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Cars
With the release of the movie CARS by Pixar/Disney on DVD we would like to remind you that the real Route 66 is not like Atlantis, but can actually be driven today. You can still drive the old highway and you can see the real inspiration of what led to the creation of the movie.
Pictures below Copyright © 2004-2005 Swa Frantzen, all rights reserved.
So what can we do to show off the real Route 66? How about starting with an old tow truck? We got them in Cool Springs AZ. an recently the inspiration for Tow Mater was shown to the public in Baxter Springs, KS. But we also have fancy crowd drawing hotrods being shown every year in events like San Benardino's Route 66 Rendezvous. We also have curvy Porsches. Yes that one isn't a 2002 model nor is it blue, but it was parked at a motel you'd recognize as well, read on ...
Let's see some more pictures: Michael Wallis is a well known Route 66 personality, and he helped the Pixar folks up to being the voice for the Sheriff. Once you hear his voice you'll never forget it. He also wrote a book about the movie with his wife Suzanne: The Art of Cars.
Route 66 has a real veganist hippie driving a genuine Volkswagen van. Now Bob doesn't do meat in any form so he doesn't want anything of his bundled with a hamburger. So Fillmore wasn't called Waldmire in the movie. Bob does roam Route 66 and shows up at Route 66 conferences. He's the one that made the banner for this website. Bob is known all over Route 66 for his typical artwork and even his Volkswagen has a strip map more or less like the one he made for this web site.
Other Route 66 people serving as inspiration for characters in the movie might be met at the Rock Cafe in Stroud, OK, iwhere owner Dawn Welch stood model for Sally. In Kansas we find Dean Walker who needs little incentive to show why Mater was good at driving backwards.
Radiator Springs
There is not a Radiator Springs on Route 66, but we have all the buildings from the movie somewhere along the 2448 miles.
The beautifully restored U-Drop Inn in Shamrock, TX will be recognized by many of you. It was a Conoco gas station and a cafe. It's beautifully restored and sitting on Route 66 waiting for you to head out to the Texas panhandle. The U-Drop Inn has a art-deco style.
Both the Wigwam motels in San Bernardino, CA and Holbrook, AZ will also yield instant recognition of those having seen the cozy cone motel.
Two of the remaining 3 wigwam motels (there were 7 built in total) are located on Route 66. It are motels where you get your own teepee and get to park your car right next to it.
The Cadillac Ranch, built by Stanley March III in Amarillo, TX will also be a familiar view. These are 10 cadillacs burried nose first in concrete blocks. It are 10 different years so you can see the evolution of the fins on the cars as the models progressed. It might be interesting to note that the angle of the cars was determined from the angle of the great pyramids in Egypt.
A leaning tower can not just be found in Pisa, Italy, but also in Groom, TX. It was build intentionally this way in order to have visitors stop and ask why (and make a quick sale).
The Jack Rabbit Trading Post has been advertizing along Route 66 for years and the slogan "here it is" is even used on popular maps of Route 66.
The road
The mountain road just east of Oatman, AZ is rather twisty and turning, although racing there would be foolish. As not only will you miss the scenery, risk hitting a wild burro but the lack of a modern guardrail means you have to stay on the road out of your own skill. It's a great place to feel united with the elements and to go to just have a drive.
The Colorado Street Bridge in Pasadena, also known as the Suicide bridge, once carried Route 66, and although it generally lacks the water it does cross the Arroyo Seco (named so as mostly it's water flows beneath the ground). Now it might lack the cool Porsche with a pin stripe under the spoiler, it for sure is a cute bridge
The view west on Route 66 as you cross the Mohave desert might jog some memories as well.
So, are you ready for the adventure to travel the real Route 66 ? We're ready for you, there's a forum, detailed directions and a list of books and maps for you to take along.
