UPDATED September 7, 2026

START YOUR ENGINES… A new area inspired by the Pixar Animation Studios movie Cars is coming to Frontierland in Walt Disney World’s Magic Kingdom. Get ready to visit Piston Peak!

The cars are leaving Radiator Springs to explore the West and head into new frontiers. Piston Peak will invite you to enter the world of Cars with a National Park twist.

When making the intitial announcement about this new Magic Kingdom area, Disney Experiences Chairman Josh D’Amaro shared that “The American West has always been about keeping your eyes on the horizon … believing in yourself, carving your own path, and striving toward success. That goes for miners in the mountains, bears from the country, a princess from the bayou … or a racecar from the big city.”

Click on any of the links below to hop to a Piston Peak section:

• Piston Peak Inspiration
• Piston Peak Cars Attractions
• Piston Peak Design Elements
• Piston Peak Location
• Piston Peak Cars Area Timeline

Piston Peak Inspiration

The upcoming area is inspired by National Parks, and more specifically Rocky Mountain National Park in Colorado.

The name of Piston Peak stems from the fictional land, Piston Peak National Park, from the 2014 Disney film Planes: Fire & Rescue (which is part of the Cars universe).

Piston Peak will even feature a geyser inspired by Old Faithful called Old Tankfull.

Inspiration is also drawn from Disney parks (including areas like Grizzly Peak in Disney California Adventure), and even existing Resort buildings such as Disney World’s Wilderness Lodge.

In fact, Big Thunder Mountain Railroad — a classic Frontierland attraction which we’ll be able to see next door in Piston Peak — was inspired by Bryce Canyon National Park, so this is in keeping with current theming in Frontierland.

“The Wheelderness calls…” 

Here are 8 CLUES Hiding in the map of Piston Peak!

Piston Peak Cars Attractions

So, what’s coming to this Cars-themed area? Guests can look forward to two NEW Cars attractions!

Cars Ridge Run Rally

Get ready to race through the mountains on wild terrain along mountain trails as you dodge geysers and splash through mud holes on an exciting and thrilling ride: Cars Ridge Run Rally!

Disney shares that “The course will take racers through the rugged beauty of America’s national parks, including a climb up Piston Peak itself, where an icy, snow-covered mountaintop awaits.”

“After reaching the top, racers will plummet down for a camelback descent and later navigate an exhilarating geyser field. The race ends by circling the Old Tankfull geyser before a sprint to the finish line where Lightning McQueen and Mater are covering the race live on Racing Sports Network.”

Disney presented the concept art you see directly below when the as-then-unnamed Piston Peak was first announced.

However, at D23: The Ultimate Fan Event held in August 2026, NEW concept art was on display.

The most recent concept art presents a single track ride, as opposed to a head-to-head race from the original concept art. Additionally, models on display at D23 2026 made the ride appear as though it’s less of a race and more of a ride through Piston Peak.

Another piece of concept art from 2026 shows the finish line, which signals the end of the attraction. Guests will be met with Lightning McQueen, Mater, Guido, and Luigi, as well as a camera operator.

The finish line sign reads, “Rally Racers Finish,” with another sign under, reading, “Piston Peak Ridge Run Trail.”

Disney Imagineers have revealed that the queue for this ride will be housed in the visitor lodge area of Piston Peak National Park, which will be constructed to look like an A-frame mountain lodge.

In March 2025, Disney shared a bit about what’s going on behind the scenes when it comes to creating the new Cars attractions. Specifically, the Disney Imagineering team traveled to Arizona to take a ride in some real off-road vehicles to gain inspiration. Afterwards, the team worked with a motocross company to build a dirt track and work on creating the new ride vehicles. 

To ensure the attraction feels as realistic as possible, the team is using a customized production vehicle with sensors all over to gather data on how it feels to drive on varying terrain. Disney also revealed pieces of concept art for the ride vehicles, as you can see above and below!

Each vehicle (a car, of course!) will have its own personality along with its own name and number.

Imagineer Michael Hundgen explained, “Our primary goal is creating an emotional experience for our guests. For this Cars attraction, we need to invent a new type of ride vehicle. No one builds these in a factory because it has to do so much more than just carrying you from one place to another. We have to create a car that conveys a feeling when you ride in it.”

Additionally, Disney created their own outdoor track to better understand off-roading, and you can take a peek here. Ultimately, as Disney shared in August 2026, the new ride vehicles are being “designed not to simulate an off-road car, but to BE one. Michael [Hundgen, Vice President Creative] explained that the attraction design is unlike typical theme park systems, promising that guests will feel every bump, drop, and rock because this vehicle’s tires and suspension are truly driving over and reacting to them.’ ” 

At D23 2026, a new look at the ride vehicles was presented in a display. As you can see, these are designed to look like off-road vehicles with those lovable faces up front.

The details extend right down to the splashes of mud on the vehicles, which feature two rows of three seats each.

As you move through the queue for the attraction, you’ll be introduced to a new character: Ranger J. Autobahn Woodlore. (This is a nod to Ranger J. Audubon Woodlore, the park ranger from Disney’s Humphrey the Bear and Donald Duck cartoons.)

An animatronic of Ranger J. Autobahn Woodlore will be featured in a pre-show, where he’ll tell you about the history of Piston Peak and its folklore (which Disney has promised we’ll learn more about at a later date).

Take  DEEP DIVE into the concept art for BOTH Cars attractions HERE!

Miss Fritter’s Daredevil Spin-Along

The second ride will be geared toward “smaller racers” and will be fun for the whole family: Miss Fritter’s Daredevil Spin-Along!

You may be familiar with Miss Fritter (the “Diva of Demolition”) from Cars 3 and she’ll be starring in her very own ride!

Here, you’ll enter into a demolition derby with Miss Fritter and her “a larger than life personality,” in her form as a high school-sized bus animatronic!

And she’s inviting YOU along for the party as she hosts her “wildest demolition derby yet.”

Piston Peak Design Elements

The buildings in Piston Peak will have “car-ified” elements like lower windows so that cars can see out of them, entrances and building additions that are big enough for cars, and architecture that shows the cars are using found materials — such as old wagon wheels — in their buildings.

Disney Parks Blog shared that “To make sure these buildings fit naturally within the surrounding majestic landscapes, Imagineers are using a style of architecture called ‘Parkitecture,’ which was developed by the National Park Service to create structures that harmonize with the natural environment.”

Disney further stated that “From the outside, trees will provide a natural barrier between the off-road rally and other parts of Frontierland and Liberty Square.”

“Rugged mountains with dramatic peaks will be nestled along a calming waterway across from Grizzly Hall and soaring geysers from the famed Big Thunder Mountain Railroad will stretch into the trails of our off-road rally. ”

Piston Peak Location

The areas that were previously the Rivers of America and Tom Sawyer Island are being transformed into this brand-new land coming to the park. That means that Cars land will be located in Frontierland and as Disney wrote will, “put our guests in the driver’s seat as we—quite literally—explore a new frontier in Frontierland.”

To that end, the Rivers of America, Tom Sawyer Island (and the accompanying raft ride to the Island), and the Liberty Square Riverboat closed permanently on July 7th, 2025. You can see our coverage of the final day with these beloved classic attractions here.

Piston Peak Cars Area Timeline

An opening timeline for Piston Peak has not yet been announced; however, construction on Piston Peak is underway as of July 7th, 2025. That is when the Liberty Square Riverboat (which sailed down the Rivers of America) and Tom Sawyer Island closed to accommodate construction.

Additionally, the Walt Disney World Railroad needs to undergo some changes. As part of these changes, the Frontierland Walt Disney World Railroad station closed on July 7th, but the train is still available to take guests between the Main Street, U.S.A. and Fantasyland stations in “shuttle mode.”

We CAN’T WAIT to share EVERYTHING about this new area as it is revealed. In the meantime, find a COMPLETE GUIDE to Disney World’s Magic Kingdom HERE!

Click HERE to learn more about Disney World’s Magic Kingdom!