Revealed: Piston Peak ride vehicles and path for new Magic Kingdom ‘Cars’ attraction
We now have our best look yet at what guests will ride aboard when a major new “Cars” attraction races into Magic Kingdom.
Walt Disney Imagineering is displaying detailed ride vehicle maquettes for the off-road rally race planned for Piston Peak National Park, the new “Cars”-themed area under construction in Frontierland. The vehicles are on display as part of the Imagineering: Horizons pavilion at D23: The Ultimate Disney Fan Event.
While Disney has previously released concept art and shown Imagineers testing the technology behind the attraction, the new display provides a much closer look at the design of the vehicles themselves.
All photos by Matt Roseboom
Ride vehicles
The off-road racers have three rows of seating and are designed as individual “Cars” characters. Two of the vehicles on display carry the numbers 66 and 71 (an homage to Magic Kingdom’s opening year of 1971), with different colors, eyes, racing graphics and sponsor-style decals.
Mud and dirt cover their tires and lower bodies, fitting the rugged terrain that will be part of the attraction.
Disney has not yet announced an official name for the ride, though “Piston Peak Rally Racers” seems like a solid fit.
The attraction will take guests on an off-road rally race through the mountains of Piston Peak. Disney has previously teased rough terrain, mountain trails and mudholes as part of the adventure.
Piston Peak model reveals the rally course
The ride vehicles aren’t the only new look at Piston Peak. Walt Disney Imagineering has created a massive model of the new Magic Kingdom area for D23.
The model provides a much clearer sense of how the rally attraction will weave through the mountainous landscape. Vehicles can be spotted traveling along winding dirt trails, crossing bridges and moving through heavily wooded areas surrounded by waterfalls, streams and rockwork.
One section depicts the rally’s finish line, complete with checkered racing signage. Lightning McQueen and Mater can also be spotted nearby at what appears to be a race-day staging area.
A video of the model shared by Disney Parks offers an even closer look at the racing theme. “Race Day” banners line pedestrian pathways near the attraction, reinforcing the idea that guests will arrive at Piston Peak in the middle of an organized off-road racing event.
Other concept art displayed at D23 shows a rally vehicle bouncing along a rough wooden trail before heading toward a tunnel carved into the mountains.
The scale model also illustrates just how much of the attraction will be enveloped by landscaping. Dense forests, rocky terrain and substantial elevation changes surround portions of the rally route, helping separate the setting from the desert environment associated with Radiator Springs in the “Cars” films.
Related: “Cars” returns to theaters this September
A mountain formation anchors the Piston Peak landscape, while national park-inspired buildings, trails and waterways fill the surrounding area. The model also shows a wide walking path that goes around the far side of the Piston Peak area near The Haunted Mansion.
What’s next for Piston Peak?
Piston Peak National Park will ultimately feature two “Cars” attractions. Along with the larger rally race, Disney is developing a second attraction geared toward families that appears to involve some water effects. The D23 model provides the first look at that attraction as well (more on that soon).
The new area is being built on the former Rivers of America and Tom Sawyer Island section of Magic Kingdom as part of an expansion of Frontierland. Construction is already underway, but Disney has not announced an opening date for Piston Peak National Park.
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