The Arizona Town That Inspired Radiator Springs Is An Americana Gem With Movie Landmarks

Historic Route 66, the 2,448-mile long highway known as the Mother Road, serving as and inspiring various film and tv productions, since its inception almost 100 years ago. As it runs through 385 miles of Arizona, dotted with small towns full of Americana charm and history, you'll find the small town of Seligman, known as the birthplace of historic Route 66, which will serve as the go-to choice for a retirement road trip in 2026 as the Mother Road celebrates its centennial. In addition to its role as an Americana gem with its Route 66 history, Seligman served as inspiration for the town of Radiator Springs, as seen in the Pixar movie "Cars" and visitors can feel the movie's vibe by venturing through its town landmarks.  

As a former railroad town along the Santa Fe Railroad, Seligman is named for one of the railroad's financiers, Jesse Seligman in 1886. When Route 66 was developed and passed through town, the economy blossomed as travelers would pass through on their journey west. That would change by the 1970s with the construction of Interstate 40 south of town, with fewer travelers coming through and led to loss of business and tourism to Seligman. Led by local barber and longtime resident Angel Delgadillo, an effort was launched to make Route 66 a historic road within Arizona, and was given the title of "Birthplace of Historic Route 66" in 1987 after formation of the Historic Route 66 Association of Arizona. Delgadillo and the Association's combined efforts have restored tourism to Seligman, and leading to entertainment intereste across both reality and fictional stories. Delgadillo appears in the documentary "Almost Ghosts," highlighting him still working as a barber in Seligman, and attracted Disney-Pixar's attention for "Cars."

Fans of the movie will get a Radiator Springs vibe simply from Seligman's vintage feel, full of neon signs, old-fashioned diners, and funky shops. In the movie, the main character, Lightning McQueen, is an anthropomorphic race car on his way to a race in California, when he ends up stranded in a Route 66 town called Radiator Springs. While there, he befriends locals who want to revitalize their town, left suffering post Interstate construction. The film's writer and director, John Lasseter, got inspiration for the story in a nod to his childhood road trips along Route 66. After a visit to Seligman and meeting with locals including Angel Delgadillo, Lasseter modeled the fictional town after Seligman and the town's survival story. 

A must-do locale is the Seligman Motoporium, a quirky stop which features antique cars and motorcycles, Route 66 gifts, and custom t-shirts. Here you'll find a Volkswagen Bug similar to the fictional character of Fillmore, per Visit Arizona. The recently closed Historic Seligman Sundries building, which housed an old-fashioned soda shop and store, featured a vintage tow truck which resembled the character of "Tow Mater," and is likely still visible in town, along with other vintage vehicles. Visit Delgadillo's Snow Cap Drive In, opened in 1953 by the Delgadillo family, serving up classic Americana fare since then, and similar to the movie's Flo's V8 Cafe. In homage to the film, antique cars located behind it now have faux eyes in them, one of several places you'll see this, according to an article in The Spectrum. 

The most common way visitors experience Seligman is during a road trip re-tracing the routes of The Mother Road, and it's just a three hour drive away from Phoenix's Sky Harbor International Airport, with regional options 68 miles away from Prescott's Regional Airport or 79 miles away from the Flagstaff Pulliam Airport. You could also choose to retrace its railroad routes and arrive in Williams, just 40 miles away from Seligman on Amtrak's daily Southwest Chief route, which mirrors Route 66 for portions of its route.

If you're making an overnight stop in Seligman, consider The Historic Route 66 Motel, a classic budget-friendly roadside motel. Each of the 16 rooms feature Route 66 themed decor which is easy to spot with its retro neon Route 66 sign. Next door is one place you won't want to miss, The Roadkill Cafe and O.K. Saloon, which in addition to inspiring the movie, was also featured in an episode of the "Great American Road Trip," a reality show where families in RVs traveled along Route 66 and competed in challenges, per IMDB. With humorously roadkill themed menu items and Old West decor (including items used in taxidermy), the diner, bar and souvenir shop is one example of Seligman's Americana charm. Stop in at Angel & Vilma Delgadillo's Original Route 66 Gift Shop for a souvenir and view his historic barber shop room, now functioning as a museum for those who travel through Seligman. You can also head to Holbrook, the quirky city in the extraordinary Painted Desert with Route 66 Kitsch, home of the Wigwam Motel, which served as the model for the movie's Cozy Cone Motel, according to an Roadtrippers.com article.