The “Cars” series is undoubtedly the best example of this in the animation business. The history of cinema is filled with heroes and motorized protagonists—Cruz Ramirez co-stars with Lightning McQueen in the third volume.
The Cars series appeals to motorsports lovers for its respect for the world of racing and for having scenes that are incredibly realistic to NASCAR races, but one need not be a fan of animated movies to enjoy it.
The story’s protagonist also stands out clearly in the Pixar world: Young and intrepid Lightning McQueen strive to conquer the legends of the Piston Cup and, after doing so, battles to maintain his position as champion.
But as time passes and new, better-equipped competitors emerge, Lightning McQueen will need to reinvent himself to maintain his leadership position.
Cruz Ramirez, the main character in our article, steps in at this point.
A coach with the heart of a warrior
After winning seven Piston Cups and encountering the emergence of a new, far more contemporary and technological adversary in Jackson Storm, Cruz Ramirez serves as Lightning McQueen’s trainer as he embarks on a new voyage and makes an effort to retain the hegemony.
When Lightning McQueen tries his hardest to defeat Storm, he has a severe mishap that keeps him from competing for months, leading him to isolate himself in Radiator Storms and give retirement some serious thought.
Encouraged by his friends, he decides to take up racing again, this time with a new team and Cruz Ramirez as his trainer, who is knowledgeable about the most recent innovations in the sport.
Ramirez’s highest speed in the movie is 338 km/h, and he sprints from 0 to 100 km/h in 3.8 seconds.
Ramirez views herself as brave and upbeat and believes that anger can be channeled for good. She enjoys working with other racing cars as a trainer, especially Lightning McQueen, whom she deeply admires. She aspired to compete, and in the end, she was given the opportunity.
Ramirez, a 2017 CRS Sports Coupe with an aerodynamic chassis and Venturi Effect, appears in the movie.
It can go from 0 to 100 km/h in 3.8 seconds and achieve a top speed of 338 km/h thanks to its powerful DOHC V6 engine. C01-06A is the registration number for it.
The beginnings are complex, and just as Lightning McQueen is about to give up because he can’t handle his new competition, Cruz Ramirez proves that he still has what it takes to compete at the most significant level.
However, which vehicle is Cruz Ramirez? The Hispanic trainer is Subaru BRZ, with a Toyota GT86 as a twin brother on the market.
Subaru’s BRZ
B for Boxer engine, R for rear traction, and Z for Zenit make up the acronym BRZ (zenith).
The Subaru has a different grille and headlights than its twin, the Toyota GT86, and an other suspension system.
With a 2+2 fastback coupe body layout and a front-mounted naturally aspirated boxer engine with a weight distribution of 53% front to 47% rear, the remainder of the vehicle is primarily unchanged.
The BRZ also has rear-wheel drive, despite Subaru asking Toyota to create the model with all-wheel movement to uphold the brand’s legacy.
After purchasing Fuji Heavy Industries in 2008, Toyota partnered with Subaru on the project, abandoning the previous plan to use hybrid technology in favor of the boxer engine.
Subaru was developing the Impreza’s chassis simultaneously, and the vehicle was unveiled at the 2011 Tokyo Motor Show before going on sale the following year.
Swift and light
The Subaru BRZ is a sports car with an aluminum shell and a naturally aspirated four-cylinder boxer engine placed to minimize the center of gravity, similar to Cruz Ramirez in Cars 3.
The Toyota injection system generates 197 horsepower and 205 Nm of maximum torque, enabling the vehicle to attain a top speed of 233 km/h and accelerate from a complete stop to 100 km/h in just 7.6 seconds.
The six-speed manual or automatic gearbox from the Lexus IS250, which employs a wet torque converter but has software that mimics dual-clutch transmission performance, is one of the options available for the BRZ.
Since its introduction in 2012, the Subaru BRZ has undergone numerous improvements and an increase in engine output, reaching 208 horsepower in 2017.
The BRZ costs 30,000 dollars and comes in three models: Sport, Executive, and Special Edition. All three versions have a two-liter engine.
The Subaru BRZ has sold 40,000 units in the U.S., compared to the Toyota GT86’s almost 80,000 sales there throughout its commercial existence.
Will his role as Cruz Ramirez in Cars 3 play a role in this? The truth is that after the movie’s release in 2017, sales of the BRZ have not only not recovered but have also been dropping.
In 2019, only 2334 units were sold, less than a third of its best year, 2013, and has continued to decline.
