Helping Audiences Appreciate the ‘Legends’…

I’m extremely grateful to have a job where I get to work on ‘CARS’ every day… At least animated ones. The best part about my specific role as a Creative Director is having a opportunity to help choose and consult on certain vehicles for our films, especially the older cars. In Cars 3, you’ll meet the ‘Legends’ of our racing world; These are the racers that ran with the Fabulous Hudson Hornet (aka Doc) back in the early days of Piston Cup Racing:

Louise “Barnstormer” Nash (based on Louise Smith), a 1950 Nash Ambassador.

Junior “Midnight” Moon (based on Junior Johnson), a 1940 Ford Standard Coupe moonshine car.

River Scott (based on Wendell Scott), a late 30s dirt track car.

Smokey (based on Smokey Yunick), a 1947 Hudson pickup truck.

Yes, these characters are based on real legends of NASCAR, and the vehicles are based on actual cars connected to those legends we drew inspiration from. The team worked extremely hard on getting the details right in this movie- The single stage paint, bias ply tires, period graphics, even the correct engine sounds (more on that later). The point is to make these characters as authentic and believable as possible, which helps to put the audience right into the story.

At the end of the day, if one more kid recognizes and appreciates a Hudson pickup or a ’40 Ford, I’m a happy man… That’s one more youngster that might grow up wrenching on old cars and joining us on the HAMB. Cars 3 hits theaters on June 16th, and I hope you enjoy it…