I acquired this really cool thing from Michael Wallis last week — a postcard from the fictional Route 66 town of Radiator Springs in the upcoming “Cars” movie by Pixar Animation Studios. As you can see, it recalls a common postcard style from the 1940s and ’50s, with local attractions shown in each letter.
Wallis, who wrote the seminal book “Route 66: The Mother Road,” serves as technical adviser for “Cars” and plays a role of the local sheriff, which happens to be a Mercury police cruiser, in the film. The movie is set to be released in early June.
If you look at the postcard closely, you will see that the scenes are a combination of existing Route 66 sites and the car-fueled imaginations of the Pixar animators. I’ve scanned each letter individually to better show this magnificent world that Pixar has created.
The Cozy Cone motel recalls the Wigwam Motels in Holbrook, Ariz., and Rialto, Calif., except that the motel rooms are made from gigantic road cones, not teepees. The Cozy Cone probably took part of its name from the Cozy Dog Drive-In, home of the corn dog, in Springfield, Ill.
This structure obviously is inspired by a classic Art Deco gas station, the U-Drop Inn in Shamrock, Texas.
This drive-in movie theatre strongly resembles the 66 Drive-In in Carthage, Mo. The lettering style on the screen looks like other places on 66, but I can’t recall them.
This mesa is evocative of a classic Art Deco hood ornament.
If you look closely at these mountains, the curves resemble cars from the 1940s.
This gas station canopy looks a lot like one I’ve seen at an old truck stop near Towanda, Ill. There’s a cafe next to it, but it’s hard to see the whole thing. It sort of looks like a radiator grille from many cars from the 1940s and ’50s.
This one obviously resembles the Grand Canyon, with a bit of Yosemite National Park thrown in.
This mountain range in the background is a hybrid of Cadillac Ranch in Amarillo and the Black Mountains in western Arizona, as seen from the Colorado River at Needles, Calif.
This looks a lot like one of the buildings in downtown Santa Fe.
It looks like a stack of tires made to resemble the Leaning Tower of Pisa. But I also think it’s partly inspired by the leaning water tower in Groom, Texas.
This curios shop, I’m guessing, is inspired by the Hackberry General Store in Hackberry, Ariz.
This image looks a lot like old pictures of Tucumcari, N.M., that I’ve seen. The mesa in the background may evoke Tucumcari Mountain, except to me it resembles a radiator cap.
This one bears resemblance to the Rock Cafe in Stroud, Okla., although I’m not sure what’s on top of it other than an old jalopy.
Is there anything I’m missing? Let us know in the “Comments” section.
The curio shop in the D looks more like Hackberry to me. The T was inspired by either the Rock Cafe or the Kellyville cabins.
Emily
Great job scanning the card. Can hardly wait for June. ( two reasons, ” Cars “, & Albuquerque )
croc
The landscape behind the mesa in the letter N looks alot like Vasquez Rocks in southern California. (NOT on Route 66 however…)
This is a great postcard. One question, where cann I get on or two or three?
While I was looking at it the D picture looks similar to Ella’s in Joseph City, AZ
Nice job! Love your research into retro American culture 🙂
lol – so much detail! The guys at Pixar are great 😛
Lulu, I’m not sure where to get other postcards. I haven’t seen it in the online Disney store. Maybe you can call the folks at Pixar at (510) 752-3000 and find out. That’s the company’s general information line.
Lulu!
I do believe this postcard is included in the set of “The Art of Pixar” postcard box containing 100 cards featuring art from all of Pixar’s work over the last 20 years. It’s got everything from Luxo Jr. to Cars! However if you’re just looking for that one particular postcard, I’m not sure where to get it. The box set is $16.95, not a bad price for 100 works of art! 🙂
There’s a couple left at Amazon, or you can Google it and find other sites that still have it in stock.
That is a very stylish postcard. Are these available for purchase anywhere?
See comment above. But I’m also going to e-mail Wallis about this. Check back later, and I’ll see whether I have an answer.
Mr. Wallis e-mailed me today about the Radiator Springs postcard’s availability:
“That was a limited run for specific internal purposes. Do not fear; there will soon be a flood of merchandise, goodies, etc., available.”
it looks as if they put the water tower that is behind the cafe
what. no round barn, on hy 66 east of ok city, mostly restored, worth seing.
Remember, Dale, this is a *fictional* Route 66 town.
Seen the Cars movie tonight. Great beyond words for so many reasons. Really loved it. Hope all of you will make a point to go see this one. Very entertaining! Best to you all!
I like the postcard and your renditions of what each picture is. I think your Idea about the radiator cap is right on! The Movie was fab. Can’t wait for the DVD
Cars…..Awesome movie for everyone to see. I had no idea this movie was based on Route 66, or at least a fictional town. My sister and I just drove the route 66 from Barstow California to Tucumcari New Mexico and sadly had to return to Santa Rosa and head toward Roswell New Mexico so I could get home in Corpus Christi, Texas. I cannot wait to see the rest of Route 66, both sides of which I missed. This movie was the best ending to my Route 66 trip and a pleasant surprise.
Connie
Gostei muito do desenho, aliás, despertou o desejo de conhecer a Rota 66 tbém
So, from the parts of the Greeting Card I just saw that might have been based on different places along Route 66, I’m guessing that those places were turned into one town, Radiator Springs. That means Radiator Springs is not real and I can’t visit it at all.
Nope. But you can visit these people and places.
https://www.route66news.com/2006/06/09/a-route-66-guide-to-the-cars-movie/#comment-2272
Thanks Ron.
Greetings to Adam Powel Hope you can visit our town soon. Someday maybe you and your parents and sister could move here. It is a nice little town. Hope to see you in the future, THE MAYOR OF RADIATOR SPRINGS.
I’m not believing that at all. You’re just trying to make me think that Radiator Springs is real by knowing that I’d check to see if anything was new. There is no Adam Powell, is there. Thanks for trying to cheer me up. I actually believed what I was reading for several seconds, you’re good at that. I’m guessing it’s Ron unless there’s some other person who came across it.
So Adam, when are you taking office? I’d love to come out to Radiator Springs and start a few small businesses!
The mountains in the background of the letter “O R ” are tailfins and/or rear ends of older vehicles if you look closely
I have a great business idea for Disney /Pixar. If Disney can create Disneyland in Florida and Eurodisney in Paris, surely they could create a lifelike Radiator Springs.It may take a long time and money but I think it would make a great tourist attraction and would be very popular.
Funny you should mention that, Allan.
A person who was prominently involved in the production of the “Cars” movie mentioned that very idea. I replied that such an attraction would induce people to go there instead of the real-life attractions of Route 66.
He thought about it, then acknowledged that a fake Radiator Springs probably would keep people from discovered the Mother Road for themselves.
Go see the real Route 66, folks. There’s no sense in an artificial re-creation of a fictional town when the real-life Mother Road is a lot more interesting and rewarding.
Many thanks for your reply Ron! Because I live in deepest Europe I have limited knowledge about route66. I have seen Route 66 in my favorite old movies and the recent ‘Cars’. I would like very much to travel down this highway one day and see the sights and meet the people. Your blog is perfect for people outside th U.S.A who want to know more about route 66. Your route 66 News is my favorite website on the Internet!
I live in NM and I want to drive in one of the old cars of the 50’s or somewhere around the time when the road was new, fresh, and busy. When the town that had Radiator Springs based on was still on the map. I want to drive on Route 66 so I can feel the country air flow through my face. Also to smell what the air is like, look at the beautiful landscapes, and move with the road like Sally said in Cars, The Movie. I was so moved by that movie, it’s the best movie I’ve ever seen, including how Lightning McQueen turned from harsh and not caring about others to a friendly kind of guy. Yet, it’s so sad about their explanation about the Historic Route 66 that I can never stop feel like crying or get over it. That music just turns it from good to depressing. I can’t help it. I hope they’re preserving as much as they can because I want to try to ride all of its original route so I can go out and I say I went through all of Route 66.
Also, maybe they could at least make a town that looks like Radiator Springs at the place where they have Legoland and others like that.
Cars is the best movie I’v seen.It’s a good kids movie.It’s the best movie.
You want to know something? No matter how many times I think of Cars being an extremely good movie, it being really sad about what happened to Radiator Spring and the town it was based off of, and the sequence of Lightning McQueen’s changes of personality; I can’t get over it. It has an everlasting impression on me that never gets old and I haven’t even watched it for over two months now!! Whenever somebody drives the students & I at school on a field trip & we go through almost completely empty country space or I am thinking of Route 66, those thoughts and seeing the country makes my heart start racing extremely fast and I feel down about both the made up and the real town, plus the route itself. It keeps me going in wanting to drive all the way along the original Route 66 when I have free time and I get a car.
Thank y’all for your kind comments on our movie.
I’m dropping down to Scottsdale for 2 weeks next week and need someone to look after The Cozy Cone motel. Can anyone help?
I can provide a bed and hot/cold water but you must bring your own food.(Flo’s menu is not suitable for people).
Please let me know tomorrow morning before 12am here.
Luigi & Guido, amazing!
Great movie!
Pit stop!!
I am finally about to live the dream and about to ride Route 66 from Chicago to LA. We are travelling over from the UK and hiring our Harleys in Chicago. Mother Road here we come.
We have been travelling Route 66, a dream since we first saw the movie years ago. The curio store was directly based on the Hackberry General Store. The owner’s son said the Pixar guys spent two weeks at the store measuring it up and taking pictures etc. Both Stanley and Lizzie are found outside it, as is the inspiration for Lightning McQueen with the Radiator Springs paint job. Also, the courthouse looks (both inside and out) very much like the one in Holbrook, AZ.