Other Vehicles

Van and Minny Van (voiced by Richard Kind) and Minny (voiced by Edie McClurg) are husband and wife. In the first film, they are lost and pass through Radiator Springs while trying to find their way back to Interstate 40. Van refuses to ask directions, claiming not to need them due to having a GPS. Minny mentions that Van did the same when they were heading up to the "Crazy Days" (a parody of Derby Days[23]) in Shakopee. U.S. Route 66, taken off the map in 1985, is conspicuously absent from stored maps in automotive aftermarket GPS units — an omission also noted by Harv, Lightning's agent, and a minor running joke in the film. Both are equipped with car alarms, which they arm after their encounter with Lightning McQueen when he begs them to call for help (they dismissed his plea as madness). After the final credits, Van and Minny are shown dirty and lost somewhere in the desert, having never asked for directions, with Van almost driven to insanity. Their names combine as a pun on "minivan". Van is a 2003 Ford Windstar and Minny appears to be a 1996 Dodge Caravan. Minny speaks with a pronounced Minnesota accent. Van and Minny reappear near the end of the second film. While Minny is mesmerized by Mater's spy story, Van does not believe one word of it until British agent Holley Shiftwell arrives to confirm it, which surprises Van, leaving him mesmerized by her and annoying Minny. In the final scene, when a rocket-propelled Mater rushes past Van, maps that Van was carrying are sent flying.