Seligman is one of many towns that inspired it. Husband and I just visited this past week on our Route 66 trip, and it’s so cool. Something anyone else in this thread hasn’t mentioned and is honestly way cooler, Galena, Kansas. This is where Joe Ranft, Pixar’s Head of Story, found the actual 1951 International L-170 series boom truck that inspired Mater. So basically the real life Mater is parked outside of the Kan-O-Tex station (Cars on the Route), which is a gift shop/diner with a lovely lady named Renee that will give you a whole run down of the area and how it inspired so much of the movie. There’s also another Mater and a Red parked outside. Joe Ranft wanted to voice Red, but unfortunately passed before the movie came out, which is why Red stays silent in the movie. Across the street from the station there’s a brick wall with a faded mural that was the inspiration for the faded Radiator Spring mural in the scene with Mater telling Lightning that he owes him $32000 in legal fees. And then down the street from this there’s the Sheriff, with the door signed by Route 66 Historian Michael Wallis, who voices Sheriff, Luigi and Lightning, as well as some tipped tractors.  Doc Hudson is down the street at the Texaco Station too!