Mater (Cars)

Mater
'Cars' character
Mater
First appearance	Cars (2006)
Created by	John Lasseter, Joe Ranft
Voiced by	Larry the Cable Guy
Inspiration	1951 International Harvester tow truck
Information
Species	1951 Chevrolet boom truck
Gender	Male
Occupation	Owner of Tow Mater Towing & Salvage, Lightning McQueen's best friend and successor as his crew chief
Title	Tow Truck
Significant other(s)	Holley Shiftwell

Tow-Mater is one of the main characters in Cars and its sequels, Cars 2 and Cars 3 as well as Cars Toons. He is voiced by Larry the Cable Guy and inspired by a 1951 International Harvester tow truck. Portrayed as Lightning McQueen's best friend and sidekick, he had a breakout role in Cars Toons: Mater's Tall Tales and in other media related to Cars.

Mater's design is based on a 1951 International Harvester boom truck once used to lift equipment from mine shafts in Cherokee County, Kansas. The Route 66 town of Galena is named for the lead sulphite ore galena, to which the series of small mining towns around Baxter Springs owe their boom and subsequent bust. The original truck is currently based at a former Kan-O-Tex Service Station in Galena; the station was restored as a Route 66 diner and souvenir shop by Four Women on the Route one year after the film's 2006 release.

Mater's driving skills include a claim to be "the world's best backwards driver," an ability picked up from none other than Dean Walker, a Kansas Historic Route 66 Association president known in Riverton as "Crazy Legs Walker, the Ambassador of Crazy Feet on Route 66" for his ability to twist his feet backward and walk in reverse.

Mater takes his nickname from construction superintendent and die-hard NASCAR fan Douglas "Mater" Keever, who provides the voice of one of the RV's watching the big race ("Well dip me in axle grease and call me slick!"). The RV's vantage point at the race is modelled on a "Redneck Hill" at Charlotte Motor Speedway favoured by hardcore fans in tents and pop-up campers.

...
Wikipedia