Lightning McQueen

Lightning McQueen
File:File:Lighting mcqueen.png
Character information Gender Male

Lightning McQueen is a famous Piston Cup race car, who has one four trophies since his racing debut in 2006.

Bio

Cars

Lightning is a red racecar sponsored by Rust-eze Medicated Bumper Ointment ("With Just a Little Rust-eze, you can look like Lightning McQueen!"). He is #95 in the movie, and at the beginning of the movie, he is racing his first Piston Cup race in Nashville, Tennessee, and is winning.

At the end of the film, he lost the race out of good intentions, and got a new paint job, but still sponsored by Rust-eze, although at the beginning of the film, he wanted a Dinoco sponsorship.

Cars: The Video Game

Lightning McQueen's second Piston Cup racing season is right around the corner, and Lightning needs some practice - from his friends in Radiator Springs. After practicing powersliding and dirt track skills with Doc, Lightning is ready to complete his first Piston Cup race at the Palm Mile Speedway.

Upon returning, Fillmore offers McQueen a trial of his own organic boost fuel, which he kindly accepts and uses from that point on. Doc has also mentioned to Sarge that Lightning is in need of some off-road training, so he recruits McQueen into his boot camp, where he must dodge several obstacles to make it around the course. After finishing, Sarge challenges McQueen to a race with his other friends throughout the Radiator Springs Compound. Completing the race grants McQueen the ability to race in the next Piston Cup in Motor City, which Lightning soon wins.

Now with the setting at night, Mater teaches Lightning how to drive backwards, which can be useful for tricks. Later on, Sheriff challenges him to a long race throughout a brand new atmosphere, Ornament Valley, and now the road construction signs have been removed and Ornament Valley is now open to the public - and explorable. While paying a visit, Lightning meets up with a gang of New York road racing cars hired by Chick Hicks for helping him train. With beating them, Lightning gains access to the newest race in Sun Valley.

After the intensity of the race at Sun Valley, Lightning returns back to the calm landmarks of Radiator Springs. Lightning takes a drive with Sally to the newly opened Tailfin Pass, which is now accessible during explore mode. But Lightning soon meets up with a gang of punk cars who call themselves the "Delinquent Road Hazards". Lightning beats them, but the group swears revenge and speed off. Their revenge comes when Mack is driving on the interstate, and, hired by Chick, raid him and steal all of Lightning's racing gear from the trailer. After talking things over with Sheriff, Lightning speeds off onto the interstate and catches up with the four, which he smashes to near death to steal his gear back. Upon being arrested, they admit that they were hired by Chick, who of which McQueen plots his revenge on. At the next Piston Cup at Smasherville, Lightning confronts Chick, but he claims to know nothing of the sort. He is beaten by Lightning, but believes Lightning didn't win fair. Lightning talks over an idea with the officials, and a Piston Cup sponsored event takes place throughout the three cities in Carburetor County - the Radiator Springs Grand Prix.

After beating Chick in all three races, the final Piston Cup race is held, and Lightning wins the Piston Cup and becomes the 2006 champion.

Cars 2

Four years later, Number 95 Lightning McQueen is still a hotshot racecar, but his rookie days are past him. Now a permanent resident of Radiator Springs, Lightning has become a bona fide worldwide celebrity as winner of four Piston Cups. After his latest win, Lightning returns home to enjoy life in the slow lane for a while with sweetheart Sally, best friend Mater and the rest of his Radiator Springs family. His off-season is unexpectedly cut short when Mater inadvertently prompts Lightning to enter the World Grand Prix, a high profile, three-part exhibition race that will take him around the globe. With a fresh custom paint job and real, working headlights, Lightning sets off to Japan, Italy and England with Mater in tow for the adventure of a lifetime. But competing against the fastest cars in the world tests more than his racing skills when Lightning realizes his wide-eyed best friend may not be the pit chief nor ambassador he needs to navigate the unfamiliar international terrain.

Personality

Originally cocky and self-centered, Lightning's personality was changed into a caring and nice person with lots of friends - to which he is very loyal and kind.

Basis

Lightning has no general basis, other than he is handmade uniquely for racing purposes.

Livery

Lightning was originally painted red, with green Smell Swell stickers. Later, his doors were re-painted with yellow and orange lightning bolt decals. He had the number 95 painted in red, orange and yellow on his roof and doors, as well as the Rust-eze logo on his hood and spoiler.

After being accepted into the World Grand Prix, Lightning minorly changed his paint job - he now has the Hudson Hornet Piston Cup logo on his hood, and a raised red spoiler.

Occupation

Lightning is an extremely famous race car, but is no longer a rookie. He is universally successful, and has won four Piston Cup trophies.

Appearances

Feature Films

• Cars
• Cars 2

Short Films[1]

• Mater and the Ghostlight
• Rescue Squad Mater
• Mater the Greater
• El Materdor
• Tokyo Mater
• Unidentified Flying Mater
• Heavy Metal Mater
• Monster Truck Mater
• Moon Mater
• Mater Private Eye
• Air Mater
• Time Travel Mater

Video Games[2]

• Cars: The Video Game
• Cars: Radiator Springs Adventures
• Cars: Mater-National Championship
• Cars: Race-O-Rama
• Cars Toons: Mater's Tall Tales: The Video Game
• Cars 2 The Video Game

Advertisements

• Hertz
• Opel Promotion
• State Farm
• Energizer 
• AT&T Broadband Promotion
• Mom on a Mission
• Obey Traffic Signals
• Answer Seguros

TriviaEdit

• His racing number, "95" is a reference to the year 1995, when Pixar's first feature-length film, Toy Story was released. Originally, his number was going to be 57, which is the year John Lasseter was born.
• Lightning's last name "McQueen" is a reference to Glenn McQueen, a supervising animator at Pixar who passed away in 2002.
• In the first official teaser trailer of Cars 2, for unknown reasons, Lightning McQueen has on his Rust-eze customization.
• In Toy Story 3 in the Caterpillar Room at Sunnyside Daycare, you can see one of the kids with a white T-shirt with red sleeves and has in the middle of the shirt the 95 racing number with the lightning bolt of Lightning McQueen. A toy similar to Lightning can also be seen.
• Lightning's back bumper is yellow. This follows NASCAR's tradition of putting yellow rookie stripes on rookie drivers' cars.
• Lightning's design was inspired by stock cars, and a more curvaceous Le Mans endurance racers (Ford GT40).
• After Lightning's redesign in Cars 2, he has working headlights instead of stickers.
• In Tokyo, an advertisement for a vacuum cleaner named "Lightning McClean" is seen.

MerchandiseEdit

• Cars Diecast Line (regular, Radiator Springs, Dirt Track, Cruisin', Dinoco, Cactus, Bug Mouth, Bling Bling, Tongue, Chase with Bumper Stickers, Spin Out, Tar, Impound, Tumbleweed, Cone, Wet)
• Cars 2 Diecast Line (with Racing Wheels, with Party Wheels, with Travel Wheels, Hudson Hornet Piston Cup)
• Cars Toons Diecast Line (Burnt, Soaked, Daredevil, Dragon, Dragon with Oil Stains, Dragon with Metallic Finish, Heavy Metal, Frightening McMean, Autonaut, Burnt Autonaut, Hawk)
• Micro Drifters (regular, WGP, Bling Bling, Gold)
• Action Agents
• Stunt Racers
• MEGA BLOKS (regular, Dinoco, Radiator Springs)
• LEGO (regular, Radiator Springs, Cars 2)
• LEGO Duplo
• Disney Store Diecast Line (regular, Dinoco, Epilogue, Radiator Springs, Pinstripe)
• Shake 'N' Go (regular, Dinoco, Radiator Springs, Tongue, Bling Bling)
• Tomica (regular, Dinoco, Radiator Springs, Tongue, Dirt Track, Cars 2)
• Geotrax (regular, Dinoco, Radiator Springs, Cars 2)
• Wood
• AppMates
• Stunt Cars
• Rip Stick Racers