1) Tow Mater is a character from the Cars franchise voiced by Larry the Cable Guy. He is based on a 1951 International Harvester tow truck. 2) Mater owns the towing and salvage business "Tow Mater Towing and Salvage" in Radiator Springs. He is the first to befriend Lightning McQueen and supports him throughout his time in Radiator Springs. 3) Mater has adventures with Lightning McQueen in later Cars films and spin-offs, and is a playable character in many of the Cars video games.

1. Mater (Cars)

2. Tow Mater, or simply Mater, is a character
in Cars and its sequels, as well as CarsTons.
He is voiced by Larry the Cable Guy and
inspired by a 1951 International
Harvester[1] tow truck. Portrayed
as Lightning McQueen's best friend and
sidekick, he had a breakout role in Cars
Tons: Mater'sTallTales and in other media
related to Cars.
INTRODUCTION

3. Mater's design is based on a 1951 International
Harvester boom truck once used to lift equipment from
mine shafts in Cherokee County, Kansas.[2] 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.
Background

9. Mater's color was originally baby blue as shown in a
flashback; however, over the years he has rusted into a
patchwork light brown/orange color with some of the
blue still showing through. He is missing his hood and
his left headlight. In the short Mater and the Ghost
light, his right headlight fell out as well. During the
first Cars movie credits Mater fished his hood from a
cliff up inTailfin Pass, and his hood showed more of its
original color than the rest of Mater. But then Mater
sneezed, causing the hood to fall back down the cliff.
His license plate number is A113. Mater is also capable
of racing, as well as being the (self-proclaimed) world's
best backwards driver.
Characterization

10. He runs "Tow MaterTowing and Salvage" and is the
first to befriend and support Lightning throughout his
adventure in Radiator Springs. During the film, Mater
shows Lightning how to do "Tractor-Tippin'" and how
to drive backwards without crashing, a technique
which Lightning uses to counter Chick Hicks' dirty
racing in the Piston Cup tiebreaker. In the end,
McQueen asksTex to give Mater an opportunity to fly
in a Dinoco helicopter like he always wanted, saying
to Sally that Mater is his best friend.
Cars

11. Mater's friendship with Lightning McQueen has grown
rather than diminished, with a lengthy best-friend
handshake to prove it. Mater values every dent made
during his adventures with Lightning as symbolic of
their friendship. In an attempt to defend his friend
against rival racing opponent Francesco Bernoulli,
Mater gets Lightning to race in the World Grand Prix.
Lightning in turn invites Mater to join him, and they set
out from Radiator Springs toTokyo for the first race.
Mater is soon mistaken for an American secret agent
and caught up in the world of spies.
Cars 2

12. The short film follows Mater's day-to-day
activities after things have returned to normal in
Radiator Springs. Mater likes to play scary
pranks on other characters until a blue light
begins haunting him. His final prank is his most
successful: Lightning McQueen sees a tow hook
hanging from behind a stack of cans and,
assuming that Mater is hiding behind it,
approaches to foil the prank.
Mater and the Ghost light

13. Mater is the main character in the animated short
series, A CarsToons: Mater'sTallTales. Each tale
begins with Mater telling a story of something he has
done in the past. In the story, Mater finds himself in
an inescapable predicament. When McQueen
questions Mater over whether the events in the story
actually occurred, Mater responds, "Don't you
remember?You was there too!", and continues the
story including McQueen's sudden participation.
Cars Toons: Mater's Tall Tales

14. Mater appears in all Cars video games to date. In
the sequel video game Cars, Mater is a playable
character in the Arcade Mode, "TractorTipping",
and "Rust bucket Race-O-Rama" levels. He does
commentary for the race in "Radiator Springs
Grand Prix" and "Radiator Springs GP". He
teaches McQueen how to drive backwards in
"Mater's Backwards Lesson". Mater is a playable
character in both the Story and Arcade Modes
of Cars Mater-National Championship.
Video games