For Japanese car enthusiasts, the most beloved scene from Pixar’s Cars has nothing to do with Nascar or Route 66. It’s the part when a gang of delinquent tuners mob Lightning McQueen’s trailer and cause it to jettison him onto the highway, redirecting the protagonist to Radiator Springs where the story unfolds. This year marks the 20th anniversary of Cars‘ release, and Toyota Gazoo Racing in collaboration with the WEC have recreated this memorable sequence with real cars.
In this version instead of Lightning McQueen, the trailer is transporting the Le Mans-winning Toyota TR010 along a dark highway at night. Suddenly, a chorus of tuned engines breaks the peace. A quartet of heavily modified Toyotas awash with underglow, including both ZN6 and ZN8, swarms on the hapless semi truck. A be-spoilered GR Supra represents the tuner parody Wingo and a boxy, fire-spitting Mark II stands in for Snot Rod, originally a Dodge Challenger.
This time, the tuners’ antics don’t inadvertently result in Toyota’s priceless champion being discharged on the expressway. Instead, they hack the truck’s GPS and redirect it to Fuji Speedway, where the TR010 raced at the 6 Hours of Fuji, Round 7 of the WEC calendar. It’s not quite as dramatic as Pixar’s animated film, but it’s a nice real-life homage to a movie that’s inspired a lot of car enthusiasts.
While the weekend’s results didn’t see the Le Mans-winning No.7 car take the checkered flag, its sister car, the No.8 TR010, did, solidifying Toyota’s points lead in the Manufacturers’ Championship.
