'Cars 2' Exclusive: First Look at Max Schnell

In Pixar’s upcoming “Cars 2” movie, the heroes from the original join a global cast of characters as they compete for the World Grand Prix and get caught up in international espionage. Cars.com has an exclusive reveal of one of the new faces (er, fascias?) that will join Lightning McQueen and Mater on screen.

Max Schnell is an ordinary German luxury sedan turned racecar. Max’s character takes inspiration from a real racing series, the DTM German Touring Car Championship, which features heavily modified Mercedes-Benz C-Class and Audi A4 sedans. In the real world, these competition versions make 460 horsepower from V-8 engines and tip the scales at a lightweight 2,300 pounds.

In “Cars 2,” Max has similar workings, with carbon fiber construction to drop as much weight as possible. Max has won more races at the fictional Motorheimring than anyone in his series.

You can read our behind-the-scenes look at “Cars 2,” which hits theaters June 24, here. A short video of Max in action is below.