Image Credit: GM.Pixar's Cars turned ordinary automotive design cues into a world of colorful, expressive characters, and two decades later, Chevrolet has decided to reverse the formula. Instead of turning real cars into animated ones, it has brought two familiar residents of Radiator Springs back into the real world.The project was created for D23: The Ultimate Disney Fan Event, where Chevrolet displayed a pair of specially wrapped production vehicles. One started life as a 2026 Colorado, while the other is a 2027 Bolt.There's some history behind the choices. Both characters being recreated have connections to General Motors vehicles, making the pairing considerably more appropriate than simply putting Lightning McQueen graphics on whatever happened to be available.AdvertisementAdvertisementDisney handled the creative direction while GM helped translate those ideas onto real Chevrolet sheet metal. Graphix Concepts was then tasked with turning the designs into full-size vehicles, a process that proved considerably more involved for one of the two transformations.The Colorado Became A Modern-Day RamoneThe more elaborate creation is a 2026 Chevrolet Colorado transformed into Ramone. In Cars, Ramone is the famously customized 1959 Chevrolet Impala lowrider who owns Ramone's House of Body Art in Radiator Springs.A Colorado obviously has very different proportions from a low-slung 1959 Impala, so the team wasn't attempting to build an exact physical replica. Instead, Disney created graphics that reinterpret Ramone's distinctive appearance around the bodywork of a modern Chevy pickup.Applying those graphics was particularly complicated because of the design's gradients. Installers had to carefully determine where individual vinyl panels would meet, with details as small as the Colorado's door handles requiring their own separately printed sections.AdvertisementAdvertisementGraphix Concepts also used a specialty silver metallic printable film for the truck. Its metallic flake was intended to give the finished graphics a paint-like appearance appropriate for a character whose entire personality revolves around custom paintwork.The New Bolt Was Transformed Into FloImage Credit: GM.Chevrolet's upcoming 2027 Bolt received the Flo treatment. The connection is slightly less obvious than Ramone's Chevrolet heritage, although GM says Flo's original character was inspired in part by the futuristic 1951 Buick XP-300 concept.Flo's comparatively consistent color scheme made the Bolt easier to wrap. Rather than dealing with the Colorado's complicated gradients, installers could divide the continuous-color vinyl into sections according to the size and shape of each body panel.Pairing these particular vehicles was also deliberate. The Colorado represents GM's continuing internal-combustion business, while the Bolt represents the electric side of its lineup.AdvertisementAdvertisementAccording to GM, selecting one combustion-powered vehicle and one EV was intended to reflect the company's emphasis on offering customers different powertrain choices. It also conveniently gives two very different modern Chevrolets a chance to cosplay as one of Cars' best-known couples.Building Them Took About A WeekTransforming the two Chevrolets wasn't as simple as printing some enormous stickers and applying them. Both vehicles first had to be thoroughly cleaned to remove contaminants, fingerprints, and oils that could prevent the vinyl from adhering correctly or spoil the finish.Graphic designers simultaneously prepared production-ready files for the wraps. Chevrolet says Graphix Concepts has only 12 people on its team, and every one of them contributed to the project at some stage.Completing both vehicles ultimately took approximately one week. GM also wanted to ensure the graphics didn't completely disguise the underlying vehicles, requiring the designs to balance recognizable Cars character details with the Colorado and Bolt's existing styling.Cars Is Celebrating Its 20th AnniversaryThe timing isn't accidental. Pixar's Cars arrived in U.S. theaters on June 9, 2006, meaning Lightning McQueen, Mater, Ramone, Flo and the rest of Radiator Springs are celebrating their 20th anniversary in 2026.AdvertisementAdvertisementGM and Disney's relationship stretches back even further. Their collaboration dates to EPCOT's World of Motion attraction in 1982, while GM today serves as the Official Vehicle Sponsor of Walt Disney World Resort and presenting sponsor of Test Track.These Colorado and Bolt creations aren't production special editions, so don't expect to walk into a Chevrolet dealer and order your own factory-built Ramone pickup. As one-off promotional builds go, however, they're a fun way of celebrating 20 years of a movie that helped introduce an entire generation of kids to car culture.If you want more stories like this, follow Guessing Headlights on Yahoo so you don't miss what's coming next.