Radiator Springs
- "Where are you? Shoot! You're in Radiator Springs. The cutest little town in Carburetor County."
- —Mater, Cars
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Radiator Springs is a small town on Route 66, located in Carburetor County (somewhere in the eastern region of Arizona). It is the town Lightning McQueen ends up in after being accidentally released from his trailer in the middle of the highway. It is a town of rural misfits and rejects where everybody there serves each other with unconditional love. It is a community (similar to a church) that teaches others to slow down and enjoy the scenery. It is quite a beautiful place that can be considered a "paradise". It can be seen from the Wheel Well Motel due to the high elevation the motel was built in.
History
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Radiator Springs was founded by a steam car named Stanley in 1909, and a statue of him was placed in front of the town's courthouse. Later, Stanley married Lizzie. After Stanley died, more people came to live in Radiator Springs, and the town grew. It was a popular rest area where almost all travellers would stop to go shopping and fill their gas tanks. However, in 1957, Interstate 40 was built near Radiator Springs, which greatly decreased the amount of cars that visited the town, since it bypassed the town to save 10 minutes of driving. Finally, in 1985, Route 66 was decommissioned.
In 1954, famous Piston Cup racer Fabulous Hudson Hornet suffered an accident while racing at Fireball Beach that brought his racing career to an end. Some time after his crash, Hudson fully recovered and returned to the Piston Cup; but found out that the racing world had forgotten all about him because of the rookies at the time. Hudson felt like nobody appreciated him anymore, retired completely from the Piston Cup and practically vanished from the face of the Earth completely, leaving Smokey and his race friends in the process. Eventually, Doc found shelter in Radiator Springs. His wisdom, tough, grandpa-like attitude earned him enough respect from the townsfolk that in the mid 20th century, Hudson was hired as the town's judge.
In 2005, rookie Piston Cup racer Lightning McQueen accidentally tore up the town's main road and was sentenced to community service. Lightning soon became friends with the residents of Radiator Springs, and after the big race at California, he set up a racing headquarters in the town and planned to live there. Thanks to Lightning's enormous fan base during his rookie years, the town became popular again. In Cars 3, it is revealed that Doc constantly sent letters to Smokey about the town's popularity growing and his new pupil, Lightning McQueen.
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In the video games, it has made appearances in Cars: The Videogame, Cars: Mater-National Championship, Cars: Race-O-Rama, The World of Cars Online, Cars 2: The Video Game, and Cars 3: Driven to Win.
Location
The exact location of Radiator Springs is not known exactly; however, it is most likely in eastern Arizona, along Route 66 and in the Monument Valley.
Radiator Springs is somewhere along the old Route 66, which was in the United States. Route 66 went from Los Angeles, California to Chicago, Illinois, which can be heard in the Route 66 song during the end credits of the first movie. Radiator Springs is surrounded by the desert, and is not near any large cities, so Radiator Springs must be on Route 66 in either California, Arizona, or New Mexico. According to The Art of Cars, Radiator Springs is located in between Gallup, New Mexico, and Kingman, Arizona (which both can be heard in the end credits song). Since Gallup is on the far west side of New Mexico, Radiator Springs is most likely in Arizona. The truck stop that Mack and Lightning McQueen passed by on their trip could not be west from Houck, Arizona because of a sign which reads "LAST TRUCK STOP FOR 500 MILES", and since Houck is on the far east side of Arizona, the truck stop was most likely in western New Mexico, and if Mack drove for only a few hours more after the truck stop before he fell asleep, then Radiator Springs is most likely in eastern Arizona. Also, Carburetor Canyon is a reference to the Grand Canyon in Midwest Arizona which is about 200 miles away from Radiator Springs. The town's speed limit is 25 mph, any car that surpasses it will be sentenced to stay at the Radiator Springs Municipal Impound with a parking boot attached to its front wheel until further notice.
Residents
Current Residents (sorted by last joined)
Former Residents
Visitors
- Chick Hicks
- Smokey
- Miss Fritter
- Cruz Ramirez
- DJ
- Wingo
- Boost
- Snot Rod
- Mia and Tia
- Minny & Van
- Fred
- Antonio Veloce Eccellente
- Costanzo Della Corsa
- Michael Schumacher
- Strip "The King" Weathers
- Lynda Weathers
- Dale Earnhardt Jr.
- Nick Stickers
- Leroy Traffik
- Marilyn
- Hank Hallsum
- Valerie Veate
- Mildred Bylane
- Jonas Revera
- Edwin Kranks
- Greta
- Hank "Halloween" Murphy
- Percy Hanbrakes
- Nicky B.
- Timothy "Timezone" Truecoat
- Miles "Meattruck" Malone
- Milton Calypeer
- Dustin Mellows
- Derek "Decals" Dobbs
- Ms. Victoria
- Rhonda, Laverne, and Sheila
Buildings & Shops
Active
- Cozy Cone Motel
- Flo's V8 Café
- Ramone's House of Body Art
- Tow Mater Towing & Salvage
- Radiator Springs Drive-In Theatre
- Fillmore's Taste-In
- Luigi's Casa Della Tires
- Radiator Springs Curios
- Sarge's Surplus Hut
- Radiator Springs Courthouse & Fire Department
- Racing Museum (formerly Glen Rio Motel)
- Doc Hudson Racing Museum (formerly Ornament Valley Mechanical Clinic)
Abandoned
- Foggy Windshield
- Mr. Curb Feeler
- Sparky's Spark Plugs
- Rusty Bumper
- All Day Lunch
- Wimpy Wipers
- Mrs. Muffler
- Muddy's Mudflaps
- Carburetor Emporium Repair
- Miss Piston
- Pop N Patch Tire Repair
- Lube-O-Rama
- The Oil Pan
- Radiator Springs Garage
Gallery
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Cozy Cone Motel
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Flo's V8 Cafe
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Ramone's House of Body Art
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Tow Mater Towing & Salvage
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Doctor Hudson: Dr. of Internal Combustion
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Radiator Springs Drive-In Theatre
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Fillmore's Taste-In
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Luigi's Casa Della Tires
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Radiator Springs Municipal Impound
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Radiator Springs Curios
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Sarge's Surplus Hut
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Courthouse & Fire Department
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Sarge's SUV Bootcamp
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Tractor Pasture
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Willy's Butte
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Racing Museum
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Cadillac Range
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Ornament Valley
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Wheel Well Motel
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An aerial viewpoint of the town
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An aerial viewpoint of the town
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An aerial viewpoint of the town
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Map
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Entrance
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Radiator Springs, the gateway to the Ornament Valley
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Map of Radiator Springs in Cars: Mater-National Championship.
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All Day Lunch "Eat" Sign
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Wimpy's Wipers
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Rusty Bumper
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Sparky's Spark Plugs
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Mr Curb Feeler
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Foggy Windshield
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The Oil Pan
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Lube O Rama
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Pop N Patch Tire Repair
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Mrs Piston
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Carburetor Emporium Repair
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Muddy's Mudflaps
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Mrs Muffler
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The Historic Route 66 Map
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The entrance to Radiator Springs over the Pacific Flyer Railroad Wig Wag Crossing
Names in other languages
- Czech: Kardanové Lhoty
- Danish: Kølerkildekøbing
- Estonian: Radikaribi linn
- Finnish: Syylari City
- French: Radiator Kasabasi
- Greek: Μπουζί της Ωραίας Ελένης (transcription: Bouzí tis Oraías Elénis)
- Hungarian: Kipufogófürdő
- Lithuanian: Radiatoriškių
- Norwegian: Radiator by
- Polish: Chłodnica Górska
- Russian: Радиатор-Спрингс (transcription: Radiator-Springs)
- Spanish: Radiador Springs
- Swedish: Kylarköping
- Turkish: Radyatör Kasabası
- Ukrainian: Радіатор-Спрінгс (transcription: Radiator-Springs)
de:Radiator Springs es:Radiador Springs nl:Radiator Springs pl:Chłodnica Górska pt-br:Radiator Springs ru:Радиатор-Спрингс