He also flashes a lucky sticker or revs up when showing off or flirting.
• Chick Magnet: Sally, Lizzie, Mia, and Tia all get a crush on him in the first movie. Also, during the first race, a woman can be heard screaming "I LOVE YOU, LIGHTNING!" at one point.
• Childhood Friends: With Carl in Cars Origins: Struck By Lightning, albeit not as kids, but young adults. At least until their friendship soured after Carl betrays him in the last race of the semester.
• Color-Coded Characters: Vibrant red with gold flash bolts.
• Color Motif:
  • Normally his paint jobs are a luminous vivid shade of red, representing his confidence. At the beginning of Cars 3 however, he has a different paint job that is a more dull red shade, complete with a different version of the Rust-eze logo. This represents he's being blindsided by Jackson Storm and the next-gens and unintentionally foreshadows the violent crash he will suffer later on.
  • In addition, while he had his usual vibrant red shade with his first paint job in the first film, this represented his original personality where he was stuck-up and vain. When Ramone gives him a new paint job to impress Sally, he changes to a darker red with sparkles, to show he's warming up to the others and learning the film's moral. Come the finale, he has combined this paint job with portions of his racing getup.
• The Comically Serious: Lightning can be funnily sarcastic around Mater when he's out of it.
• Costume Evolution:
  • As of Cars 2, his sticker decal headlights and taillights are removed and replaced with actual working ones.
  • Before his Character Development, the lightning bolt motif on his sides was patterned out in yellow-to-red halftone. Following such, the bolts have been filled in and became solid colored, and were also eventually tipped with flames.
  • After moving to Radiator Springs, Lightning's first "casual" paint job was a cross between his Piston Cup getup and the "cruisin'" getup he received from Ramone, while his second was just his Le Mans-esque appearance from Cars 2 with the WGP decals replaced with those for Radiator Springs and the Piston Cup. Come Cars On the Road, he now sports a total casual appearance with the Radiator Springs logo on the hood and sides in place of the Rust-Eze sticker, the perfect off-season apparel for a race car.
• Dead Guy Junior: Meta example: His surname is in honor of animator Glenn McQueen, who passed away during production of Finding Nemo.
• Deadpan Snarker: He has his moments of witty banter, particularly pre-Heel–Face Turn towards the Radiator Springs folk.
  Sally: (after Lightning "fixes" the road) It looks awful!
  Lightning: Now it matches the rest of the town!
• Decoy Protagonist:
  • Becomes this throughout Cars 2 due to Mater taking up most of the story.
  • The Cars 3 advertisements play up his return to the role of protagonist, but it's ultimately Cruz Ramirez's rise to glory as a racer. Though he does play a pivotal part in it.
• The Defroster: Him and Doc go both ways in this. Though Doc was bitter with Lightning at first, Lightning's change helps Doc to make peace with his racing past, becoming a happier mentor who treasures every moment with him.
• Deuteragonist: In Cars 2, he's the second main focus behind Mater.
• Dreamworks Face: Generally this is one of his default ways of smiling, half-closed eyes with one slightly raised upward, along with a smile that stretches out further at the side he's showing. He mostly drops it after his Heel–Face Turn, in favor of a more, genuine smile instead. He still uses it on occasion, though.
• Dreary Half-Lidded Eyes: Often sports this expression when showing off, especially back when he was obnoxious.
• Determinator: Being a racer, he gets this feeling a lot, especially when he skips a pit stop and refuses a tire change as an excuse to remain in the lead.
• Due to the Dead: At the end of Cars 3, he paints himself up in Hudson's colors to commemorate him.
• Dude, Where's My Respect?: In Cars 3, he gets a lot of guff about his age from Doc's old racing friends who are ironically decades older then him. And, most (if not all) of the next gen racers, especially Storm, have little to no respect for him. Also, while she is a fan of his, Cruz unintentionally insults McQueen about his age by calling him her "senior project". For the most part, his reaction ranges from mild annoyance to agitation.
• Embarrassing First Name: In the tie in book; Cars Origins: Struck by Lightning, his actual name is Monty McQueen. He changed it once he became a rookie. Even Sarge comments the name Lightning is more fitting.
• Emerging from the Shadows: How we first meet him in the first film.
• Establishing Character Moment:
  • His self-centered persona in the first film was revealed once announced as the only racer to not take a pit stop after the tragic wreckage caused by Chick, and again when he refuses a tire change to maintain his big lead. It is then established verbally during his interview after the race:
  Lightning: Am I sorry I don't have a crew chief? No, I'm not. 'Cause I'm a one-man show.
  • However, in the same race as the above scene, he also notably races fairly without resorting to underhanded methods like Chick, and, after the race, he shows nothing but respect and deferance to racing veteran Strip "The King" Weathers, despite the two racing as direct competitors previously. Overall, despite his arrogance and ambition, it demonstrates he's a good guy under it all, and that he has a genuine passion for racing beyond simply being a path to fame and fortune.
  • In the climax, his new, selfless persona is established just after Chick purposefully causes The King to crash on the infield near the end of the tiebreaker race, causing him to stop just before the finish line and let Chick win. He then proceeds to help The King finish the race, which shows the audience he's the true winner. It is established even further when he politely turns down the Dinoco sponsorship in favor of Rust-eze, and moves to Radiator Springs and sets up his racing headquarters there.
• Et Tu, Brute?: Needless to say, betrayal is a sore spot for Lightning.
  • The tie-in book Cars Origins: Struck by Lightning shows this was his Freudian Excuse as to why he became his former arrogant self: his first friend, Carl, had his pit crew remove his lug nuts and then lied to Lightning that they were loose. After this, Lightning stayed away from his classmates, his trust broken and refusing to make any more friends.
  • He also felt this way after Mater causes him to lose the first race in the World Grand Prix. Though after grilling Mater with words and learning he planned to return to Radiator Springs, Lightning does regret doing that to his friend.
• Everyone Has Standards: Despite being selfish and arrogant during the first half of the first film, Lightning played by the rules and never resorted to using dirty tricks to win.
• Exotic Eye Designs: If examining Lightning really closely, you can see a faint star-shaped highlight on his iris.
• Expospeak Gag: "I'm a precision instrument of speed and aerodynamics."
  Mater: You hurt your what?
  Lightning: I'M A VERY FAMOUS RACE CAR!!
• Famed In-Story: His racing career has made him very famous.
• Fast as Lightning: He invokes this trope right in his name, and is one of the best racers to live up to it.
• Fish out of Water: After he first enters Radiator Springs.
• Five Stages of Grief: Lighting hits all five beats throughout his stay in the first film; he's unfriendly toward the townsfolk at first (denial), is annoyed that he has to fix the road (anger), races Doc at Willy's Butte in an attempt to leave only to fail (bargaining), breaks down for the first time prior to his departure for the race and is reluctant to go (depression), and gives up the Piston Cup to help The King finish, realizing what is really important in life (acceptance).
• Four-Temperament Ensemble: Sanguine and choleric; he's often excitable and full of energy, but can sometimes get frustrated.
• Freudian Excuse: The tie-in book Cars Origins: Struck by Lightning reveals how he became his former arrogant self as shown in the first movie. His first friend Carl betrayed him during the final race of the semester by tricking him into thinking his lug nuts are loose when really, his pitties removed them on purpose so he can win and get a sponsorship deal. As a result, he stayed away from his classmates and never made any more friends, vowing never to trust anyone.
• Friendless Background: He didn't have any friends other than Mack before befriending the locals at Radiator Springs, as evidenced by his downcast expression after he ends his call with Harv.
• Germans Love David Hasselhoff: In-Universe, Lightning seems to be very popular in Japan.
• Gratuitous Italian: The films show he can speak at least some Italian.
• Gratuitous Rap: He uses Cruz's workout song to his advantage to get her to accept his apology and makes up his own rap out of it.
• Heroic BSoD: Suffers at least one of these in each film.
  • First film: After ending his call with Harv, when he learned about Doc's crash and felt bad for himself, and shortly before his departure when saying goodbye to Sally.
  • Second film: When he reads Mater's note and feels sorry for him.
  • Third film: When he is stunned after Jackson taunted him at the Los Angeles 500 just before his crash, and during his 10-Minute Retirement in Doc's garage.
• Heroic RRoD: His crash in Cars 3 counts as one since seconds before his tire blows out, he can be heard breathing heavily as he struggles to catch up to Storm.
• Heterosexual Life-Partners: With Mater, even calling Mater his best friend at the end of the first film.
• Honor Before Reason: At the end of the first film. He gives up his shot at the Piston Cup in favor of making sure The King can finish his last race and retire with dignity, remembering what happened to Doc as a result of his big wreck.
• Hidden Depths:
  • His sudden appearances in Mater's Tall Tales hint at a few extra talents he can do. "Heavy Metal Mater" shows he can sing and play the keyboard, while "Tokyo Mater" shows he's skilled at karate, though he hasn't demonstrated those skills in real time yet.
  • While it's hinted as far as the first movie, the first episode of Cars on the Road reveals that he's highly knowledgeable about paleontology and dinosaurs.
• History Repeats: Just as what happened to Doc, following the introduction of Jackson Storm and the next-gens, he suffers a violent, near-fatal crash that questions the future of his career, and worries about an imminent retirement. While he doesn't retire, he still becomes a mentor to Cruz, a car who's just starting her racing career, and before that —like what happened with The King— she helps him finish the race.
• Hopeless with Tech: As shown in Cars 3, he isn't quite used to the racing center's simulator and goes out of control the moment it starts up, to the point of destroying it. In the video game and Lightning McQueen's Racing Academy, which both take place afterwards, he's shown to have gotten better.
• Hot Paint Job: Has at least one of these in each film, courtesy of Ramone...
  • The sparkly, darker red paint job he receives to surprise Sally in the first, which he combines with bits of his racing getup near the end.
  • His World Grand Prix paint job in the second, which features green-tinted flames that reach all the way up to his rear fenders, as well as a Le Mans-esque spoiler.
  • The high-tech electronic suit and his "Fabulous Lightning McQueen" paint job in the third. His regular racing paint job to a lesser extent, which features a small flame job similar to the one used for the World Grand Prix.
• Humanizing Tears: Happens in the first film prior to his departure for California, not to mention this is also a sign of his Character Development taking effect — he immediately wanted to leave Radiator Springs upon getting lost, but after spending so much time there, he breaks down for the first time and is reluctant to go.
• I Can't Dance: Averted as he's shown to be a good dancer, though in Radiator Springs Adventures Ramone says his moves are too "embarrassing" when he shows him.
• I Choose to Stay:
  • At the end of Cars, he turns down Dinoco and chooses to stay with his current sponsor Rust-eze, and stays in Radiator Springs permanently, setting up his Racing Headquarters there which puts it back on the map.
  • In the finale of Cars 3, he decides to continue racing upon winning his deal with Sterling.
• Icy Blue Eyes: Goes with how he was originally, when he was obnoxious and vain. Subverted by the end of the film, realizing there's much more to racing than winning and friendship is more important than just that.
• Image Song:
  • The songs "Real Gone" and "Run That Race" from the first and third films respectively can be seen as these for him, though with different meanings. The former is alluding to his former self when he was self-absorbed and arrogant, while the latter alludes to his current selfless image, and shows his love of racing and how much he enjoys it.
  • "Collision of Worlds" from the second film is about his and Mater's friendship with each other.
• Incoming Ham:
  • When being added to Mater's story in "Tokyo Mater", an announcer yells, "LIGHTNING DRAGON MCQUEEN!"
  • Another occurs in "Heavy Metal Mater" when he screams, "ARE YOU READY TO ROCK?!?!"
• Ink-Suit Actor: Has a few features inherited from Owen Wilson's face, most notably the eye color.
• Insufferable Genius: He does grow out of the insufferable attitude, but it does originally stem from the fact that he is a talented racer.
• Irony: In the first film, he said the reason he didn’t have real headlights is because racers don't need them due to the track being lit at nighttime. He then receives them in the sequel.
• It's All About Me: The old him acted this way, only being concerned with his problems.
• Jack of All Stats: In the 2 and 3 tie-in games, he has perfectly balanced speed and weight. In the movies, he's also noted to have good performance regardless of terrain unlike other racers such as Francesco.
• Jerk with a Heart of Gold: Despite his moments of meanness, McQueen is always shown to have a good heart beneath the rotten surface.
  • McQueen spends the bulk of the first movie as a selfish jerk who cared more about himself than others, treated his own pit crew poorly, forced Mack to drive all night without sleep, and repeatedly badmouthed the citizens of Radiator Springs. He wasn't too horrible of a guy though, as seen by how he played by the rules and showed respect towards his racing elders. After being trapped in Radiator Springs for days on end, he loses his vanity and rudeness, and becomes a much more nice and likable guy who truly appreaciates the friends he made in the town.
  • In Cars 2, he harshly calls out Mater for his immature behavior throughout the movie, but still considers him his best friend. Reflecting the Character Development he got on the first film, his new pit crew is also shown to be much more collaborative with him.
  • In Cars 3, he goes on a tirade about how Cruz Ramirez is slowing him down and how she doesn't understand what is at stake for him since she is just a trainer. He then makes up for it later, when he takes her to Thomasville to find Doc Hudson's crew chief and when she's racing in the final race that would determine his fate.
• Jerkass Has a Point: In Cars 3, his "The Reason You Suck" Speech to Cruz about how she didn't understand what was at stake might have been scathing, but he was right about it given he hadn't been able to improve by the course of their regimen.
• Karmic Jackpot: In the first film's final race, when Lightning sees The King's crash, he gives up the Piston Cup (even if it means Chick will win), just so he can make sure The King can finish his final race and retire with dignity. The whole crowd cheers Lightning on for his sportsmanship and recognizes him as the true winner of the race instead of Chick, and he is even offered the Dinoco sponsorship, which he has always wanted. He politely turns it down, but he keeps his promise to Mater by getting him a ride in the Dinoco helicopter.
• Large Ham:
  • He really loves hamming it up for the audience during his races. "KA-CHOW!"
  • When he becomes a monster truck in the video games, he takes on a new persona, and most of his dialogue involves him shouting and roaring.
    Lightning: (Upon being selected as a playable character) All fear the mighty BOLT!
• Last-Name Basis: Subverted and inverted. He is often called by his first name most times, but other times characters tend to refer to himself by his last name "McQueen".
• Law of Chromatic Superiority: His bright red coloring probably helped him on his rise to fame.
• Leitmotif: Almost any scene focusing on Lightning is accompanied by orchestral or rock music, especially when he's racing.
• Like a Son to Me: In Cars 3, Lightning remarks to Smokey that racing had been the best part of Doc's life. Smokey tells him that, while Doc did love racing, it wasn't the best part of his life. Lightning was.
• Living Legend: He's won seven Piston Cups in a row by the time of the third film, making him this.
• Loophole Abuse: Unintentionally pulls this in the third film. His agreement with Sterling was that if Lightning won, he could keep racing but if he lost, he would have to retire. Realizing he wouldn't be able to beat Jackson Storm during the race, Lighting chooses to withdraw so Cruz Ramirez can take his place in order to give her the chance to race like she had always wanted, even coaching her to victory. But since Lightning participated in the race, it still counts as his win too even though Cruz was the one who actually won it, allowing Lighting to choose whether or not to retire on his own terms. It's worth noting, however, that Lightning didn't know about the loophole; he just wanted to give Cruz her start.
• Lonely at the Top: Shows signs of being this in the first movie.
  • It's first indicated when Harv talks about inviting his friends to a party to celebrate winning, and Lightning struggles to name anyone.
  • Later, when Sally admits that her previous highly-successful career wasn't very happy, he shows signs of understanding what she means before quickly covering it up with intrigue.
  • Fortunately subverted at the end, thanks to making deep connections to everyone in Radiator Springs.
• Made of Iron: There is almost never a moment where he succumbs to a lasting injury, but one exception would be falling into the cacti twice upon arriving in Radiator Springs. A larger exception would be his near-fatal crash.
• Mean Boss: As a rookie, he repeatedly mistreated and insulted his original pit crew (causing them to quit on him), fired three crew chiefs before then, and forced Mack to drive for days without rest.
• Meaningful Echo: When he and Doc are about to race at Willy's Butte, he rouses himself with a brief "Float like a Cadillac, sting like a Beemer!". Doc later turns it into an Ironic Echo after McQueen loses. However, both repeat it later during the tiebreaker race when he is about to win.
• Meaningful Name: "Speed. Faster than fast, quicker than quick. I am Lightning." Also, he has a lightning bolt motif. The tie in book Cars Origins: Struck By Lightning reveals he got his name by breaking his racing school's all-time record.
• Mentor Archetype: Becomes Cruz's teacher at the end of Cars 3 after she helps him save his job.
• Moonwalk Dance: He performs this near the end of "Tokyo Mater".
• My God, What Have I Done?: He felt this way in the sequel after lashing out at Mater for causing him to lose the Tokyo race of the World Grand Prix and Uncle Toplino gives him words of wisdom.
• Narcissist: Part of his original personality. The inside of his trailer was decked with trophies, merchandise and neon lights, even fancy gadgets. After dropping this attitude, the trailer has been stripped completely of the fancy stuff in favor of a simple Willy's Butte wallpaper and photos of his friends.
• Near-Death Experience: So far, Lightning has experienced at least one of these in each film.
  • In the first film, he barely manages to beat a train. He then crashes into a cacti patch twice, with a large saguaro falling on him the second time, while attempting to make the sharp turn at Willy's Butte. And later, he was also almost murdered by Frank.
  • In the second film, he was planned to be exploded by a bomb, but it was put in Mater instead. The lemons also tried to make him explode with the camera, but his Allinol gas was switched with Filmore's organic fuel so he was not affected.
  • In the third film, this is then Played for Drama; he lost control while trying to catch up to Jackson and suffered a violent crash, but survived afterwards. The junior novel even goes so far as to imply that he almost didn't make it. He was also almost killed by Miss Fritter in the Demolition Derby.
• The Nicknamer: Under protest, he has named his tires "Lefty", "Righty", "Backy", and "Backy Junior".
• Non-Standard Character Design: Unlike most other race cars, his body type is quite unique. His hood area is squished in a little and the sides are raised up slightly, and his spoiler is bigger and curves in at the middle. This sets him apart from the others. This is later alluded to in Cars 3's specs, with Lightning's claiming he's a custom built racer^*As noted above, his design is a hybrid of a Le Mans racer and a turn-of-the-century stock car.
• Odd Friendship: With Mater. Lightning's an ultra-sleek, pampered racecar who was initially disgusted by rusty cars while Mater's a rusty, humble tow-truck with a goofy, cheerful personality.
• Official Couple: With Sally.
• Oh, No... Not Again!: He felt this way at the end of Miss Fritter's Racing Skoool when the force of Miss Fritter's scream from the TV causes the Crazy 8 trophy he fixed to fall and break apart once more.
• Older Hero vs. Younger Villain: In the third film, he faces Jackson Storm, a newcomer to the Piston Cup racing series who is arrogant and narcissistic, exactly how he was originally.
• Older Than They Look: He's a veteran in the third film, yet he looks the same as he did as a rookie and kept that appearance since then, years apart. This is repeatedly teased throughout said film when characters say he's old, despite the fact he still looks young. He still even sounds young as well.
• Origins Episode: The tie in novel, Cars Origins: Struck by Lightning, in which he recounts the time he became a racer to Mater, Sarge and Fillmore on a camping trip.
• Out of Focus: In the sequel, a result of Mater taking the spotlight. He regains it in the third movie.
• Paper-Thin Disguise: While at the Thunder Hollow Crazy 8, he covered himself entirely with mud, passing off as a participant named "Chester Whipplefilter". He managed to fool everyone until he got soaked with water after the match, revealing himself to the crowd.
• Passing the Torch: Ultimately allows Cruz to finish the Florida race for him under his number. When she wins, his racing career is saved, and he becomes her personal coach.
• Pre-Asskicking One-Liner: He is prone to these, hence being a racer.
  "Oh yeah, Lightning's ready!" (The first film, before he exits his trailer after doing his pre-race Rousing Speech)
  "He is SO getting beat today!" (Cars 2, before racing Francesco in the World Grand Prix Tokyo race)
  "I'll see you at the finish line, buddy!" (Cars 2, said to Mater at the end of the film when he overtakes all the races in the friendly race at Radiator Springs)
  "I'm coming for you, Storm..." (Cars 3, after being repainted prior to his departure for the Rust-eze Racing Center)
  "You've just insulted the wrong town. Looks like our leisurely drive just turned into a race!" (The Radiator Springs 500½, when being challenged by the Baja pros)
• Precision F-Strike: "I'm in hillbilly Hell!"
• Pretty Boy: Chick calls him this in the comic "Rally Race". In-universe, he's got quite the amount of female fans for this, notably Mia and Tia.
• Primary-Color Champion: He is red with yellow lightning bolts, and has blue eyes. And he is a piston cup racer and multi-champion.
• Red Is Heroic: He is red, and the hero of the series.
• Red Ones Go Faster: Red and very fast.
• Red Oni, Blue Oni: In the first movie, he plays the energetic, hot-tempered red oni to The King's calm, experienced blue oni. This is reflected in their color schemes.
• "The Reason You Suck" Speech: He delivers a rather hurtful, yet correct one, to Cruz when he has come nowhere to being ready for the race due to helping her instead.
  Lightning: Do you know what happens if I lose this race?! Every mile of this trip was to get me faster than Jackson Storm! FASTER! I start off getting nowhere for a week, on a simulator! I lose a whole day with you on Fireball Beach! AND THEN, I WASTE TONIGHT IN THE CROSSHAIRS OF MISS FRITTER!!! I'M STUCK IN THE SAME SPEED I WAS A MONTH AGO! I CAN'T GET ANY FASTER BECAUSE I'M TOO BUSY TAKING CARE OF MY TRAINER!!!!! This is my last chance, Cruz! LAST! FINAL!! FINITO!!! If I lose, I never get to do this again!! If you were a RACER, you'd know what I'm talking about, BUT YOU'RE NOT! SO YOU DON'T!
• Reformed, but Not Tamed: Lightning's generally more laid-back after his stay in Radiator Springs, but he's still arrogant, loves the spotlight, and can be pretty cruel to those he's otherwise friendly to if he's annoyed by them. He gives a "The Reason You Suck" Speech to Mater in 2 and Cruz in 3 out of frustration at their apparent uselessness, but quickly regrets driving them away.
• Reluctant Retiree: His conflict throughout Cars 3, following a rather horrible crash similar to Doc's and The King's. Thanks to Cruz taking his place in the final race and finishing it for him, they both share the victory and he doesn't have to retire.
• Retired Badass: Zig-zagged. Despite Cruz winning the race for him and allowing him to continue racing if he wanted which he happily accepts, he chooses to spend the rest of the current season as her crew chief, teaching the new generation of racers the tricks of the trade. This makes him sort of semi-retired.
• Right Out of My Clothes: He does this in the third film, complete with his electronic suit ripping to shreds when he does an astounding leap in the forest, reverting to his natural appearance.
• Rousing Speech: Gives one to Cruz after she takes over for him and has a Heroic BSoD after Storm taunts her.
  Lightning: You got into his head, don't you understand? He would never have done that if you didn't scare him! He sees something in you that you don't even see yourself. Made me believe it, now you've gotta believe it too! You are a racer. Use that.
• Smug Super: Initially. He's fast, skilled, and proud of it — but through character development, drops the smugness in favor of becoming a nicer guy.
• Stealth Pun: His current racing getup as of Cars 3 has the Rust-eze logos on his hood and fenders slightly enlarged. This exaggerates the fact that he is all grown up.
• Super-Speed: In racing. He is speed and all.
• Supporting Protagonist: In the second movie.
• Sweet Home Alabama: He speaks with a light southern twang in his voice (like his voice actor, which fades in an out time to time), hinting he's from the southern US, most likely Texas. The song "Real Gone" from the first film has the line "I was born in the south", alluding to this.
• Symbol Motif Clothing: True to his name, he has lightning bolts on his sides. These are also tipped with flames for the World Grand Prix in Cars 2, which carry over to his usual racing getup as of Cars 3.
• Tears of Remorse: Sheds these in the first film shortly before his departure, notably the first time he actually broke down.
• Took a Level in Badass: Even as a rookie, he's already talented enough to compete with the world's best racers and avoid massive car crashes, but he becomes even better after his stay in Radiator Springs, learning several new tricks such as powersliding and backwards driving which almost wins him a Piston Cup (and winning several of them in subsequent seasons).
• Took a Level in Kindness: His time in Radiator Springs really improved his demeanor.
• Transformation Sequence: He is shown having this in each film whenever he changes into a special paint job.
• Trash Talk: "I eat losers for breakfast!"
• Unsympathetic Comedy Protagonist: In the first movie, before his Character Development. Everything that happens to him as a result of his rudeness is Laser-Guided Karma at its finest, though it helps him become a humbler guy.
• Unwanted Assistance: His initial attitude towards Cruz's training methods in the third film.
• Vague Age: In Cars 3, McQueen is teased about his age a lot, though it's never explicitly said how old he is. Brian Fee implies in an interview that Lightning is in his mid to late 40s. Especially helped that he and most other cars are Not Allowed to Grow Old.
• Verbal Backspace: As Lightning tells Mater about his aspirations of fame, he tells Mater about how he wouldn't have to deal with any more "rusty old cars". Mater asks what's wrong with "rusty old cars", having Lightning awkwardly scramble to say he isn't talking about Mater.
• Vitriolic Best Buds:
  • With Mack and Mater in the first and second films.
  • With Cal Weathers, Bobby Swift, and Cruz Ramirez in Cars 3.
  • In Cars Origins: Struck By Lightning, he was this with Carl, until his harsh betrayal.
• We Used to Be Friends: In Cars Origins: Struck By Lightning, he was friends with the top student of his racing academy, Carl. They were close to each other and enjoyed good times, until the events of the last race of the semester came along and Carl betrayed him by removing the lug nuts of his rear tire. After that, Lightning never saw Carl again.
• Why Did It Have to Be Snakes?: Cars on the Road reveals that Lightning is afraid of clowns, spending an entire circus trip trembling in his seat because of it.
• Worthy Opponent: After his time in Radiator Springs, McQueen respectfully treats every opponent as a friendly opposition, and even at worst regarded Jackson Storm in Cars 3 as a goal to surpass rather than an enemy. Even before his Character Development, he had a warm and profound respect for his seniors and heroes who came before him, The King in particular, a trait that Chick notably lacked, though Chick (and Storm) seems to get along with their crews better than McQueen, who fired his crew chief thrice and had his pit crew fed up against him.
• When He Smiles: Though he did sport a bunch of grins of audacity even before his arrival in Radiator Springs, the first genuine smile he flashed was when Mater deemed him his best friend, and it's really cute.

Sir Towbert "Tow" Mater

"My name's Mater. Like 'Tuh-Mater', but without the 'tuh'!"

Voiced by:

Larry the Cable Guy

Adam Burton (Cars 3: Driven to Win)

Dubbed by:

César Bono (Latin Spanish)

César Filio (Latin Spanish, in some other works)

Basis: 1951 International Harvester L-170 "boom" truck

A rusty 1951 International Harvester tow truck. Mater comes off as a simple-minded stereotypical Southern hick, but he is a Genius Ditz, knowing a lot about engines, and can drive backwards using his rear view mirrors. He has a strong crush and affection for Holley Shiftwell and he’s best friends with Lightning. He becomes Lightning's best friend and initial crew chief in Cars 2, where he is mistaken for a spy by Finn McMissile.

---

• The Ace: Given all the tall tales he's told, and proving them to be true.
• Ascended Extra: Mater went from a secondary character who primarily existed for comic relief in the first movie to The Protagonist of Cars 2, getting his own series of shorts in-between.
• Badass Boast: While teasing Lightning about his growing crush on Sally, Mater drives backwards to keep the act up. McQueen gets nervous about Mater driving backwards and tells him to stop before he wrecks himself. Mater takes offense and proves himself to be more than he seems.
  Mater: "Wreck"? Shoot, I'm the world's best backwards driver! Just watch this right here, lover boy.
• Been There, Shaped History: If "Time Travel Mater" is any indication, Mater is the reason Radiator Springs exists. It's because of him going back in time to tell Stanley to sell radiator hubcaps near a spring that the latter chose to found Radiator Springs where he did.
• Break the Cutie: In Cars 2, after discovering that others think that he is just clueless and distracting.
• Breakout Character: He has spun off into his own series of shorts, and even managed to become the main character of the sequel.
• Character Catchphrase: Several of which he shares with his voice actor.
  • "Dad gum!"
  • "Fu-un!"
  • "Shoooot!"
  • "Git-r-done!"
  • "I don't care who you are, that's funny right there!"
  • "I used to be a (insert job here)." (In Mater's Tall Tales)
  • "Don't you remember? You was there, too!" (In Mater's Tall Tales)
• Childish Tooth Gap: Hence being a southern hillbilly, he has huge buck teeth that protrude outwards and away from each other.
• Cloudcuckoolander: He comes off as slow-witted and silly.
• Contrasting Sequel Main Character: In Cars, the main character is Lightning, a Hot-Blooded racer who tries to get over his selfishness by spending time in a remote town called Radiator Springs. In Cars 2, the main character is Lightning's friend Mater, a ditzy tow truck who is far more sensitive then Lightning and gets involved in a spy mission.
• Creepy Mortician: Inverted: He's a tow truck working at a salvage/scrap yard in a world populated by sapient cars, thus making him their equivalent of a mortician. However, he's a genuinely friendly, jovial and nice fella.
• Crouching Moron, Hidden Badass: The sequel and shorts definitely elevate him to this.
• A Day in the Limelight: Don't let the Cars 2 poster fool you - Mater is the star this time.
• The Defroster: Along with Sally and Doc, Mater is one of the few cars responsible for making McQueen become nice during his time in Radiator Springs. Mater's the first resident of Radiator Springs to truly break through Lightning's frosty exterior and befriend him, in part because he doesn't actually know about Lightning's status as a celebrity and genuinely wants to be his friend.
• Demoted to Extra: After being the main character of Cars 2, Cars 3 demotes him back to a secondary character who stays out of the main plot and only appears whenever Lightning needs some encouragement or advice.
• Deuteragonist: He's the second most prominent character in the franchise behind Lightning, and wherever Lightning goes, Mater is sure to follow. While he's only the main character proper in Cars 2, he still gets a lot of focus in various titles, such as having entire subplots and minigames dedicated to him in the tie-in games or acting as the main character in Mater's Tall Tales.
• Do Not Call Me Sir: Is knighted at the end of the second film, but prefers to just be acknowledged by his normal name.
• Dub Name Change: His name is Hook in the German Dub.
• Eagleland: Mater is viewed as a mix of Types 1 and 2 by foreign cars.
• Establishing Character Moment: The very second he first appears, he happily gives Lightning a wake-up call in the impound and immediately befriends him.
• Flying Car: Mater is able to fly by using his rocket boosters together with his parachute.
• Four-Temperament Ensemble: Sanguine.
• The Gadfly: Mater's usually friendly, but he also loves screwing with others for his own amusement. As the first two movies show, he partakes in "tractor tipping" - scaring tractors into tipping over by honking his horn at them - and in Mater and the Ghostlight, he repeatedly pulls pranks on the other residents of Radiator Springs.
• Gatling Good: In Cars 2, he is equipped with machine guns powerful enough to shred enemy cars. When he accidentally fires them, the lemons have to hide behind a table for safety, and even then they're only safe because Mater has no idea what he's doing and is aiming way high.
• Genius Ditz: Despite seeming rather simple minded, he has very broad knowledge of car parts and engines and can identify any engine at a glance.
• Good Is Not Dumb: Being a Genius Ditz, he manages to figure out Axlerod's involvement with the Lemons and his plot to discredit alternative fuel sources, forcing Axlerod to disarm the bomb.
• Goofy Buckteeth: He's the comic relief and Lightning McQueen's sidekick, and he has crooked buckteeth.
• Half-Witted Hillbilly: Mater certainly looks and acts the part of a redneck who is not very bright, but his encyclopaedic knowledge of car parts and problem-solving skills suggest that he's a lot smarter than he lets on.
• Happily Married: In Cars 3, he mentions having "wedding flaps", which may hint that he's getting married to Holley Shiftwell.
• Hero Protagonist: He becomes the main protagonist of Cars 2, gets involved in a spy mission, and thwarts the Big Bad by the end of the film.
• Hidden Depths:
  • He reveals in the first film that he used to be a good whistler until he got rusty fluids built up in his engine block. He later mentions in the third film that his cousin Doyle taught him to sing and whistle at the same time, which probably contradicts the former.
  • Despite his goofy exterior, Mater is genuinely distraught over the idea that people only think of him as "the idiot tow-truck".
• Humble Hero: Even while getting knighted by Her Majesty the Queen, Mater simply requests that other cars acknowledge him as just Mater.
• I Choose to Stay: At the end of Cars 2, he denies the deal be a full-time spy with Finn and Holley and prefers to stay in Radiator Springs with his friends.
• I Was Quite a Looker: During the "Our Town" sequence that shows Radiator Spring in the past glory days, Mater is shown to have had a cleaner and finer paint job.
• Idiot Savant: He's a savant like Rain Man, but mostly in Cars 2.
• Image Song: "Collision of Worlds" from the second film can be said for his and Lightning's friendship with each other. "Nobody's Fool" also seems to be the musical equivalent of the part in said film when he realizes what he did and feels sorry for showing Lightning up.
• Incoming Ham: "MORNIN', SLEEPIN’ BEAUTY!"
• Ink-Suit Actor: Kinda has a few elements of his voice actor's face, even sharing a famous catchphrase as well.
• Jack Bauer Interrogation Technique: Does this to Miles Axelrod by threatening to blow both of them up with the bomb Axelrod put in Mater's filter unless he disarms it, proving him to be the mastermind in the process.
• Kid-Appeal Character: He is mostly adored by kids of all ages. Kids just love him because he's so lovable.
• Kindhearted Simpleton: Mater is the most sweet-natured and loyal car in the franchise.
• Knighting: By the Queen of England herself.
• Large Ham:
  • Mater is a very loud, bombastic character who loves yelling and making a scene wherever he goes. "GET-R-DONE!"
  • When he becomes a monster truck in Cars: Mater-National Championship, Mater goes full ham, shouting everything he says and constantly growling and roaring.
• Laser-Guided Karma: In Mater and the Ghostlight, Mater spends the night pulling pranks on the residents of Radiator Springs. After he is spooked by Sheriff's story about the Ghostlight, Lightning and Guido put a bluish lantern on his tow hook to make him think the Ghostlight is after him, scaring him senseless.
• Last-Name Basis: He almost always goes by his last name, Mater, throughout the films. His first name is actually Towbert or Tow for short.
• Madness Mantra: Utters one in Cars 2 as he struggles to find an open bathroom stall:
  Mater: I never leak...I never leak...I never leak...
• Manchild: Mater has the mental/emotional capacity of a small child, even though he's technically an adult.
• Mighty Glacier: In the 2 and 3 tie-in games, he's the heaviest playable racer bar none. This makes him extremely slow, but capable of shrugging off damage and ramming lighter opponents with ease.
• Mistaken for Spies: By Holley and Finn, partially as a result of his fanciful storytelling. Mainly done because their true contact slipped the information on him, and due to his profession he knew the reconnection phrase.
• Moment Killer: Towards the end of the first film, he shows up in the Dinoco helicopter at the Wheel Well just as Lightning and Sally were about to share their first kiss, and Lightning points it out seconds later.
• Multiple-Choice Past: The "Tall Tales" series presents numerous potential backstories of Mater's life before the events of the movies. Among other things, he's been a firetruck, surgeon, daredevil, matador, street racer, monster truck wrestler, metal singer, astronaut, detective, and pilot, and has both befriended a UFO and travelled through time by driving backwards. It's left vague on which of these, if any, are true (given Mater's nature as an Unreliable Narrator and Lightning being present for all of them but not remembering it), but it's jokingly implied that all of them somehow happened after all.
• Nice Guy: Very kind-hearted, cheerful, and an incredibly loyal friend to a fault.
• No Social Skills: Mater is socially awkward and socially inept. He has a hard time communicating his thoughts and feelings to others and doesn't know what topics to talk about in front of other people. He has a hard time with others' opinions, too, either not understanding them or thinking that if they don't like his friend McQueen they must be bad people. He sometimes says inappropriate things at the wrong times and unintentionally embarrasses his friends in public places when talking to new people.
• Odd Friendship: With Lightning. Mater's a rusty, humble tow-truck with a goofy, cheerful personality while Lightning's an ultra-sleek, pampered racecar who was initially disgusted by rusty cars.
• Only Friend: The only resident of Radiator Springs who immediately befriended Lightning after he gets lost there.
• Out of Focus: In Cars 3, he stays out of the main plot and only exists to provide comic relief or give Lightning advice.
• Plucky Comic Relief: In the first and third movies, Mater provides a lot of the movie's humor with his goofy personality. Cars 2 downplays it by making him The Protagonist, but even then most of the movie's jokes still come from him.
• The Pollyanna: Usually has an optimistic and positive attitude.
• Prone to Tears: He gets very upset over every little thing, which is first seen from the first trailer of the first film. He's a very sensitive person and there were signs that he got upset in the first film but he showed more emotions in the second film.
• Red Eyes, Take Warning: Has these briefly as part of his vampire disguise in Cars 2.
• Secretly Wealthy: Or at least from a wealthy background. On the Road reveals that he grew up in a mansion with his sister, but it's never stated why he chooses to work in a desert town living in a shack.
• Small Role, Big Impact: In Cars 3, he only appears in a few scenes and doesn't contribute much to the plot. However, he inadvertently gives Lightning the idea to go back to Thomasville to learn tricks from Doc's mentors, which in turn allows Cruz to learn the flip that lets her beat Jackson Storm in the climax.
• Southern-Fried Genius: Mater knows everything about engines and engine parts, but in an idiot savant kind of way.
• Spotlight-Stealing Squad: In the sequel, where he's crucial to the plot and even gets top billing.
• Sweet Home Alabama: Has the appearance of a hillbilly dead-on, even having a crazy Southern drawl to match.
• Took a Level in Badass: As the protagonist of the sequel, he has done this. While still being the way he is, he used whatever intelligence he has left to figure that Axelrod was the Lemon Kingpin. He also used some karate of all things on some of the Lemons and Ivan.
• Ugly Guy, Hot Wife: While it's ambiguous at best whether they're already married or not yet, his strong relationship with Holley definitely takes this dynamic; a rusting tow truck and a sleek, shiny sports car.
• Unreliable Narrator: Of his own "Tall Tales" series. Given how he adds McQueen in them it justified, but his tales are true.
• Vitriolic Best Buds: With Lightning.
• Weaponized Car: Is outfitted with various gadgets like machine guns, holographic disguises, rocket boosters and a parachute during his time as a spy in Cars 2. He loses most of the gadgets by the end of the movie, but gets to keep the boosters as a reward for foiling Axelrod's plan.
• Why Am I Ticking?: The Lemons plant a time bomb in his air filter as a backup plan to kill Lightning.

Doc Hudson/Fabulous Hudson Hornet

"You've got a lot of stuff, kid."

Voiced by: Paul Newman (Film), Corey Burton (Video Games)

Dubbed by: Bernard-Pierre Donnadieu (European French), Pedro Armendáriz Jr. (Latin Spanish, in Cars and Mater and the Ghostlight), Héctor Lama Yazbek (Latin Spanish, in Cars 3

Basis: 1951 Hudson Hornet

A 1951 Hudson Hornet, Doc Hudson is Radiator Springs' medical doctor and judge. He sentences Lightning to fix the town's road after destroying it. He hides his past from his friends, which Lightning accidentally discovers, which Doc does not like one bit.

---

• The Atoner: After having ratted McQueen out to the press and alienating all of his neighbors who were enjoying his rejuvenation of the city, Doc decides to repair the damage he caused by becoming his pit crew chief at the tiebreaker race.
• Big Good: The closest thing the series has to one, even after his death.
• Blue Is Heroic: He is navy blue with chrome accents.
• Bus Crash: He's mentioned in the second film to have died sometime after the first due to Paul Newman's death.
• Cool Old Guy: Despite being cold towards Lightning, he's actually a cool judge, doctor and former racing champion and helps Lightning during the climax in the first film.
• Dark and Troubled Past: Back in 1954, he crashed in the middle of a race and everyone worried about his future. After being repaired, he was replaced by a rookie and lost his career for good.
• Deadpan Snarker: He can be quite dry, especially towards Lightning.
  • After the former crashes into the cacti, Doc wastes no time on poking at Lightning's ego.
    Doc: Hey, was that floatin' like a Cadillac, or was that stingin' like a Beamer? I'm confused. You drive lika ya fix roads: lousy!
  • When he reveals himself as Lightning's pit crew chief in the Los Angeles race, he also drops this gem.
    Lightning: I thought you said you'd never come back!
    Doc: Well, I didn't really have a choice. Mater didn't get to say "good-bye".
• The Defroster: Along with Mater and Sally, Doc serves as this to McQueen, as he's responsible for making him have his Heel Realization.
• Defrosting Ice King: He initially starts the movie off cold and distant towards McQueen - with it being implied that he sees the rookie as an unpleasant reminder of his racing past - but as the movie goes on and Lightning discovers Doc's past as a racer, Doc eventually learns to open up towards him and re-embrace his love for racing. By the end credits, Doc has happily accepted Lightning as a student, and it's mentioned in the third movie that he was at his happiest when he was training Lightning.
• Deuteragonist: While Lightning gets the bulk of the Character Development, the first film also focuses on Doc coming to terms with his past and regaining his love for racing.
• Did Not Get the Girl: He rejected Louise Nash, who was madly in love with him, because he ironically didn't have a thing for fast women.
• Fake Shemp: Paul Newman died in 2008. His unused voice recordings from the first film were pieced together to provide the character's lines in the third one.
• For Your Own Good: How he justifies selling out Lightning to the Piston Cup officials. Sally, Mater, and the rest of the town don't take it well.
• Four-Temperament Ensemble: Melancholic and choleric.
• Freudian Excuse: His career-ending crash in 1954 was the main reason why he disliked the auto circuit, since his sponsors quit on him after he was repaired following his crash. He later returned to the circuit when he became Lightning's crew chief during the tiebreaker race in Los Angeles.
• Good is Not Nice: The series' Big Good, a Reasonable Authority Figure within Radiator Springs, and initially highly scathing towards Lightning. He knocks the rookie off of his pedestal and teaches him a lesson in humility, even after the latter starts to wind down. Though Doc himself mellows down after appearing as Lightning's pit crew chief in the Los Angeles' 200's.
• Grail in the Garbage: He uses his Piston Cup trophies to hold his tools in his garage/clinic.
• Hanging Judge: Played for Laughs during his introductory speech, it being so scary it causes Lightning to gulp.
  "All right! I wanna know who's responsible for wrecking my town, Sheriff. I wanna his hood on a platter! I'm gonna put him in jail till he rots! No, check that. I'm gonna put him in jail 'till the jail rots on top of him, and then I'm gonna move him to a new jail and let that jail rot."
• Hypocrite: He asks Lightning, after he finds out that Doc Hudson used to race, if he ever thought about anyone except himself. Lightning responds by accusing Hudson of doing the same thing, since he told no one in Radiator Springs about his racing past.
• I Coulda Been a Contender!: Sort of. Doc did have a very successful career, holding the record for most wins in a single season and winning three consecutive Piston Cup championships. But after his wreck in '54, instead of returning to a hero's welcome he was labeled finished and replaced with the next rookie in line.
• Icy Blue Eyes: Representing his tough, former racing nature, and the fact he starts off cold at first. This contrasts with Lightning who has the "innocent" variant (though he has the "icy" variant prior to his Character Development).
• Ink-Suit Actor: Believe it or not, his features were inspired by his voice actor's face, and his racing career was inspired by Newman’s love for motorsports. It's hard to explain it, but dammit, Doc somehow looks exactly like Paul Newman despite being a car.
• I Hate Past Me: The main reason he's so hostile toward Lightning at first is because he sees much of himself in the younger racer, much to his chagrin.
• It's All About Me: Sally accuses him of this when he alerts the Piston Cup officials to pick up Lightning.
• Jerk with a Heart of Gold: Comes off as quite bitter towards McQueen at first, but helps support him during his race.
• Like a Son to Me: The third film shows that he comes to view Lightning like the son he never had the chance to have in their time training and bonding.
• Living Legend: Even after disappearing from the race scene after his nasty accident and the following mistreatment from his sponsors, everyone in racing remembers his achievements and considers him a legend. When he makes his public reappearance at the final race, everyone goes into a frenzy when they realize who he is. During the credits, The King is seen telling the other racers how Doc was his inspiration for racing just as he had been for them.
• The Medic: He isn't called "Doc" for nothing; his establishment treats cars whenever they need a checkup. After Sheriff starts backfiring a gasket during the start of the movie, he is seen being checked by Doc during the main plot.
• Parental Substitute: Doc acted as a paternal figure to Lightning.
• Posthumous Character: Becomes this in the third movie. He's been long-established as having passed away, but his memory is largely what drives and inspires Lightning at that point. His past and the effect Lightning had on him in his later years also becomes even more of a focal point in the course of the movie.
• Reasonable Authority Figure: Even though Doc Hudson prefers not to discuss his racing past, he alerts the media to Lightning's whereabouts after he leaves town, not wanting to be hounded by the paparazzi, and he even shows up at the Piston Cup race in his old racing colors as the head of Lightning McQueen's pit crew to lend his support.
• Retired Badass: He was forced to retire from racing for good following his crash in '54, but still has the skills within to help Lightning.
• Riches to Rags: Originally a Piston Cup racing star, he was forced to retire after being repaired and replaced with a rookie, and now works as the town doctor of Radiator Springs.
• Small Name, Big Ego: According to his old racing friends, he was calling himself the Fabulous Hudson Hornet even when he was just starting off. He then proceeded back in the day, to earn every right to that ego.
• Stern Old Judge: Apart from being The Medic, he's also Radiator Springs' judge. Judging from his introductory speech, he seems to be a Hanging Judge, but later tones it down after the citizens agree to Lightning being liable to fix the town.
• Took a Level in Cheerfulness: Its clearly shown at the end credits of Cars 1 that he becomes increasingly joyful in teaching Lightning. In Cars 3, its all but stated that he treasured every moment in coaching Lightning, including how he treated the young racer as his biggest achievement.
  Smokey: I'd never seen the old grump so happy.
• Trickster Mentor: A version of this for Lightning towards his racing career.

Sally Carrera

"Don't fear failure. Be afraid of not having the chance, you have the chance!"

Voiced by: Bonnie Hunt

Dubbed by: Kate del Castillo (Latin Spanish, in Cars and Mater and the Ghostlight), Rosalba Sotelo (Latin Spanish, since Cars 2)

Basis: 2002 996-series Porsche 911 Carrera

A Porsche 911 Carrera, Sally is an Los Angeles attorney who grew tired of her life in the big city and ended up in Radiator Springs. She becomes the town attorney and runs the Cozy Cone Motel. She longs to see the town restored to its former glory, and becomes Lightning's girlfriend.

---

• Almost Kiss: She and Lightning in the first film before Mater interrupts.
• All There in the Script: Her last name "Carrera" is not stated in the animation so far.
• Chuck Cunningham Syndrome: In the games. For one reason or another —speculated to be usage issues with the real-life Porsche company— many of the game adaptations omit her from the cast without a mention, disappearing after the first game in 2006 until she came back in Driven to Win, 11 years later.
• Deadpan Snarker: She has her sassy and sarcastic moments, particularly towards a pre-Character Development Lightning in the first movie.
  Lightning: It's like a clever little twist; the motel's made out of caution cones, which, of course, cars usually try to avoid. But now we're gonna stay in one. (chuckles) That's funny.
  Sally: (unimpressed) Figure that all out on your own, did you?
• The Defroster: Along with Mater and Doc, she is the one who first makes McQueen start to become nicer.
• Demoted to Satellite Love Interest: After the first movie, her role in the franchise is little more than "Lightning's girlfriend". You wouldn't even know she's an attorney and motel owner if you only saw the second and third movies.
• Embarrassing Tattoo: She has a pinstripe tramp stamp under her spoiler. She's extremely embarrassed when Lightning points it out.
• Four-Temperament Ensemble: Phlegmatic.
• Hello, Attorney!: Lightning is immediately smitten when he sees her.
  Lightning: (to himself) Holy Porsche! She's gotta be from my attorney's office!
• Informed Attractiveness: Lightning falls in love with her and keeps going on about how hot he thinks she is, even though she's just a car with eyes.
• Innocent Blue Eyes: Has light teal eyes which represent her adoration towards the town, and for being the first one who deeply cared about Lightning.
• Nice Girl: Sally is nice, friendly, pleasant, and kind to others.
• The Nicknamer: She calls Lightning "Stickers", referring to the various decals on his body. A few times throughout Cars 3, she accidentally calls him "Stinky" due to his grey undercoat, only to correct herself.
• Official Couple: With Lightning.
• Precision F-Strike: "Even in hillbilly hell, we have standards."
• Reasonable Authority Figure: She is this to the town, believing that after Lightning's arrival, fixing the road will bring customers back. This is played even further in the climax of Cars 3 — Lightning discovers that since he started the Florida 500 and Cruz finished under his number, they both share the victory and Lightning wins the bet against Sterling. Sally proves this word-per-word following this reveal.
• True Blue Femininity: She is light blue, representing her feminine nature.
• Tsundere: The Sweet kind. She's friendly towards others except Lightning at the start of the movie, even snarking at him, but warms up to him after he starts to grow nicer and does a better job at fixing the road, culminating in them becoming an Official Couple.
• You Have GOT to Be Kidding Me!: Her first impression of Lightning is him flirting with her. The only response she can offer is rolling her eyes and convincing Doc to assign Lighting to fixing the road he destroyed.

Fillmore

"I'm telling you, man. Every third blink is slower."

Voiced by: George Carlin (Cars), Scott Wood (Cars: Mater-National Championship), Lloyd Sherr (Cars 2 onward)

Dubbed by: Eduardo Tejedo (Latin Spanish)

Basis: 1960 VW Bus

A Volkswagen Microbus, a New-Age Retro Hippie who sells organic fuel. Has a fiery friendship with Sarge.

---

• Actual Pacifist: Goes with his hippie nature. More specifically, he, along with Sally, were the only ones not to participate in the Radiator Springs vs. Lemon Gangs in London.
• Conspiracy Theorist: As fits his New-Age Retro Hippie motif, he's deeply distrustful of the government and of big corporations.
• Dreary Half-Lidded Eyes: He has the top of his windshield covered to invoke half-closed eyes. These go with his New-Age Retro Hippie nature and role as The Stoner.
• G-Rated Stoner: Never outright stated, of course, but his overall attitude, spacey nature and tendency to get deeply fascinated about things like traffic light patterns leave very little doubt that he's probably on something.
  Fillmore: [staring at the aforementioned blinking stoplight] I'm tellin' you, man, every third blink is slower...
  Sarge: ...The '60s weren't good to you, were they?
• New-Age Retro Hippie: Shaped like the hippies' signature vehicle, sells organic food and speaks with a calm duuude voice.
• Small Role, Big Impact: He and Sarge are pretty minor characters in Cars 2, but it's Fillmore's organic fuel, as replaced for Lightning's Allinol by Sarge, that saves Lightning's life in the finale.
• Symbol Motif Clothing: Has 60s graphics painted all over.
• Verbal Tic: He often ends sentences with "man", man.
• Vitriolic Best Buds: With Sarge.

Sarge

"A-TEN-SHUN! Kiss the pavement goodbye, gentlemen! When I'm finished with you, you'll have mud in places you didn't know you had!"

Voiced by: Paul Dooley

Dubbed by: Polo Ortín (Latin Spanish; in the first two films and Cars Toons: Mater's Tall Tales), Héctor Lee (since Cars 3)

Basis: 1941 Willys model jeep

A 1941 Willys MB Jeep, Sarge is Fillmore's best friend and neighbour. He runs a surplus store.

---

• All There in the Manual: Promotional material reveals that he is a veteran of World War II, and received honors for towing a de-tracked tank to safety during the Battle of the Bulge.
• The Cavalry: He calls in a regiment of the British Army to arrest the Lemons in London through a friendship he has with someone's father in the army.
• Dark Is Not Evil: Though painted a dark olive, he's not really that bad, just rather strict.
• Drill Sergeant Nasty: Sarge does this during the end credits montage when running a boot camp for pampered SUVs.
  "A-TEN-SHUN! Kiss the pavement goodbye, gentlemen! When I'm finished with you, you'll have mud in places you didn't know you had!"
  "Yo, I never been off road!"
  • Funnier considering that the complaining SUV is a Hummer -- an off-road gas-guzzler known for being more commonly used for suburban driving.
• Meaningful Name: He's a jeep with an olive drab paint job who acts and sounds like a drill sergeant. He also plays "Reveille" every morning, which is almost drowned out by Fillmore's music.
• No Indoor Voice: Often speaks like this.
• Properly Paranoid: He greatly distrusts Axlerod and switched out Lightning's Allinol with Fillmore's organic fuel. This is what actually saves Lightning from being killed later on.
• Small Role, Big Impact: In Cars 2, he and Fillmore have pretty small roles overall, but Sarge switching out Lightning's Allinol for Fillmore's organic fuel is what saves Lightning's life in the finale.
• Symbol Motif Clothing: The military star on his hood along with the icon of his Surplus Hut on his doors, which were standard ID markings for vehicles back in WW2.
• Vitriolic Best Buds: With Fillmore.

Luigi and Guido

"Luigi know what you want."
"Peet stop!"

Voiced by: Tony Shalhoub (Luigi) & Guido Quaroni (Guido)

Dubbed by: Salvador Nájar, Arturo Mercado Jr. (Luigi; Latin-American Spanish, in the first two films; since ''Cars Toons: Mater's Tall Tales) & Raúl Aldana (Guido; Latin Spanish)

Basis: 1959 Fiat 500 (Luigi) & Custom Isetta forklift (Guido)

An Italian Fiat 500 and Isetta-based forklift. Guido and Luigi run Luigi's Casa Dell Tires, which has a replica of the Leaning Tower of Pisa made from tires. Luigi is a big fan of race cars, particularly Ferraris. Guido only speaks in Italian, and can change tires in seconds, wanting to perform a pit stop on Lightning during his time in town.

---

• Ascended Extra: Secondary characters throughout the movies, but in Cars 3, they get a more prominent role as the only Radiator Springs citizens who accompany McQueen on his journey.
• Ascended Fanboy: In-universe. Guido dreams of performing a pit stop on a famous racecar. Come the climax of the first movie, he gets to become part of Lightning's pit crew and perform a pit stop on Lightning himself.
• Bilingual Bonus: Pretty much everything Guido says, seeing as how he can only speak Italian.
• Bilingual Dialogue: Guido speaks Italian exclusively, but seems to understand English just fine.
• Bunny-Ears Lawyer: Guido is pretty silly, but his tire changing skills are something to behold.
• Chaste Toons: Luigi's Mama Topolino and Uncle Topolino, who are introduced in the second film.
• Cultural Translation: For the Italian dub, Guido doesn't speak standard Italian, but rather the distinctive local dialect of Ferrari's home city of Modena. His Italian voice was race driver and future Paralympic handcyclist Alex Zanardi, a native of Bologna (a city not far from Modena that has a similar dialect).
• Does Not Speak Common: Guido's dialogue is almost entirely in Italian, seemingly by personal preference, as even Luigi speaks to him in English.
• Fan Boy: Luigi's a hard core Tifosi and Michael Schumacher supporter. He gets to meet Schumacher and gush all over him at the end of the film.
• Flipping the Bird: One could make a heck of a case that Guido did this during the first film's final race. Chick Hicks' pit crew goes about making fun of Guido for being little, and not knowing how to do his job. Guido of course didn't appreciate the bullying one bit, and yells back at them while sticking up one of his forklift arms at them in such a way that if Guido was human, it would look like he's giving them the middle finger.
• Keet: Guido especially, but both of them count.
• Gratuitous Italian: Both of them, but Guido exclusively speaks in Italian.
• Meaningful Name: While also a legitimate name, "Guido" is Italian for "I drive".
• Mr Fix It: Guido. A very fast one too, much to the Chick's forklifts' amusement.
• One-Man Army: Guido is capable of performing pit work better than an entire crew, even when he is alone.
• Third-Person Person: "Luigi know what you want."
• Those Two Guys: Luigi and Guido are the Italian mechanic version.

Flo

"How 'bout somethin' to drink? Stop at Flo's V8 Cafe: finest fuel on Route 66!"

Voiced by: Jenifer Lewis

Dubbed by: Roxana Castellanos (Latin Spanish; in Cars), Simone Brook (Latin Spanish; since Cars 2)

Basis: 1957 Motorama show car

Flo is the wife of Ramone, and is manager of Flo's V-8 Cafe gas diner. Her design is a stock 1950s show car.

---

• All There in the Manual: A deleted scene revealed Flo was a Motorama showcar, and came to Radiator Springs during a tour, falling in love with Ramone after he refused to alter her chassis out of admiration.
• Happily Married: To Ramone.
• Sassy Black Woman: She may be a car, but she shows a lot of sassy behavior, is voice-acted by a black woman, and has similar mannerisms to characters that embody the trope.

Ramone

"But you do need a paint job, man! Ramone will paint you up right."

Voiced by: Cheech Marin

Basis: 1959 Chevrolet Impala Lowrider

Radiator Springs' body artist and husband to Flo, Ramone is a 1959 Chevrolet Impala. He is very proud of his art deco, usually altering his paint job in every new scene.

---

• Gratuitous Spanish: He spouts a few Spanish lines in the movie, particularly using a Mexican dialect.
• The Fashionista: A male example. He owns a paint shop, and the paint that is applied to him has in every other appearance in the movies, he has a Running Gag of having a fresh coat, especially for special purposes, such as the London race in Cars 2, when he has the Union Jack colors applied to him. He’s even given Lightning a fresh coat of paint in all 3 films!
• Happily Married: To Flo.
• Hot Paint Job: He's fond of giving these, as well as usually sporting one himself.
• Iconic Outfit: He has a different paint job in every scene he's in, but the purple paint job with orange flames that he wears early on in the movie is the most iconic one. In most of his playable appearances (even those that feature other paint jobs to choose from), the purple one's his default look.
• Origins Episode: The deleted scene "Motorama Girls" explains how he first met Flo and fell in love with her.
• Passing the Torch: After Doc's death, he appears to have taken over repairing broken cars and healing them.
• Pimped-Out Car: Aside from his numerous paint jobs, he possesses impressive hydraulics as well.
• South of the Border: Heavily implied to come from Mexico, given he sometimes peppers his dialogue with Gratuitous Spanish. The Latin American Spanish dub takes it and runs with it further.
  (when Lightning turns on his engine during the Willy's Butte race) "Hijole! Check that out!"
• Third-Person Person: Often speaks like this.
• Unlimited Wardrobe: Ramone's got a different paint job in almost every other scene.

Red

"Oh, he's still a little bit shy, and he hates you for killin' his flowers."

Voiced by: Joe Ranft (Cars)

Basis: 1960s style fire truck

A gentle fire truck. He is not one for words, is quite shy, and very fond of the plants in Radiator Springs.

---

• A Day in the Limelight: Gets a Tales from Radiator Springs short to himself titled "Bugged".
• Four-Temperament Ensemble: Melancholic.
• Gentle Giant: He's the largest vehicle, but he also has the biggest heart.
• Meaningful Name: Red is a red fire truck.
• Mundane Utility: While his fire hose is useful for putting out fires, most of the time he's seen using it to water his flowers. He's also notably used it to wash cactus pieces off of Lightning and to clean the Leaning Tower of Tires in front of Luigi and Guido's shop.
• Prone to Tears: He is a very sensitive truck who is shown to break down into tears when Lightning insults Radiator Springs. He also cries whenever Lightning leaves the town in all three films.
• The Quiet One: The only sounds he makes are small gasps and crying noises. He never speaks onscreen due to his shyness, but after the death of his actor he becomes The Voiceless in the sequel.
• Shrinking Violet: He's very shy when it comes to meeting new cars. In fact, he hid from Lightning during an attempt at a conversation.

Sheriff

"Boy, you're in a heap of trouble."

Voiced by: Michael Wallis

Basis: 1949 Mercury Club Coupe

Sheriff of Radiator Springs, a 1949 Mercury Eight police car.

---

• Berserk Button: Speeding in Radiator Springs, as Lightning McQueen and the Delinquent Road Hazards learned the hard way.
  Sheriff: Not in my town you don't!
• By-the-Book Cop
• Dark Is Not Evil: He's generally black and white, but he's not really mean, just rather strict.
• Four-Temperament Ensemble: Choleric.
• Defrosting Ice King: Much like Doc, Sheriff isn't too fond of Lightning after he unceremoniously tears up the town road. However, after Lightning's change of heart and fixing the road, Sheriff offers to escort Lightning back to the stadium.
• Generation Xerox: According to a guidebook on the blu-ray version, his entire family were cops.
• His Name Really Is "Barkeep": His name is his literal occupation.
• Ink-Suit Actor: He looks like a car-ified version of his voice actor dead-on, especially the mustache-esque grille.
• Jerk with a Heart of Gold: Gruff and strict attitude aside, Sheriff does in fact care about Radiator Springs and warms up to Lightning in the end.
• No Indoor Voice: Hence being the police officer, he has his moments.
• The Sheriff: Sheriff of Radiator Springs.
• Sweet Home Alabama: Speaks with a faint Dixieland accent, suggesting he came from the south.

Lizzie

"You keep talkin' to yourself, people'll think you crazy."

Voiced by: Katherine Helmond

Basis: 1923 Ford Model T

An elderly 1923 Ford Model T coupe, Lizzie is the widow of the town's founder Stanley. She runs Radiator Springs Curio, which sells car souveneirs and accessories.

---

• Abhorrent Admirer: To Lightning.
• Cloudcuckoolander: A bit of one, presumably due to age. Refers to the television as the radio and after mentioning Big Al in the courtroom, Ramone points out he left town years ago, to which Lizzie asks Ramone why he brought him up.
• Dark Is Not Evil: She's black, but really friendly and humorous.
• Dirty Old Woman: Lizzie is an old Model T who delights in very bad comedy and slapping stickers onto the rears of male cars. At one point in the first movie, she calls Lightning sexy.
• Meaningful Name: Her name comes from the term "Tin Lizzie" which is a nickname for the Ford Model T.
• Senior Sleep-Cycle: Will often be scene napping outside her shop.

Stanley Steamer

The late founder of Radiator Springs and husband to Lizzie. A statue of him stands outside the town's firehouse.

---

• Ascended Extra: Takes on a notable role in the short Time Travel Mater, which shows how he ultimately came to found Radiator Springs.
• Happily Married: To Lizzie. Before he died, at least.
• Jump Scare: One of the many things when Lightning wrecks havoc in Radiator Springs, is that Stanley's statue rockets up and lands in front of the scene from Lightning's first person perspective complete with a Scare Chord.
• Our Founder: For Radiator Springs.
• Posthumous Character: Is deceased by the time the first movie takes place.
• Species Surname: And species first name. Stanley Steamer was a car company, and he likely was one.

Piston Cup racers and authority

Mack

"They did give you your big break. Besides, it's in your contract."

Voiced by: John Ratzenberger

Basis: 1985 Mack Super-Liner

A Mack Superliner truck who is Lightning's transport and the closest thing he has to a friend.

---

• Clothing Appendage: The top of his cabin resembles a cap.
• A Dog Named "Dog": A Mack truck named Mack.
• Gentle Giant: A gigantic red semi-truck and also a Nice Guy.
• Nice Guy: Nothing but kind and supportive to everyone, even a pre-Character Development Lightning.
• The Nicknamer: Sometimes he calls Lightning "boss".
• Only Friend: Was this to Lightning prior to his redemption.
• Paper-Thin Disguise: While at the Thunder Hollow Crazy 8, he disguised himself as a delivery truck for "Jocko Flocko's Party Supplies" to hide his identity.
• Vitriolic Best Buds: With Lightning.

Harv

Voiced by: Jeremy Piven (US) and Jeremy Clarkson (UK)

Lightning's agent who is only heard over the phone. America assumes that Harv is a 1996 Oldsmobile, while Clarkson believes that he is a 1979 Ford Granada Ghia.

---

• Casting Gag: This isn't Jeremy Piven's first time playing a hot shot agent.
• Chuck Cunningham Syndrome: Never shows up again after the first movie, not even in supplementary material.
• Informed Attribute: Billed as the World's Greatest Agent, yet he hasn't the time to care for Lightning McQueen. Could be justified due to being Married to the Job.
• Large Ham: Jeremy Clarkson in the UK version plays up Harv as one. You can clearly tell that he's channelling his famously boisterous and egotistical Top Gear self in the role.
• Married to the Job: Despite being Lightning's agent, he has virtually no time for his client.
• Mean Boss: Harv threatened to fire Mack if he didn't get Lightning back in his trailer, and when Lightning is finally found, Harv is more overjoyed with the publicity than actually getting his racer back.
• Small Role, Big Impact: He's only in two scenes, but both are important to Lightning's story: the first shows how lonely Lightning truly is, while the second is when Lightning's forced to return for the race.
• The Voice: He is only heard over Lightning's phone.

Strip "The King" Weathers

"This ain't a one-man deal, kid. You need to wise-up and get yourself a good crew chief and a good team. And you ain't gonna win unless you got good folks behind you, and you let them do their job, like they should."

Voiced by: Richard Petty

Dubbed by:

Niki Lauda (German in the first film)

Basis: 1970 Plymouth Superbird

A 1969 Plymouth Superbird, Strip Weathers, better known as "The King", is the golden boy of Dinoco. He is participating in his last championship before retiring.

---

• Back for the Finale: He shows up again at the very end of Cars 3.
• Blue Is Heroic: He is painted Petty blue, and the nicest of the three leaders.
• Brutal Honesty: He's a nice guy, but he also bluntly tells Lightning that he's being stupid by not valuing his pit crews and arrogantly believing he doesn’t need anyone’s help.
• Color-Coded Characters: Sky blue with hints of white and orange.
• Cool Old Guy: Not as old as Doc Hudson, but he has been in the race scene for some time and is about to retire, and gives some advice to the aspiring champion Lightning not to be so greedy and listen to his team.
• Doomed Moral Victor: Although he doesn't die, he becomes severely injured by a crash caused by Chick Hicks during the final lap of the tie-breaker race.
• Friendly Rivalry: He's on much better terms with Lightning compared to Chick.
• History Repeats: His crash at the end mirrors Doc's crash. However, unlike Doc, he had someone — Lightning — to help him finish his last race.
• Ink-Suit Actor: He is Richard Petty's 1970 Plymouth Superbird anthromorphized.
• Mentor Occupational Hazard: Downplayed; he doesn't die, but he suffers a pretty serious crash at the end courtesy of Chick Hicks.
• Nice Guy: The King always plays fair and is very respectful towards his fellow competitors. He calls Lightning stupid at one point, but only to make him understand how important his crew is.
• The Paragon: In the racing scene, he not only dominates as a legendary figure but also sets himself as a role model for other racers to follow, such as winning fairly and lecturing Lightning on his crew's dismissal.
• Red Oni, Blue Oni: In the first movie, he plays the calm, experienced blue oni to Lightning's energetic, hot-tempered red oni. This is reflected in their color schemes.
• Retired Badass: He retired after the first film, but still has a lot left in him, such as when he acted as crew chief for his nephew Cal.
• Spell My Name with a "The": Lightning addresses him as "Mr. The King" upon their encounter before the race results are revealed.
• Sweet Home Alabama: Speaks with Petty's North Carolina drawl, something shared among his family members.
• Token Good Teammate: Out of the three cars that were tied for the season (the other two being pre-character development Lightning and Chick), The King was the only one who showed respect and wasn't a selfish or a dirty racer. However, by the end, Lightning is a nice guy, too.

Chick Hicks

"Hey, McQueen, that must be really embarrassing. But I wouldn't worry about it. Because I didn't do it! Hahaha!"

Voiced by: Michael Keaton (first film); Bob Peterson (third film)

Basis: 1986 Buick Regal Stock Car

Lightning's obnoxious rival who is Always Second Best to the King. He is a green 1986 Buick Regal racing car.

---

• Abusive Parents: The comic Rally Race shows that before he became a racer, Chick had an overbearing father who would chastise him for helping other cars in need and was also the cause for Chick becoming as obnoxious as he is.
• Always Second Best: Was this to The King. And when Lightning breaks onto the scene, he slips into Always Third Best.
• Appropriated Appellation: His nickname of "Thunder" comes from him always placing after Lightning McQueen. After his surge in popularity after McQueen's disappearance however, he takes the nickname and runs with it.
• Arch-Enemy: The Cars franchise has a lot of villains and rivals, but Chick is Lightning's most common and recurring foe. Their rivalry started all the way back before the events of the first movie, and the two have nothing but mutual distain for each other as they repeatedly compete to see who's the better racer.
• The Bad Guy Wins: Played with. While he technically does win the race and Piston Cup by ramming into the King and knocking him off the track, damaging him badly (in a very similar fashion to what happened with Doc years ago), he receives absolutely no praise or cheering after his victory, but rather a series of boos, his own merchandise being pelted at him, and likely a permanently ruined reputation as a racecar.
• Big Bad: The closest thing to a main villain the series has:
  • The main antagonist of the first film. He competes with The King and Lightning to be Dinoco's new face, and in the last race he pushes The King off the tracks, causing a devastating accident similar to Doc Hudson's.
  • He returns as the main villain of the tie-in game, where he's once again trying to get in the way of Lightning's attempt to win the Piston Cup. He spends most of the early story as a stadium-exclusive opponent, but jumps up to become the main villain once more upon the revelation that he paid off the Delinquent Road Hazards to harass Mack and steal Lightning's gear.
  • He's also the main villain of Cars Race-O-Rama, where he's trying to prove the Chick Hicks Racing Academy is better than Doc's own and is willing to cheat in any way possible to do so, hiring Candice, Stinger and El Machismo to beat Lightning.
  • In the Cars playset for Disney Infinity, Chick is the main antagonist. He comes to Radiator Springs to finally get a rematch against McQueen, and repeatedly causes trouble until someone can beat him in a race.
  • In Lightning McQueen's Racing Academy, he hacks into Lightning's training simulation midway through the show and challenges him to a race, during which he cheats by repeatedly messing with Lightning's controls and stats.
• Borrowed Catchphrase: "Ka-chicka! Ka-chicka!"
  Lightning: Hey, that's ''MY bit!!''
• The Bus Came Back: He was completely absent after being robbed of his victory in the tie-breaker race until Cars 3, where it's revealed that he hosts a racing talk show.
• Color-Coded Characters: Shocking green with hints of white and neon yellow.
• Classic Villain: He's practically envy and pride incarnate.
• A Day in the Limelight: He gets one in the Boom!Studios comics, as the "Rally Race" series gives him the most focus out of the racers.
• Deadpan Snarker: He is very snide towards Lightning.
  Chick: (after Lightning rushes out thinking he won the race) Hey, McQueen, that must be really embarrassing. But I wouldn't worry about it. Because I didn't do it! Hahaha!
• Depending on the Artist: Whether Chick has his thunderbolt sticker varies depending on the media: he wears it in the PSP version of the first game, the game based on Cars 2, Cars 3 and Cars 3: Driven to Win, but he doesn't wear it in the console or DS versions of the first game, Cars Race-O-Rama or Cars: Fast as Lightning.
• Dude, Where's My Reward?: Subverted: Even though he wins the Piston Cup, it isn't accompanied by a cheering crowd; instead the audience decides to boo him instead for shoving The King off the track and displaying poor sportsmanship.
• Establishing Character Moment: His first appearance in the movie has him casually sideswipe another racer off the track, causing them to spin out and setting up how he's willing to cheat and hurt others if it means winning.
• Evil Cannot Comprehend Good: He is actually confused why everyone starts booing him after he wins the Piston Cup, seemingly unaware that sabotaging a beloved racer on his final race just because he didn't want to come in behind him again is not something people would look up to or respect.
• Evil Counterpart: To Lightning McQueen. Both are portrayed as mean and arrogant racecars who cared about nothing but themselves and made fun of other cars. However, Chick goes against the racing code and actually hurts others on the racetrack, and stays that way while McQueen undergoes character development, hinting at what he could've ended up as if he hadn't ended up in Radiator Springs. At the end of the film, Chick ends up winning the final race but losing everyone else's respect for making Strip "The King" Weathers crash, while McQueen gains respect for helping Strip finish the race even when it leads to his own defeat. It's further reinforced given that he Used to Be a Sweet Kid who helped others, but the abuse of his loved ones turned him into a cruel Jerkass willing to do whatever it took to win, whereas McQueen ultimately improved as a person due to people being willing to push him to be better.
• Fatal Flaw: His ego. He thinks that winning the Piston Cup will make him the Dinoco sponsor off principle alone. He doesn't realize that Dinoco only offers the deal beause the prestige of the title is a good image for their company. He's so blinded by his own ambition and ego, it never occurs to him that sponsoring someone that resorts to dirty tactics to win will be a terrible image for their company and the principle of having a Piston Cup would just be a Medal of Dishonor on their company. As a result, Dinoco has no choice but to do what's in their best interest in the long run and revoke the offer immediately. Because Chick thinks that they were offering the sponsor for his sake, he's absolutely befuddled to why he lost.
• Freudian Excuse: Chick's unsympathetic demeanor, as seen in the "Rally Race" comic, stems from an abusive father who chastised him whenever he tried to help other cars. He would tell him that they're a family of winners who don't "coddle losers who'll bring them down" and drilled the mindset of "win at all costs" into him.
• The Friend Nobody Likes: In Cars 3, no one, be it his film crew or any guest being hosted, seems at all fond of Chick himself, they merely tolerate him for the sake of his show. Everyone still remembers what he did to earn that Piston Cup; Chick constantly trying to show it off as if it still held relevance doesn't help matters.
• Glory Days: Slightly touched upon in the third movie, he always has his Piston Cup trophy by his side during his show just to let the audience know he won it... despite being known to have done it through dirty means.
• Green and Mean: Green paint and the dirtiest racer of the Piston Cup.
• Green-Eyed Monster: Chick is deeply envious of The King for always beating him in races, and for his status as Dinoco's golden boy. Plus, he's green to boot.
• Hate Sink: Downplayed. He's an utterly egotistical jackass who's willing to cheat and harm anyone who gets in his way, causing a multi-car pileup solely to get ahead in the first race, and later causing The King to crash so badly he would have been unable to finish his final race had Lightning not sacrificed his victory to help him. To top it all off, even gaining his own talk show in Cars 3 has done nothing to humble him. However, he has a Freudian Excuse as to why he behaves so obnoxiously, this being an abusive dad who drilled his pragmatic mindset into his son at the expense of not helping other cars in need. Regardless, his eventual failure to get the Dinoco sponsorship remains all the more satisfying given his lack of empathy towards Lightning helping the King, made more apparent by how nobody in the public nor his production team approve of him.
• Hated by All: He becomes this in the end of the first movie, after attacking The King.
• Jacob Marley Warning: Basically he represents what Lightning would've become if he hadn't gone to Radiator Springs and humbled himself.
• Jerkass: Even more than Lightning was at first due to him being the Big Bad of the first film, albeit Chick seems to get along with his (equally asshole) racing crews better than Lightning gets along with his. He caused The King's wreck. By the third movie, he was somehow able to gain his own sports talk show where he does nothing but rip into Lightning for his continued losses against Storm.
• Karma Houdini Warranty: It's complicated, but ultimately seems to be the case. He causes tumult during the opening race by injuring the other racers though a mass pile-up, but gets away with it. He's not so lucky when he does the same to The King though, as despite winning the Piston Cup, his former fans turn on him and boo him off, causing him to quit racing permanently. However, by Cars 3, instead of being punished for what was essentially attempted murder, Chick instead became host of a popular television show that's watched by millions, which really leaves a sour taste in one's mouth; that said, it's clear that his career was still never the same again, having to give up racing before he likely got the show, the Piston Cup being the only other thing to his name, with his constant bragging about it being sure to remind his audience how he got it, and others like his cameraman just barely putting up with his behavior. Even Jackson Storm, McQueen's new nemesis, finds Chick's attitude to be a bit much.
• Laser-Guided Karma: While he does unfortunately win the Piston Cup, it's still easily quite satisfying when his former fans turn on him and throw his merchandise at him, expelling him from racing permanently.
• Laughably Evil:
  • A few of the scenes with him can be quite funny.
    "You know that was some pretty darn good moves out there... BY ME!"
    "I know that must have been really embarrassing, but I wouldn't worry about it... BECAUSE I DIDN'T DO IT!"
  • His "Ka-Chicka" catchphrase never gets old.
• Mean Boss:
  • Surprisingly downplayed compared to Lightning (considering they're still by his side for the tiebreaker race in California), but Chick still has moments of being rude to his own pit crew. During the opening race in the first movie, he harshly yells at them to hurry up when they take too long to change his tires and gas.
  • Played straight in Cars Race-O-Rama, where he actively teaches his students to cheat (and later has them turned into VINs when they fail him one too many times), and actively mocks and insults his "sidekicks" Candice, El Machismo, and Stinger, when they lose against McQueen. Before the final race, he openly admits to Lightning that he was only using Candice, El Machismo, Stinger and the VI Ns to learn the best way to beat him, causing the former three to pull a Heel–Face Turn.
• Meaningless Villain Victory: He wins the Piston Cup only because Lightning forfeited his own chance, stopping just short of the finish line to go back and help The King after Chick rammed him off the track. This, combined with his gloating, results in him being denied the opportunity to represent Dinoco and everyone hates him and boos him off the stage at the cup presentation after seeing what a selfish jerk he is, rendering his victory hollow and meaningless.
• No Such Thing as Bad Publicity: In-universe. Chick retired from racing following Cars, but Cars 3 shows that he channelled his newfound (or rather increased) notoriety as a TV show host and is surprisingly popular despite constantly reminding the audience of his ill-acquired Piston Cup.
• Obviously Evil: His sponser is called Hostile Takeover Bank, for crying out loud!
• Porn Stache: It's... Just look at it.
• Pyrrhic Victory: He wins the Piston Cup, but only because he caused The King to crash horribly and Lightning went back to help him. Chick doesn't get his Dinoco sponsor like he dreamed and is booed off the stage at the cup presentation.
• Replacement Pedestal: During Lightning McQueen's absence, Chick Hicks becomes more popular, taking away the former's fanbase. But after he deliberately crashes The King during the final race just to win, his entire fanbase as well as the press turn on him.
• Screw This, I'm Outta Here: He fled the stage when the audience jeered him at the cup presentation.
• Secondary Color Nemesis: A green racecar who happens to be Lightning's first major rival.
• Shadow Archetype: While McQueen also starts out as a mean, selfish and arrogant racecar, he eventually moves out of this thanks to Character Development. Chick represents what McQueen could have been had he continued down the path of arrogance.
• Shoddy Knockoff Product: Becomes this after Lightning vanishes, not only ripping off his trademark Lightning Bolt sticker with a Thunderbolt sticker but also copying McQueen's "Ka-chow!" Catchphrase with a much more forced "Ka-chicka!"
• Sell-Out: Implied. Compared to both Lightning and The King, who only have a handful of sponsor stickers each, Chick is absolutely covered with stickers from just about every sponsor under the sun. Unlike Lightning, who eventually grows to stay loyal to Rust-eze and turns down an offer to join Dinoco, Chick never outgrows his desire to join Dinoco at the expense of his original sponsor (Hostile Takeover Bank).
• Smug Snake: He’s a smug Troll who enjoys mocking his fellow racers.
• Sore Loser: In the beginning of the first movie, footage is shown of Chick losing races and judging by his lips, swearing.
• Token Evil Teammate: Out of the three racers for the season (the other two being pre-character development Lightning and The King), he is the meanest and dirtiest racer and never has a change of heart.
• Took a Level in Kindness:
  • After being repeatedly called out for his jerkass attitude in Cars: Fast as Lightning, Chick tries to be nicer to his opponents and even genuinely attempts to compliment them (albeit in his own backhanded way).
  • In Cars 3: Driven to Win, he makes quick commentaries at the end of races where he'll talk about a specific racer, praising the car that came in first, being polite about cars who places second to fourth, and not being malicious when talking about about cars that came in last. Although, if he talks about Lightning, it'll still be in a condescending manner even if Lightning wins a race.
• Troll: Chick constantly taunts Lightning in the first movie. In the third movie, he also makes a lot of smug comments about Lightning’s continued losses to Storm and brags about how he “beat” Lightning in the first movie.
• Unnecessary Roughness: He causes a massive thirty-car pileup in the opening to try and shake McQueen, and later causes The King to crash in the tie-breaker match.
• Used to Be a Good Kid: You didn't misread that. When Chick was younger, he was a kind soul who would actually help other cars. But his father instilled his win at all cost mindset into him that would turn him into the cheating Jerkass he is in the films.
• Villain: Exit, Stage Left: He angrily runs offstage when the press boos him for making The King crash on purpose.

Tex Dinoco

"Oo-ee! That was one close finish. You sure made Dinoco proud."

Voiced by: Humpy Wheeler

Basis: 1975 Cadillac Coupe De Ville

The founder and owner of Dinoco. With The King's retirement, Tex intends to make whoever wins the Piston Cup into Dinoco's new spokes-car.

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• Benevolent Boss: Seems to be a good guy to work for. In Cars 3, he buys Rust-eze to get Lightning and Cruz to work for him.
• Cool Old Guy: Old, rich, powerful, but still pretty nice.
• Determinator: He's still trying to get Lightning to come work for him years later in Cars 3. He finally buys out Rust-eze in order to get it.
• Fiction 500: Runs the largest oil empire in the world.
• Furry Confusion: Not him specifically, but the horns placed near his grille resemble real horns from longhorn cattle.
• Meaningful Name: Tex is an oil baron from Texas.
• Rags to Riches: Maybe not "rags" exactly, but it is stated he started out with one tiny oil well and built that into the world's largest oil company.
• Reasonable Authority Figure: Although Chick wins the Piston Cup, Tex refuses to make him Dinoco's "new face" on account of how he won it. He offers the position to Lightning instead.
  Lightning: But, I didn't win.
  Tex: Son, there's more to racin' than winnin'.
• Southern Gentleman: A wealthy yet personable Texan oil baron. "Oo-ee!"

Rust-eze Pit Crew, Sponsors and Associates

Voiced by: Tom Magliozzi & Ray Magliozzi (Rusty and Dusty Rust-eze), Andrew Stanton (Fred), Mike Nelson (Not Chuck)

Lightning's sponsors who got him his big break.

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• Abhorrent Admirer: All of the rusty cars are big fans of Lightning, but Lightning is quite disgusted with their dirty appearance, before he goes through character development and becomes a nicer person.
• Accidental Misnaming: My name is not Chuck!
• Ascended Extra: Fred appears (though isn't playable) as a racer in Cars: Mater-National Championship and Cars Race-O-Rama in the Rustbucket Races.
• Casting Gag: Rusty and Dusty were voiced by the hosts of the radio show, Car Talk, hence why they're essntially playing car versions of themselves.
• Character Out Lives Actor: Rusty's voice actor, Tom Magliozzi, passed away in 2014, three years before the third film was released. Dusty had more speaking lines while Rusty's only had eight, all consisting of unused lines from the first film.
• Ink-Suit Actor: Rusty and Dusty are just the Magliozzi brothers doing their schtick from Car Talk. The vehicles the characters are based on are themselves alleged cars owned by the brothers that were often referenced on the show.
• Jaw Drop: Fred's bumper has a tendency to fall off whenever he gets too excited.
• Parental Bonus: When Lightning states racecars don't need headlights because "the track is always lit." Rusty replies: "So's my brother, but he still needs headlights!"
• Put on a Bus: At the start of the third film, Rusty and Dusty have sold Rust-eze to Sterling as they felt they were unable to provide Lightning with the necessary training and resources he needed to take on the Next-Gens. They're shown in the credits enjoying a tropical vacation and have shown interest in returning after Tex buys Rust-eze from Sterling.
• I'm Your Biggest Fan: Fred is one of Lightning’s biggest fans.

Others

The Delinquent Road Hazards (Boost, Wingo, DJ, and Snot Rod)

Voiced by: Jonas Rivera (Boost), EJ Holowicki (DJ), Adrian Ochoa (Wingo) and Lou Romano (Snot Rod)

Bases: 1994 Mitsubishi Eclipse with custom bodywork (Boost), "slammed" 2004 Scion xB (DJ), 2000 Nissan Silvia S15 (Wingo), and 1970 Plymouth Barracuda with drag-racing wheel kit and blower (Snot Rod)

A quartet of souped-up troublemakers who distract Mack, causing Lightning to roll out of the back of his trailer and get lost when they make their way over to Mack.

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• All There in the Manual:
  • Of the four, only Boost's name is never mentioned on-screen and is only visible on his license plate.
  • The group are only referred to as the Delinquent Road Hazards in the tie-in game, not in the movie.
• Ascended Extra: They have bigger roles in the first game, even having a minigame centered around them.
• Character Tic: Whenever Snot Rod sneezes, his exhaust pipes gush up and he rockets forward uncontrollably.
• Embarrassing First Name: DJ's full name is Devon Montegomery Johnston the Third.
• Heel–Face Turn: In the short "Spinning", DJ is in the crowd watching Guido and Ramone seems to get along with him, as he asks him to play some tunes while Guido spins his sign.
• Jerkass: All four of them are jerks who enjoy messing with random cars on the highway. Their one scene has them putting a tired Mack to sleep and bumping him around on the highway, not caring if he gets hurt.
• Karma Houdini Warranty: They initially get away with screwing with Mack and causing Lightning to get lost in Radiator Springs, but karma catches up with them during the end credits when they get caught by Sheriff and covered with tar from Bessie.
• The Klutz: Due to his sneezing problem, Snot Rod is very clumsy and uncoordinated. Several of his animations in the movie and games have him just about to boost out of control, only to reign himself back in at the last second.
• Laser-Guided Karma: During the end credits, they make the mistake of speeding around Sheriff in Radiator Springs, and they are forced to use Bessie as a result.
• Meaningful Name:
  • Boost runs on boost tanks, and his license plate says he's from "Nitropolis".
  • DJ likes to play music on his built-in system.
  • Wingo has an upturned spoiler that looks like a wing.
  • Snot Rod has a habit of sneezing from time to time. Also combined with Punny Name.
• Nice Job Fixing It, Villain: If they didn't mess with Mack on the highway when they did, Lightning wouldn't have gotten lost and developed as a character in the first place.
• Punny Name: Snot Rod earned his name from "snot" and "hot rod", and Wingo's name comes from wings, which his spoiler resembles.
• The Quiet One: Most of Snot Rod's dialogue consists of groaning, laughing and sneezing. He can talk, but doesn't speak full sentences often.
• Rice Burner: Three of them have utterly ridiculous-looking spoilers, and Snot Rod has large exhaust pipes. They also have garish paint schemes.
• Small Role, Big Impact: Them playing around with Mack is what really caused the disappearance of Lightning McQueen. If not for them, Lightning wouldn't have ended up in Radiator Springs.
• Unwitting Instigator of Doom: Them messing with Mack on the highway causes Lightning to fall out of his trailer and get lost in Radiator Springs.

Tractors, Frank and Vroomaroundus Bugus

The animals of the Cars world. Tractors stand in for cows, being rather docile creatures who Mater likes to scare via tractor tipping. Frank is a combine harvester who resembles a bull. The Vroomaroundus Bugus are small insects resembling Volkswagen Beetles.

• Brutish Bulls: Frank is the vehicle stand-in for a bull, guarding the tractors (cattle) at night and angrily chasing Lightning and Mater when he catches them on the field.
• Butt-Monkey: The tractors are rather silly, dim creatures who are constantly tipped over by Mater.
• Canis Latinicus: Being fictional "carified" bugs, Vroomaroundus Bugus is a made up Latin name.
• Furry Confusion: They are normal vehicles like everyone else, but are animalistic.
• Running Gag: Tractors getting surprised before tipping over and venting their exhaust.
• Stealth Pun: Cow Tipping, Mater's favorite prank to play.
• Visual Pun: The Volkswagen Beetles are literally beetles in the ''Cars" universe.

Mia and Tia

Voiced by: Lindsey Collins (Mia) & Elissa Knight (Tia)

Basis: Mazda Miata Convertibles

A pair of twin Mazda Miatas who are huge fans of Lightning.

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• Always Identical Twins
• The Cameo: They have a brief appearance at the end of Cars 2, where they're shown cheering for Lightning as he races by in the Radiator Springs Grand Prix.
• Chuck Cunningham Syndrome: They are completely absent from Cars 3 with no explanation as to what happened to them.
• Coordinated Clothes: Rarely will you find Mia or Tia with a different outfit than her sister.
• Fan Girls: To Lightning McQueen in Cars and Cars 2, and Mater in Mater's Tall Tales. They also briefly became fans of Chick Hicks in Cars.
• Firehouse Dalmatian: They sport this look in the Mater's Tall Tales episode Rescue Squad Mater.
• Genki Girls: They basically fill the role of cheerleaders for McQueen (& Mater in Mater's Tall Tales).
• Hospital Hottie: They appear as nurses near the end of Rescue Squad Mater.
• Identical Twin ID Tag: They are both completely identical save for their license plates, which have their respective names.
• I'm Your Biggest Fan: To McQueen. They briefly followed Chick when McQueen disappeared, but switch back to Lightning’s side by the end. They're also this to Mater in the Tall Tales, for some reason.
• Single-Minded Twins: They have the exact same personality and usually speak in unison.
• Smitten Teenage Girls: They both have a major crush on Lightning.
• Stalkers With A Crush: Their official Disney bio says that they haven’t missed a race in over a year, but that they’re not race fans, they’re Lightning McQueen fans, & at the end of the first movie they moved to Radiator Springs and become waitresses as Flo’s cafe just so they can be close to Lightning.
• Tag Team Twins: Mia & Tia work together in two races in Cars: The Video Game & in one race in Cars: Mater-National Championship.
• Theme Twin Naming: They're named after their model, the Mazda Miata.
• Unlimited Wardrobe: They have a different look in each of their appearances:
  • Cars: Red with Lightning McQueen stickers while they're fans of Lightning (this look is reused for the tie-in game and Mater-National), then green but still with their McQueen stickers (except for a Chick Hicks one on their hood) along with a foam "C" on their roofs while they're fans of Chick, Dinoco blue and plain gold in McQueen's fantasies, then finally at the end red with waitress hats and trays while they're working for Flo at her cafe.
  • Mater's Tall Tales:
    • Rescue Squad Mater: White with black spots, like dalmatians, firefighter helmets that read "Rescue Squad Mater Groupie", and bigger-than-normal mirrors. (resembling dalmatian ears) Later surgical green with masks, whitewall tires, and hairnets when they're nurses assisting Mater.
    • Mater The Greater: Red, white, and blue with souvenir tow hooks, blue rims with white stars, and souvenir buck teeth.
    • El Materdor: Plain red with black lace headdresses.
    • Tokyo Mater: First red with white tires and wings and their names written on their doors in Japanese, then red with tomato decals and green tires and wings.
    • Unidentified Flying Mater: Pink with camo patterns and green side caps, along with "UFO" decals on their doors (in this episode they work for the military instead of being Mater's fans, but they are nonetheless still humored by one of his comments).
    • Monster Truck Mater: Pink with their names bedazzled on their doors and pink cowboy hats.
    • Heavy Metal Mater: First pink and white with waitress hats and trays when they're working at the Top Down Truck Stop, and then white and black with "Heavy Metal Mater" decals and black wings resembling bows. In addition this short marks the start of Mia and Tia wearing lipstick. (with the exception of "Air Mater" below)
    • Moon Mater: White with "Boarding Specialist" decals on their doors.
    • Mater: Private Eye: Unknown color with whitewall tires.
    • Air Mater: Red and blue with "Mater Hawk" decals and flags.
  • Cars: Race-O-Rama: A darker red than in the first movie and lacking their stickers (as well as their "Mater The Greater" outfits in the "Mater The Greater" Cars Toon minigame).
  • Cars 2: Same as the first movie, but with lipstick.
• Valley Girl: Both of them.
• Wearing a Flag on Your Head: Mia & Tia are decked out in the colors of the American flag in Mater The Greater.
• "Where Are They Now?" Epilogue: In the epilogue of the first film, it's shown that they've moved to Radiator Springs and are working as waitresses at Flo's.

Minny and Van

Voiced by: Edie McClurg (Minny) & Richard Kind (Van)

A married couple who wander into Radiator Springs whilst looking for the freeway, but are terrified by the clingy and pushy townsfolk. Van is a Ford Windstar and Minny is a Dodge Caravan.

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• The Cameo: They appear at the end of the second film in Radiator Springs, listening to Mater's spy adventure in Europe.
• Directionless Driver: Van refuses to ask for directions while the two of them are looking for an on-ramp, claiming that he can use the GPS. Unsurprisingly, they end up getting lost in the desert.
• Minnesota Nice: Minny has a prominent Midwestern accent and tries to be as polite and approachable as possible to other cars.
• Mommy Mobile: Anthropomorphized. They're an extremely dorky Midwestern married couple who are also minivans.
• Punny Name: They are both mini-vans.
• Sanity Slippage: In The Stinger Van has essentially lost his mind in the desert, convinced he can find the interstate. In the sequel, he's fine again.

Todd

A Pizza Planet Truck who makes regular cameos across the films.

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• All There in the Manual: His name is revealed in the toyline and the Car Finder interactive game on the Blu-ray release.
• Early Installment Character-Design Difference: In the first Cars, he has windshield wipers and his mouth is attached to his front bumper. In all later Cars media he appears in, his mouth is placed separately from his front bumper and he lacks his windshield wipers.
• Hidden Depths: In his brief appearance in Cars 3, he is shown to be a racer in the Crazy Eights demolition derby race.
• Recurring Extra: Cameos in all three of the movies and the Cars on the Road series. He's a natural extension of the Pixar-wide tradition of hiding the Pizza Planet truck from Toy Story in each film (except The Incredibles, for unknown reasons).
• The Voiceless: Has never been shown speaking.

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