This is a full sized Mater.
The task to transform cartons into real cars was given by Pixar to Eddie Paul’s “Customs By Eddie Paul”, a division of EP Industries, Inc.
The project included real-life versions of the characters “Lightning McQueen” (based on a Pontiac Trans Am), “Sally Carrera” (based on a Porsche 911) and tow truck “Mater”.
Each vehicle was built in less than one month; the development process included computer 3D modeling - done in Rhino - CNC machining and the bodyshop expertise of Eddie’s team.
The cars were displayed at various automotive events to promote the movie and were presented recently at the SEMA Show.
Among the technical difficulties of this particular jobs was the presence of mouths in place of the front grilles. In order to get airflow into the engine, Paul’s team installed intake fans to collect air from the underbody and the interior.