It’s impossible to miss Radiator Springs Racers when you visit Cars Land. Visitors come back for race after race, and after a while, the walkways and rock formations feel like home. But there’s one little rock formation you’ve probably walked by a million times and never thought twice about – and it has a back story.
As you walk toward the final portion of the queue (when all lanes take a sharp right turn), you’ll see a small water tower and a car-shaped rock with flowing water.
Welcome to Stanley’s Oasis. This unassuming little rock formation and accompanying water tower aren’t just decor; they actually represent the very beginnings of Radiator Springs.
Here is the story of the spring, as described on the Radiator Springs map (found along the back walkway behind Ramone’s).
In the 1900s, cars driving across Ornament Valley in the sweltering summers often overheated. A desert littered with burst radiator caps was a common sight. But on August 2, 1909, as a traveling radiator cap salesman named Stanley began to boil over, he happened upon a natural spring – nature’s coolant! Upon his most fortunate discovery, the enterprising young car decided to stay at this “Radiator Springs” and set up shop servicing overheated Route 66 travelers. He offered free drinks to anyone in need of a new radiator cap, which he carried in all shapes and sizes.
One day, a lovely little Model-T named Lizzie rolled in to the oasis. The moment she and Stanley saw each other they fell head-over-wheels in love. Lizzie started a small curios business and a comfy motor court in a naturally cooled cavern. When their friendly little oasis began to attract more customers, Lizzie and Stanley moved down from the higher rocks to the flat land on which to expand. Stanley named the town Radiator Springs, and soon other shops and services began to spring up. The day the courthouse was completed Lizzie and Stanley were married and they lived happily ever after in the cutest little town in Carburetor County.
