Cars is a media franchise including the 2006 film Cars, the 2011 film Cars 2, the 2017 film Cars 3, the 2022 series Cars on the Road, the 2013 film Planes, and the 2014 film Planes: Fire & Rescue. This page is a list of characters that have appeared in the franchise.

Piston Cup racers

• 

  2008 Dodge Viper
  Lightning McQueen (voiced by Owen Wilson in the films, Cars on the Road, video game adaption, Kinect Rush: A Disney-Pixar Adventure, and Lego The Incredibles; Ben Rausch in Cars 3: Driven to Win and Keith Ferguson in all other media) is a custom-built racecar who competes in the Piston Cup Racing Series. His design bares resemblance to generation 4 NASCAR vehicles as well as the Dodge Viper and Ford GT40. During his career, Lightning has won several Piston Cup championships and has never recorded a major accident in a race until Cars 3, where he suffered a rollover crash in an attempt to keep up with Jackson Storm, a "next-generation" racecar. He is best friends with Mater and is Sally's boyfriend.
• Mack (voiced by John Ratzenberger) is a custom 1985 Mack Super-Liner and Lightning's transporter. One night, Lightning convinces Mack to drive to his tiebreaker race in Los Angeles despite federal DOT regulations which legally grant Mack ten hours of off-duty rest.^[1] As a result, Mack struggles to stay awake and, distracted by a group of teenage tuner cars who cause him to fall asleep and push him off the road to the shoulder, loses Lightning. Mack later arrives in Radiator Springs after Doc Hudson reveals Lightning's location and takes residence there in the film's epilogue.
• Sterling Burnish (voiced by Nathan Fillion^[2]) is one of the main antagonists of Cars 3. Sterling assigns Cruz Ramirez to train Lightning and prepare him for the Florida 500. After watching Lightning's poor performance on the racing simulator, Sterling attempts to convince him to retire and become a brand. Lightning convinces Sterling to give him a chance at winning the Florida 500.
• 

  2017 Jaguar F-Type
  Cruz Ramirez (voiced by Cristela Alonzo^[3]) is Lightning's trainer and technician at the Rust-eze Racing Center. She resembles a Jaguar F-Type. Cruz is known for training some of the best rookie racecars through her unconventional training methods. After Sterling introduces Cruz to Lightning, he assigns her to train Lightning for the Florida 500. At the Florida 500, Sterling attempts to send Cruz back to the training center. Lightning, aware of Cruz's dream of becoming a racecar, exits the race to allow Cruz to take his place. Using what she has learned from Lightning and Smokey, Cruz catches up to Jackson Storm. Storm is furious at the thought of a standard production car beating him in a race and rams Cruz into the wall on the final lap. However, Cruz flips over Storm and lands first place. Cruz later returns in Cars 3: Driven to Win.

Richard Petty's #43 Plymouth Superbird

• Strip "The King" Weathers (voiced by Richard Petty) is a veteran race car and racing legend. Weathers is an anthropomorphic version of Petty's 1970 Plymouth Superbird, sporting the same shade of blue and Petty's racing number, 43, as well as being a fictionalized version of him.^[4] He is one of the racers in the 2005 Piston Cup three-way tie, along with Chick Hicks and Lightning McQueen. Known as Dinoco's "Golden Boy" having won several Piston Cups,^[5] Weathers is hoping for his eighth win in the tiebreaker race before entering retirement so he can spend more time with his wife. He returns in Cars 3 as the crew chief of his nephew Cal Weathers.

• Chick Hicks (voiced by Michael Keaton in Cars, Cars: the Video Game, and Cars Race-O-Rama. Bob Peterson in Cars 3) is Lightning's main rival in the first film. Chick is an arrogant racecar who often cheats to gain position in races. He resembles a 1987 Buick Regal. Chick returns in Cars 3 being voiced by Bob Peterson, due to Keaton's scheduling conflicts with Spider-Man: Homecoming. He now hosts his own talk show, Chick's Picks on Racing Sports Network. Chick also returns in the Cars video game and also Cars 3: Driven to Win, where he conducts post-race interviews and gives commentary about the players performance.

• Jackson Storm (voiced by Armie Hammer in the film and^[6] AJ Hamilton in Cars 3: Driven to Win) is an arrogant "nextgen" Piston Cup racecar, and Lightning's main rival in Cars 3. In the film, Storm appears out of nowhere and starts winning race after race, forcing many last-generation racecars to retire. During the last race of the season, Lightning pushes himself too hard while trying to compete with Storm and damages his engine, resulting in a rollover crash. At the Florida 500, Storm is intimidated by Lightning's former trainer Cruz Ramirez, who replaces Lightning in the race. He attempts to make her lose focus by telling her that she is not the type of car who belongs on a racetrack. Cruz regains her confidence and drives up next to Storm, who rams her into a wall. Cruz flips over Storm in the same fashion Doc Hudson once did with another racer and wins. Storm's racing number is 20.

Radiator Springs

Chevrolet Task Force

• Mater (voiced by Larry the Cable Guy) is a rusty tow truck resembling a 1957 Chevrolet Task Force. He is Lightning's best friend and Holley Shiftwell's boyfriend.
• Sally Carrera (voiced by Bonnie Hunt) is Radiator Spring's attorney and Lightning's girlfriend. She is a 2002 Porsche 996 Carrera. In 2022, Porsche made a one-off Porsche 911 as a tribute to the character, referred to as the "Sally Special".^[7]
  

  Porsche 996 Carrera

1951 Hudson Hornet

• Doc Hudson (voiced by Paul Newman in the first and third films and the video game adaptation of the first film and Corey Burton in all other related media) was Radiator Spring's medical doctor, judge, and Lightning's mentor/crew chief. He is a 1951 Hudson Hornet. Doc does not appear in Cars 2 due to Paul Newman's death, and it is implied that he died at some point after Cars. Doc appeared in Cars 3 in Lightning's flashbacks, being voiced by archival recordings of Newman.

1949 Mercury Eight coupe

• Sheriff (voiced by Michael Wallis) is a 1949 Mercury Eight police car.^[8] Sheriff is painted in classic black and white with a single red light dome, two sirens, and curb feelers. Sheriff was the first resident of Radiator Springs to appear in Cars and the first to meet Lightning. Sheriff reappears in Cars 2, seeing Lightning and his race-crew off to the World Grand Prix. During the climax of the film, Sheriff arrives with the other Radiator Springs residents as new members of Lightning's pit crew in England, and is informed by Mater of the Lemons cars' plot to kill Lightning in order to turn all vehicles in the world against alternative fuel and rely on gasoline for profit. Sheriff returns as a supporting character in Cars 3.

Fiat 500

• Luigi (voiced by Tony Shalhoub in the films and video games and Michael Shalhoub in Disney Infinity) and Guido (voiced by Guido Quaroni) are part of Lightning's pit crew. Luigi is a 1959 Fiat 500^[9] who owns a tire shop called Luigi's Casa Della Tires,^[10] which is known for its "Leaning Tower of Tires", a tower of several tires shaped like the Leaning Tower of Pisa. Both are Scuderia Ferrari fans.

1959 Chevrolet Impala coupe

• Ramone (voiced by Cheech Marin in the films and video games and Milton James in Cars 3: Driven to Win) is a 1959 Chevrolet Impala coupé^[11] lowrider who owns Ramone's House of Body Art, where he paints himself and other cars, including Lightning McQueen later in the film. His garage employs the distinctive architecture of the Tower Station (U-Drop Inn) in Shamrock, Texas.
• Flo (voiced by Jenifer Lewis) is the owner of Radiator Springs only gas diner, "Flo's V-8 Café", and is married to Ramone. She appears to be inspired by two early- to mid-1950s show cars: the 1951 Buick XP-300 (side trim), 1951 General Motors Le Sabre and the 1957 Chrysler Dart concept car (front view) or 1960 Chrysler 300F 2 doors hardtop custom (cockpit, deck lid, and tailfins).^[12]

Waldmire's Volkswagen in the Route 66 Hall of Fame

• Fillmore (based on Route 66 artist Bob Waldmire^[13] and voiced by George Carlin in Cars, the video game, and Cars Toons (via archival recordings), Scott Wood in Cars Mater-National Championship, and Lloyd Sherr in all other media after the first film due to Carlin's death) is a 1963 Volkswagen Type 2 who owns a store that sells organic biofuel.^[14] He is a stereotypical hippie,^[15] as he has numerous stickers of the peace sign and flowers as well as a soul patch.
• Lizzie (voiced by Katherine Helmond) is a 1924 Ford Model T Coupe, the widow of Radiator Springs' founder Stanley, and the owner of Lizzie's Curios.

Cars 2

These are characters who have first or only appeared in the film Cars 2 (2011).

• 

  Aston Martin DB5
  Finn McMissile (voiced by Michael Caine in the second film and Martin Jarvis in the video games) is a British secret agent who recruits Mater to help in his mission. His design is based on classic European sports cars such as the Aston Martin DB5 and BMW 507, while his small tail fins were inspired by a 1958 British sports car called the Peerless—one of the few British cars with fins.^[16] Finn's suspicions about the World Grand Prix turn out to be correct, as the event was revealed to be a cover-up by Miles Axelrod to turn the world against alternative fuel.
• Holley Shiftwell (voiced by Emily Mortimer) is a British spy-in-training, and Mater's love interest. Her design bears resemblance to the Mazda C-X75 concept car.
• 

  2009 Dodge Challenger
  Rod "Torque" Redline (voiced by Bruce Campbell) is an American spy who is captured and murdered by the Lemons in Tokyo. His design is based on modern American muscle cars such as the Dodge Challenger and Ford Mustang.
• 

  1975 AMC Pacer
  The Lemons are international criminals that appear in Cars 2. They are all cars with a negative reputation and consist of four families: the AMC Pacer, the AMC Gremlin, the Hugo (based on the Yugo 45), and the Trunkov (based on the ZAZ-968).
• Miles Axlerod (voiced by Eddie Izzard) is the main antagonist of Cars 2. His design is based on the Range Rover Classic and Land Rover Defender 90, two cars famous for poor build quality. Axlerod created the World Grand Prix to promote his new biofuel called Allinol that turns out to be ordinary gasoline engineered to ignite when hit with an electromagnetic pulse. Axlerod planned to use Professor Zündapp and the Lemons to kill Lightning in the final race, but the EMP weapon failed because Sarge had switched Lightning's Allinol for Fillmore's organic fuel before the start of the race. His engine, quoted as "the worst motor ever made" in the film, is based on the Lucas fuel injected 3.5L Rover V8.
• 

  Zündapp Janus
  Professor Wolfgang Otto Zündapp (often referred simply as Professor Z) (voiced by Thomas Kretschmann) is a 1957 Zündapp Janus and an internationally wanted weapon designer. Though he initially appears to be the main antagonist, he is eventually revealed to be the secondary antagonist, and subordinate to Miles Axlerod.
• Francesco Bernoulli (voiced by John Turturro in Cars 2 and Cars 2: The Video Game, and Roger Craig Smith in Kinect Rush: A Disney-Pixar Adventure and Disney Infinity) serves as Lightning's primary racing rival in the World Grand Prix. He is based on modern Formula One cars and is painted in the colors of the Italian flag.

Cars 3

International S Series

• Miss Fritter (voiced by Lea DeLaria^[17]) is a demolition derby school bus, and a minor antagonist in Cars 3. Miss Fritter appears in the Crazy Eight demolition derby at the Thunder Hollow Speedway and nearly saws Cruz with her stop sign blades until Lightning stops her, only to get his tire shredded. Cruz Ramirez ends up winning the race. Miss Fritter later appeared in the Cars 3 short film "Miss Fritter's Racing Skoool" shooting a commercial for demolition derby racing along with her friends from Thunder Hollow. She returned in "Cars 3: Driven to Win" as a playable character.

Planes

Air Tractor AT-400 painted as Dusty

• Dusty Crophopper (voiced by Dane Cook)^[18][19] was inspired by the Air Tractor AT-502, Cessna and the PZL-Mielec M-18 Dromader.^[20] He is painted white and orange with some black stripes. After his training, he has the black Jolly Wrenches insignia Skipper earned him up front as well as "D7" on his rudder. Since the Germany leg in the WATG rally, he gained blue racing stripes and the number 7 in a white circle on his body and wings. After becoming severely damaged en route to Mexico in the storm, most Wings Around The Globe racers gave him new parts as well as gaining T-33 Shooting Star wings and a Skyslicer MK V propeller. At the end of the film, he has a Jolly Wrenches paint job while racing with Skipper, having been made an honorary Jolly Wrench.
• Skipper Riley (voiced by Stacy Keach) is a Vought F4U Corsair and Dusty's mentor. His sole mission was a routine patrol that turned disastrous when his squadron stumbled upon an enemy fleet, leaving him as the sole survivor.
• Sparky (voiced by Danny Mann) is a forklift and good friend of Chug and Skipper's assistant and mechanic.
• Ishani (voiced by Priyanka Chopra) is a Pan-Asian champion from India,^[21] based on the AeroCad AeroCanard^[22] with over a billion racing fans. She's painted orange and yellow with the number 6 in green. She is Dusty's good friend and Ripslinger's hated rival and former ally and teammate.
• Chug (voiced by Brad Garrett) is a fuel truck^[23] and Dusty's best friend.
• Dottie (voiced by Teri Hatcher) is a forklift^[23] and Dusty's friend and mechanic.
• Leadbottom (voiced by Cedric the Entertainer) is a biplane^[23] inspired by the Boeing-Stearman Model 75^[22] with a partial engine cowl.
• Rochelle (voiced by Julia Louis-Dreyfus) is a racing plane from Canada^[23] inspired by the Bay Super V, a conversion of the V-tail Model 35 Beechcraft Bonanza^[22] painted pink and white with some red maple leaf designs and the number 22. Originally from Quebec,^[23] her flag and paint job is localized in 11 countries.^[24] She is also El Chupacabra's girlfriend. In Australia and New Zealand, Rochelle is re-contextualized as a former Tasmanian mail delivery plane, and is voiced by Jessica Marais.^[25]
• Ripslinger (voiced by Roger Craig Smith) is a custom-built carbon-fiber race plane with green decals, orange flame designs, several racing sponsors and his name painted on his body and wings. He also has a four bladed contra-rotating propeller. Rip is captain of Team RPX and Dusty's hated rival in the film. His race number is 13. He later damaged Skipper's vertical stabilizer during the Mexico-New York leg.^[23][26] He returned as a main antagonist for Planes: the Video Game attempting to ruin Dusty's fame, wreck his town, paint Dusty graffiti on the Great Wall of China while disguised as him, and even cause trouble for Dusty's international friends including ruining the Diwali Festival in Ishani's home country.
• Ned and Zed (both voiced by Gabriel Iglesias) are the henchmen of Ripslinger and his teammates^[23] inspired by the Zivko Edge 540 and MX Aircraft MXS.^[22] Ned is green with white wings and the number 0 in orange, while Zed is white with green wings and the number 00 in orange. They are twin brothers from New Zealand (They represent the United States with Ripslinger in the film) who try to sabotage the other racers by flying aggressively (this was best demonstrated when they cut off Dusty's antenna, forcing him to land on the USS Dwight D. Flysenhower), allowing Ripslinger to take the win with Ned and Zed finishing second and third. They were later thwarted by Dusty when Ned hit a rock with his left wing, sending him into a barrel roll and trapping both him and Zed into a narrow gap that only Dusty was able to fly through.
• El Chupacabra (voiced by Carlos Alazraqui) is a red, white and green Gee Bee Model R^[20][27] and Dusty's good friend and Rochelle's boyfriend. He is racer number 5 from Mexico.

Planes: Fire & Rescue

• Lil' Dipper (voiced by Julie Bowen) is a Super Scooper^[28] based on the Grumman G-21 Goose and C-415 SuperScooper^[29] She is also Dusty's biggest fan and love interest.
• Maru (voiced by Curtis Armstrong) is a forklift mechanic at the Piston Peak Air Attack base.^[30][31]
• Blade Ranger (voiced by Ed Harris) is a veteran fire-and-rescue helicopter. He used to play a police helicopter in CHoPs with Nick "Loop'n" Lopez but became a firefighter when Nick died.^[31] Blade is inspired by the AgustaWestland AW109, AgustaWestland AW139.^[32] and Bell 429 GlobalRanger^[29]
• Windlifter (voiced by Wes Studi) is a Sikorsky S-64 Skycrane heavy-lift helicopter who used to work as a lumberjack before Planes 2.^[29][31][32]
• Cabbie (voiced by Dale Dye) is a Fairchild C-119 Flying Boxcar retired from military service who airdrops the Smokejumpers to fire sites.^[31][32]
• Dynamite (voiced by Regina King) is the leader of The Smokejumpers, a team of ground vehicles which parachute into fire sites.^[31]
• Pinecone (voiced by Corri English) is a smokejumper equipped with a rake tool to clear brush and debris.^[31]
• Avalanche (voiced by Bryan Callen) is a bulldozer and a smokejumper.^[31]
• Blackout (voiced by Danny Pardo) is a smokejumper equipped with a circular saw.^[31]
• Drip (voiced by Matt L. Jones) is a smokejumper equipped with a skid-steer claw to clear fallen trees and brush.^[31]
• Secretary of the Interior (voiced by Fred Willard) is a green four-wheel-drive with a roof rack.^[31]
• Harvey (voiced by Jerry Stiller) is an RV and Winnie's husband.^[31]
• Winnie (voiced by Anne Meara) is an RV and Harvey's wife.^[31]
• Nick "Loop'n" Lopez (voiced by Erik Estrada) is a helicopter TV actor who was the co-star of CHoPs. He was killed during filming of the series' one-hundred-thirty-ninth episode, and is the reason Blade became a firefighter (Blade couldn't save him in time).^[31]
• Ol' Jammer (voiced by Barry Corbin) is a tour bus at Piston Peak. He later was promoted as superintendent after Cad was fired from his selfishness.^[31]
• Mayday (voiced by Hal Holbrook) is an old fire and rescue truck from Propwash Junction.^[31]
• Ryker (voiced by Kevin Michael Richardson) is a transportation management safety truck with a roof-mounted water cannon for firefighting.^[31]
• Pulaski (voiced by Patrick Warburton) is a structural firefighting fire truck at Piston Peak with a roof-mounted water cannon for firefighting.^[31] Pulaski's namesake,^[29] Ed Pulaski, was known for his heroism in saving most of his crew during the Great Fire of 1910 by sheltering in an abandoned mine.

References