Lightning McQueen: The Real Cars That Inspired The Legend (2024)

Throughout film and TV history, there have been countless cars that have essentially become characters themselves, either being important to the plot of the film are have become a defining element of a character. Some of the most iconic examples include James Bond's Aston Martin DB5, the Trans-Am Firebird from Smokey and the Bandit, and Dom's Dodge Charger in the Fast and Furious franchise. However, very few cars in cinema have had as much of an impact to so many as the legendary Lightning McQueen, the protagonist of Disney Pixar's Cars.

The Cars franchise is one of Pixar's most successful, grossing over $1.7 billion worldwide over four films. The lead character, the NASCAR rookie turned legend, Lightning McQueen, is at the center of these films and a big reason for their success. Millions instantly fell in love with McQueen, with the first film kickstarting so many people's passion for racing back in 2006.

McQueen isn't the only car to feature as one of the main characters, with Richard Petty voicing King, who replicates Petty's iconic light blue Plymouth Superbird NASCAR. Along with Sally being a '02 Porsche 911 Carrera and Doc Hudson being a '51 Hudson Hornet, McQueen isn't just based off of a single car, however, he's a combination of more cars than you might expect. Here's a breakdown of the vehicles that inspired the design of Lighting McQueen.

The 2005 Generation 4 NASCAR

At the heart of most Cars films is the Piston Cup, which is a motorsport championship that draws heavy inspiration from the NASCAR Cup Series in real life. The races take place on oval tracks, with many of the racecars being based on NASCAR, specifically from the Generation 4 model series. While there are some outliers such as King and Chick Hicks, McQueen is one racer that represents where the NASCAR Cup Series was at the time.

McQueen’s Boxy Yet Curved Design

The most important element of Lighting McQueen that Pixar had to perfect in order for him to be memorable was his design, and perfect is exactly what they accomplished. McQueen has since become one of the most recognizable animated characters of all time, offering a fresh, unique take on the Generation 4 NASCAR design. Retaining the streamlined design philosophy for the Generation 4 NASCARs, McQueen makes the most of the curves that connect each section of the cars.

According to a DriveTrive video on YouTube, the writer for the film, John Lasseter, thought that the real-life Gen 4 NASCAR, however, was a little too boring to base McQueen entirely on. Instead, the designers used the Gen 4 NASCAR as a silhouette of sorts to build on, with McQueen's bodywork flowing just as smoothly as the stock cars that were storming around the ovals. The nose of McQueen closely resembles that of a Gen 4 NASCAR, although slightly dramatized to suit the rest of his exaggerated body style.

His Gusty V-8 Engine

As well as the synonymous stock car design that the Generation 4 NASCARs embodied, the Cup Series is also known for the energizing, deafening V-8 engines under the hood. Pixar made sure to carry the iconic NASCAR sound over for Lightning McQueen, who's fitted with a 5.8-liter V-8 making up to 800 horsepower, as per the regulations for the NASCAR Cup Series at the time of the first film's release in 2006.

Iconic American Racers From The ‘60s and ‘70s

The current-generation NASCAR wasn't the only source of automotive inspiration for McQueen. In order to create a unique, memorable design, the team at Pixar looked towards different eras of the NASCAR Cup Series, as well as different motorsport categories entirely.

The Plymouth Superbird and Dodge Charger Daytona

One of the key eras of the NASCAR Cup Series that McQueen draws inspiration from is the early '70s, a time when countless iconic cars with equally iconic drivers were racing. The Plymouth Superbird tends to be associated with Strip "The King" Weathers, as he is the exact Superbird that Richard Petty raced in 1970. Despite the car already featured in the film in its entirety, McQueen also draws inspiration from its design, most notably with his large rear quarter panel.

When mentioning the Plymouth Superbird, the Dodge Charger Daytona also deserves equal recognition, the car that inspired the Superbird originally. The Daytona and the Superbird are both visually very similar, with both of the models being adaptations of the two brands' production muscle cars. McQueen's style finds itself blending the NASCARs of old and what was at the time the newest, truly allowing him to stand out among the pack.

Le Mans Inspiration From The Ford GT-40 And Lola T70

Although the two aforementioned cars are from a different era, they're still both NASCARs, which the Gen 4 cars ultimately evolved from. To give McQueen even more of a distinct design, attention was turned to endurance racing, with elements of the legendary Ford GT40 becoming key features of his style. The Gen 4 NASCARs are, as John Latteser named them, "relatively flat".

To combat this, McQueen's rear end features a sloped, almost flat rear window, which connects to a lip spoiler, strongly correlating with the GT40. A similar lip spoiler can be found on the Buick Regal GNX, which antagonist Chick Hicks is based on.

As well as the GT40, McQueen also draws inspiration from another classic Le Mans racer, the Lola T70. The most notable feature of the T70 which McQueen makes the most of is the raised front wheel arches, which adds a new dimension to the Gen 4 NASCAR's simpler nose. A characteristic that both the GT40 and Lola T70 share is the raised rear and low front end for maximum aerodynamic efficiency, another element that McQueen utilizes to create an individual appearance.

Looking Outside Of Racing

Much of the inspiration for Lightning McQueen's design expectedly came from different racecars across different categories. However, the design team at Pixar didn't limited themselves exclusively to motorsport, instead looking at the design features of the newest sports cars on the road to see what could be implemented from them. By doing so, McQueen became a hybrid of sorts, bridging the gap between some of the fastest racecars in the world and the latest high-performance road cars.

Strongly Resembling The Corvette C6

Originally, McQueen was supposed to be closely based on the Chevrolet Corvette C6. As the development of his design progressed, more and more additional models were introduced, but many Corvette C6 cues remained within the bodywork.

This generation of Corvette follows a similar style regarding the rear of the car as the GT40 and Lola T70, with it being much higher off the ground than the front. McQueen's rear end follows the same hard-edged style as the Corvette, creating a striking contrast from the curves throughout the rest of his design.

Cues From The Dodge Viper SR II And The Porsche 911

An older American sports car that's arguably equally iconic as the Corvette C6 is the Dodge Viper SR II. Despite being one of the most distinctive American sports cars of all time, the base for the Viper's design can be linked to that of the Corvette C6, with it's bulky, brash rear end lowering towards the curved front bumper. The curved drop from the hood to the front bumper on the Viper is also shared with the Gen 4 NASCAR, subsequently finding its way onto Lighting McQueen's front end.

Yet another character in the Cars films that is based on a real-life car is Sally, who's based on the 2002 Porsche 911 Carrera. However, like King and the Plymouth Superbird, McQueen also takes inspiration from the 911 design philosophy, most notably with his curved roofline.

Key Takeaways:

• Lightning McQueen was originally supposed to be based closer on the Corvette C6, with elements of the sports car being found throughout the character.
• The main character's design uses the Generation 4 NASCAR design while applying cues from classic NASCARs such as the Plymouth Superbird and Dodge Charger Daytona.
• The design of Lightning McQueen also resembles additional road cars, such as the Dodge Viper SR II and the Porsche 911.
• As well as NASCAR, McQueen is also influenced by Le Mans icons like the Ford GT40 and the Lola T70.

Looking To Athletes For Inspiration As Well As Cars

Aside from cars, Pixar also looked away completely from the automotive industry to form Lightning McQueen's personality, which as seen in the video above has evolved over time. After nailing the lead character's design, creating a personality for viewers to form a personal connection with McQueen was derived from some of the most iconic and influential athletes ever.

As McQueen is a living car, as is every other character throughout the films, the driving style for McQueen was inspired by the legendary Boxer Muhammad Ali, adding a human touch to the stock car's movements. In terms of McQueen's personality, the confidence and drive that's found in any up-and-coming athlete was applied to him, inspiring the targeted younger audience while embodying some of the most iconic cars in automotive history.