Wheel Well Motel

Wheel Well Motel
Background information
Feature films	Cars Cars 2
Video games	Cars: The Video Game Cars Mater-National Championship Cars Race-O-Rama
Park attractions	Disney's Art of Animation Resort
Other information
Location	U.S. Route 66
Visitors	Lightning McQueen, Mater, Sally Carrera, Luigi, Guido, Fillmore, Sarge, Sheriff, Red

The Wheel Well Motel is a location in the 2006 Disney/Pixar animated film, Cars and its 2011 sequel. The motel used to be a very popular stop for visitors. It closed due to lack of clients when the Interstate was built. Years later, it was soon re-opened known as "Grand Re-opening." In Cars 2, it is shown to have been turned into a popular restaurant.

History

Back when Radiator Springs was a famous rest area, the Wheel Well Motel was a popular tourist attraction. However, when Radiator Springs got bypassed by the newly-built Interstate 40, the town was removed from maps and the Wheel Well Motel lost its popularity and most likely became abandoned. When Sally Carrera takes Lightning McQueen for a drive through Tailfin Pass, they end up at the Wheel Well Motel, now a run-down building. It is there that Sally explains her past and the town's history to Lightning. After McQueen sets up his racing headquarters in Radiator Springs, putting the town back on the maps, he and Sally remodel the Wheel Well Motel and have it back open to the public.

Years later, the Wheel Well Motel has become a popular restaurant, restoring the building to its original glory. Guido sometimes serves as a bartender a the restaurant, serving drinks to his friends and customers. Mater, posing as a waiter, watches The Mel Dorado Show at Wheel Well before he calls the show to defend McQueen when Francesco Bernoulli belittles him. This eventually causes McQueen to get a spot in the World Grand Prix, much to the customers' and his friends' delights.

Gallery

The Wheel Well in Cars 2

The interior

The gas pumps before the new opening

The interior before the new opening

The entrance before the new opening

McQueen and Sally having dinner at Wheel Well.

Add a photo to this gallery

Trivia

• The wheel form of the motel complements the old car shape of the hill where it's built.
• This motel's location is inspired by the Chief Yellowhorse's location in New Mexico.

v - e - d

Media Films: Cars • Cars 2 • Cars 3 • Pixar Popcorn (Unparalleled Parking • Dancing with the Cars) Television: Mater and the Ghostlight • Miss Fritter's Racing Skoool • Cars Toons • Cars: Racing Sports Network Music: Cars • Cars 2 • Cars 3 • The Music of Cars Land Video Games: Cars: The Video Game • Cars 2: The Video Game • Cars: Mater-National Championship • Cars: Race-O-Rama • The World of Cars Online • Cars: Radiator Springs Adventures • Kinect Rush: A Disney/Pixar Adventure • Disney Infinity • Cars: Fast as Lightning • Cars: Lightning League • Cars 3: Driven to Win Books: Disney's Wonderful World of Reading • Little Golden Book Disney Parks Cars Land • Disney's Art of Animation Resort • Cars: Road Trip • Cars Quatre Roues Rallye • Disney Animation Building • Luigi's Flying Tires • Luigi's Rollickin' Roadsters • Mater's Junkyard Jamboree • Pixar Pal-A-Round • Radiator Springs Racers Entertainment: Lightning McQueen Live! • Lightning McQueen's Racing Academy • Moteurs... Action! Stunt Show Spectacular • Pixar Playtime Pals Restaurants: Cozy Cone Motel • Fillmore's Taste-In • Flo's V8 Cafe Shops: Radiator Springs Curios • Ramone's House of Body Art • Sarge's Surplus Hut Parade: Mickey's New Year's Eve Parade • Paint The Night Parade • Pixar Play Parade Fireworks: ILLUMINATE! A Nighttime Celebration • Together Forever: A Pixar Nighttime Spectacular • Wonderful World of Animation • World of Color: Celebrate! Characters Cars: Lightning McQueen • Mater • Sally Carrera • Mack • Strip Weathers • Chick Hicks • Mia and Tia • Harv • Doc Hudson • Flo • Ramone • Sheriff • Luigi • Guido • Sarge • Fillmore • Red • Lizzie • Stanley • Tex Dinoco • Lynda Weathers • Jay Limo • Tuner Cars • Bessie • Frank • Tractors • Jerry Recycled Batteries Cars 2: Finn McMissile • Holley Shiftwell • Tony Trihull • Rod "Torque" Redline • Tomber • Miles Axlerod • Professor Zündapp • Grem • Acer • Francesco Bernoulli • Victor Hugo • Vladimir Trunkov • J. Curby Gremlin • Tubbs Pacer • Ivan • Uncle Topolino • Mama Topolino Cars 3: Cruz Ramirez • Jackson Storm • Sterling • Miss Fritter • Chase Racelott • Danny Swervez • Bubba Wheelhouse • Bobby Swift • Smokey • Junior, River, and Louise Mater and the Ghostlight: Screamin' Banshee Cars Toons: Kabuto • Big D • Skipper Riley • Sandy Dunes • Blue Grit • Idle Threat • Shifty Sidewinder Video Games: Candice • Stinger Deleted Characters: Giulia Episodes Mater's Tall Tales: Rescue Squad Mater • Mater the Greater • El Materdor • Tokyo Mater • Unidentified Flying Mater • Monster Truck Mater • Heavy Metal Mater • Moon Mater • Mater Private Eye • Air Mater • Time Travel Mater Tales From Radiator Springs: Hiccups • Bugged • Spinning • The Radiator Springs 500½ Canceled Episodes: To Protect and Serve Songs Cars: Real Gone • Life is a Highway • Our Town • McQueen and Sally • Sh-Boom • Route 66 • Find Yourself • Behind the Clouds • My Heart Would Know Cars 2: You Might Think • Polyrhythm • Mon Cœur Fait Vroum (My Heart Goes Vroom) • Collision of Worlds • Nobody's Fool Cars 3: Run That Race • Glory Days • Ride Others: Free Ride • Welcome to Radiator Springs • Radiator Rock • Mambo Italiano • Stop in the Name of Love • Riding in My Car (Car Car Song) • Low Rider (Espanol Fantasma Mix) • Junkyard Jamboree • Big Bulldozer • Tow Mater (The One You Want to Call) • Mater's Square Dance • Let's Go Driving Organizations/Groups Dinoco • Tuner Cars • World Grand Prix • Lemons Locations Radiator Springs • Luigi's Casa Della Tires • Ramone's House of Body Art • Cozy Cone Motel • Fillmore's Taste-In • Flo's V8 Café • Mrs. Piston • Willy's Butte • Radiator Springs Curios • Radiator Springs Drive-In Theatre • Wheel Well Motel • London, England • Paris, France • Porto Corsa • Tokyo • California • Los Angeles International Speedway • Motor Speedway of the South • Ornament Valley • Big Ben • Top Down Truckstop • Big Bentley • Hollywood Objects Piston Cup • Allinol See Also The Science Behind Pixar • Pixar in a Box • Cars (franchise)