10 Fascinating Revelations About Cars Land You Never Knew

Cars Land is one of the best and most immersive lands at the Disney Parks. Located in Disney California Adventure at Disneyland Resort, Cars Land takes Guests down Route 66 to the quaint town of Radiator Springs.

From the initial brainstorming process to the final day of construction, it took five years for Cars Land to come into existence. This gave Disney Imagineers plenty of time to get every last detail just right. Without even knowing, you may cruise right past a variety of fun facts and secrets.

In this article, I’m going to share 10 of our favorite Cars Land facts with you. Buckle up and get ready. After we’re finished, you’re going to be ready to speed to Cars Land so you can see these amazing details for yourself!

1. Cadillac Range Mountains

When you’re in Cars Land, you won’t be able to help but notice the jagged-topped mountains that serve as a backdrop for the land. However, one thing that’s commonly missed is that these mountains are actually shaped like Cadillac tail fins. These mountains, known as the Cadillac Range, were actually inspired by Cadillac Ranch.

Cadillac Ranch is a roadside work of art that was created by a group from San Francisco called Ant Farm. To make the art piece, 10 Cadillacs were driven into a field and then buried halfway in the dirt. The cars were buried hood first, leaving their tail fins sticking predominantly up in the air. The point of Cadillac Ranch was to show the evolution of Cadillac tail fins over the years. Appropriately, Cadillac Range in Cars Land does the same.

However, only 6 Cadillac tail fins are on display in Cadillac Range. The names of the peaks give insight on which year Cadillac they’re modeled after. From left to right, you’ll see Mount 57, Mount 58, Mount 59, Mount 60, Mount 61, and Mount 62.

2. Cars Toon: Mater's Tall Tales

The queue for Mater’s Junkyard Jamboree is filled with what seems like a bunch of junk. While some of it truly is, other items are actually memorabilia from adventures that Mater has been on!

Many items from the Cars Toon shorts, Mater’s Tall Tales, can be found within the queue of Mater’s Junkyard Jamboree. It’s fun to take a look at these items and see these tall tales come to life. After all, Mater says they really happened!

Along the wall, you’ll be able to see things such as Mater's:

• Rescue Squad badge, Rescue Squad sign, and firehose from Rescue Squad Mater
• Mater the Greater sign, hood, and hubcaps from Mater the Greater
• Mater Hawk sign and Skipper’s Flight School propeller from Air Mater
• Heavy Metal Mater poster, guitar, and wings from Heavy Metal Mater
• Mater Private Eye window from Mater PI
• Impala XIII Rescue Mission Operation Moon Mater sign and NASCA sign from Moon Mater
• El Materdor poster, hood, and hubcaps from El Materdor
• Big Liter Motor Oil can, Parking Area 51 sign, Research Facility sign, and warning signs from Unidentified Flying Mater
• MTW sign, Tormentor wrestling poster, and hood from Monster Truck Mater

3. Lightning's Pavement Work

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When Lightning McQueen first entered Radiator Springs, he didn’t make a very good impression. In a frantic state, he tore up the main road in the middle of the quiet town, leaving the townsfolk distraught. Lightning was imprisoned and had to face legal judgement.

After going to court, it was decided that Lightning’s punishment would be that he was responsible for fixing the road that he destroyed. Until the road was fixed, he couldn’t leave town.

If you pay close attention to all of the “roads” in Cars Land, you’ll be able to see the result of Lightning’s handiwork! The main road is exceptionally smooth and the pavement looks rather fresh. However, if you look at any of the side roads, they look older and more worn.

4. Third Blink

Fillmore, the 1960s Volkswagen Bus, mentions in the movie that every third blink of the traffic light is slower than the rest. As he watches the light, he says to Sarge,

“I’m telling you, man. Every third blink is slower”.

To which Sarge replies,

“The 60s weren’t good to you. Were they?”.

An easy to miss detail in Cars Land is that every third blink actually is slower on the traffic light. Imagineers specifically programmed the light to work this way so it could be truly authentic to Radiator Springs.

5. Toy Story 2

In Toy Story 2, Buzz, Hamm, Slinky Dog, Mr. Potato Head, and Rex all set out on a mission to rescue Woody from Al’s Toy Barn. However, after seeing the busy road that divided them from the toy store, they needed to come up with a plan. While the other toys weren’t too keen on the idea of crossing, Buzz said,

“There must be a safe way”.

The solution that they came up with was to travel inside traffic cones to the other side of the street. Luckily, they did make it across the road safely. However, they didn’t do so without causing a lot of chaos for all of the drivers.

At Cars Land, you can see a nod to this scene in the office of the Cozy Cone Motel. While you can’t physically enter the office, you can still take a look inside the window to see a lot of amazing details. One of those details are some small traffic cones with familiar feet sticking out of the bottom!

6. Cars Land Lighting

You know that warm, happy feeling that you get when you watch Radiator Springs come to life at night when you’re watching Cars? Lightning is finally seeing how amazing the little town is, that he’s surrounded by wonderful friends, and that he truly is lucky. It’s hard not to share those happy feelings right along with him with the oldies music playing and the neon lights glowing.

It’s no secret that Disney Imagineers made Radiator Springs in Cars Land look just as beautiful once the sun goes down. The neon lights shine down the road beautifully.

You can experience these same feelings in real life during the Cars Land Lighting. Right after the sun sets, the song “Sh-Boom” by The Chords will start playing over the speakers and each neon sign going down the street will light up one by one. Just like in the Cars movie, you can see the little town of Radiator Springs come to life! Cars Land, which is already extremely immersive, turns it up an extra notch with this lighting.

Unfortunately, not all Guests know about the Cars Land Lighting. This may be due to the fact that a specific time for the lighting isn’t posted on the Disneyland app or announced any other way. The Cars Land Lighting simply happens every day right after the sun sets (roughly about 5 minutes afterwards). To get an official time for the lighting on the day you’re there, speak with a Cars Land Cast Member.

7. V8 Engine

Those who are familiar with Disney Imagineering know that everything is done for a reason. The attention to detail at the Disney Parks is unmatched. This is true in Cars Land as well! We’ve discussed the pavement, traffic light, and mountain range, yet there’s still more Cars Land facts to look at!

Flo’s V8 Cafe is a very popular landmark at Cars Land. Just like in the Cars movie, Flo’s tends to be the central gathering spot of Radiator Springs. I’m sure you’ve noticed the fun and unique design of this “gas station”, but did you know that it’s designed to look like a V8 engine?

When looking at Flo’s directly from the front, you can see the familiar shape of a V8 engine. The main building looks like a circular air filter while the outside shelters look like tappet covers. You’ll also be able to spot spark plugs, pistons, and connecting rods. If you pay close attention after dark when the neons are on, you can see that the spark plugs even blink in the correct firing order of a Ford Flathead V8.

8. Inspiration for the Cozy Cone Motel

We discussed real life inspiration when it came to Cadillac Range. However, that is far from the only Cars Land location that was inspired by real life locations along Route 66. One of the many other inspired locations is the Cozy Cone Motel.

The Cozy Cone Motel was inspired by the Blue Swallow Motel in Tucumcari, New Mexico and the Wigwam Motels located in Holbrook, Arizona and San Bernardino, California. The design of the Cozy Cone’s neon sign and office was pulled directly from the Blue Swallow Motel. The overall look is very similar, but the signs specifically share some of the same fonts as well as the mention of “100% Refrigerated Air”.

The traffic cone rooms at the Cozy Cone Motel are a direct comparison to the rooms at the Wigwam Motel. The rooms at the Wigwam Motel are designed to look like large tipis. However, they were mistakenly called wigwams (Oops!) and therefore the chain was called Wigwam Motel. The large traffic cone rooms at the Cozy Cone Motel look very similar to the large tipi rooms that can be found at the Wigwam Motel.

9. A First for Disneyland

Luigi has turned the tire yard at Casa Della Tires into a large dance floor. He’s invited his cousins from Carsoli, Italy to come take part in a dance festival, and we’re all invited to join in too! On Luigi’s Rollickin’ Roadsters, you can experience a true Italian dance party with this fun-loving car family. As you sway, turn, and spin to the music, you can’t help but smile!

Luigi’s Rollickin’ Roadsters is not only a fun family-friendly ride, it’s also a first of its kind for Disneyland. This is the first trackless ride to exist at Disneyland Resort, followed only by Mickey & Minnie’s Runaway Railway and Star Wars: The Rise of the Resistance.

10. Test Track

Did you know that Test Track is in Cars Land? Not the exact ride of course. If you’ve been to both EPCOT and Cars Land, you may have noticed how Radiator Springs Racers has a familiar feel to it. That’s because it shares the same ride system as Test Track!

It’s a bit mind boggling when you realize how similar these rides are. They have such a different feel to them. These two rides perfectly show how much theming can affect a ride. Even though they are almost exactly the same in regard to the ride system, I enjoy Radiator Springs Racers so much more than Test Track. I could easily skip Test Track on a day at EPCOT, but wouldn’t dream of skipping Radiator Springs Racers when I’m at Cars Land.

Have you noticed the similarities between these two rides? Which one do you prefer?