Lightning McQueen
Lightning McQueen is a fictional anthropomorphic stock car and is the main protagonist of the Pixar franchise Cars, primarily voiced by Owen Wilson. His appearances include the feature films Cars, Cars 2, and Cars 3, as well as in the TV series Cars Toons and Cars on the Road. Lightning is also a playable character in each of the Cars video game installments. Lightning McQueen is the face of the Cars brand, and he is a popular mascot for Disney.
| Lightning McQueen | |
|---|---|
| Cars character | |
Lightning McQueen as he appears in Cars wearing his rookie paint job | |
| First appearance | Cars (2006) |
| Created by | John Lasseter Joe Ranft Jorgen Klubien |
| Voiced by | Owen Wilson (films, Cars: The Video Game, Mater and the Ghostlight, Cars Toons: Tales from Radiator Springs, and Cars on the Road) Keith Ferguson (most video games, Cars Toons: Mater's Tall Tales, Cars Toons: Tales from Radiator Springs, and Miss Fritter's Racing Skoool) Ben Rausch (Cars 3: Driven to Win) |
| In-universe information | |
| Full name | Lightning McQueen (born Montgomery McQueen) |
| Alias | Monty McQueen Chester Whipplefilter The Fabulous Lightning McQueen |
| Nickname | Stickers (by Sally Carrera) Buddy (by Tow Mater) Kid (by Doc Hudson) |
| Species | 2006 custom built stock car |
| Gender | Male |
| Occupation | Piston Cup Racer (in Cars and in Cars 3), World Grand Prix racer (in Cars 2), and Cruz Ramirez's crew chief (in Cars 3) |
| Significant other | Sally Carrera |
| Nationality | American |
Lightning is a professional racer in the Piston Cup racing series, which emulates the NASCAR Cup Series, and acquires several Piston Cup victories during his career. In Cars 2, he competes in the World Grand Prix, a short-lived event promoting a new alternative fuel called Allinol. At the end of Cars 3, he briefly assumes the role of Cruz Ramirez's crew chief and mentor before returning to racing.
In most Cars media, Lightning is the resident racecar of Radiator Springs, Arizona and is sponsored by Rust-eze Medicated Bumper Ointment. Although his design is inspired by various real vehicles including NASCAR, his overall appearance resembles a C6 Chevrolet Corvette, Dodge Viper (SR II), and Ford GT (2005). His body is painted red with yellow and orange lightning bolt stickers featuring his racing number on his sides. His appearance undergoes updates through the films, but generally maintains the same image. Lightning is seen briefly with no paint or decals in Cars 3.