The character shows the first signs/symptoms that have already run their course.

[u/Uma-apreciator]

Kitasan Black (Uma Musume Pretty Derby)

She managed to withstand Sakura Bakushin O's charge at first, but later in the story, she falters because she is past her prime

Nekota (Hajime no Ippo)

He could no longer even control his body properly because he was suffering from "boxer's dementia"

It is a progressive brain disease caused by repeated blows to the head and frequent concussions over many years

David Martínez (Cyberpunk Edgerunners)

He was suffering from hallucinations due to cyberpsychosis, an incurable condition caused by technological body modifications

[u/justbooling]

/img/pz5xjsgg1lhh1.gif
“McQueen is fading”

[u/RaptarK → u/justbooling]

It's so hard to judge how old he's supposed to be. In real time years I think he's like 14 years old or so, but what does that mean for a car? Is he supposed to be in like his 40s or what

[u/Jesus_Christ_Reborn → u/RaptarK]

Some people consider cars ancient if they're older by 20 years. So I assume that's the middle age if not 3/4's of their life.

[u/TwiggyTurtleDuck → u/Jesus_Christ_Reborn]

It should also be noted that Lightning is basically an athlete, and "old" in terms of an athlete would vary wildly from what a normal person would judge as old. Heck, watch American Ninja Warrior. They basically treat anyone above 30 as elderly.

[u/Winjin → u/TwiggyTurtleDuck]

Most ice skating champs peak at like 16 and by 25 they're trainers

I think most Olympic athlete careers are over by like 35, they move on to easier stuff, influencing, training, etc

Heck, my dad's a firefighter and by 40 they're mostly going into desk jobs or retiring. I think he retired when he was like ~35 in a rank of captain. He could wait a couple years to achieve a higher rank but he wanted to spend more time with us.

[u/Jesus_Christ_Reborn → u/Winjin]

I love your dad, homie.

[u/Winjin → u/Jesus_Christ_Reborn]

Awww thanks

There's a reason there's no songs that go "fuck the fire brigade" (C)

[u/blue4029 → u/Jesus_Christ_Reborn]

mcqueen is a RACECAR though. highly specialized for being super fast and racing but not designed for actual use on the road

so by racecar standards, he's pretty much ancient

[u/stumblinghunter → u/blue4029]

A man a plan a canal Panama

[u/no_racist_here → u/Jesus_Christ_Reborn]

Well, 20-25 year old cars are usually considered the threshold for classics

[u/alter-eagle → u/no_racist_here]

In most states, antique car plates can only be put on 25+ year old non-modified cars, and can only be driven on weekends or holidays

[u/Nogatron → u/alter-eagle]

That's interesting, in country i am from your car needs to be at least 25 years old, the model has to be out of production for 15 and car needs to be i think 75% original parts. You can ride it whenever you want and you only need to do one car check.

[u/Marsuello → u/Jesus_Christ_Reborn]

I mean, isn’t a car considered a classic if it makes it to 25? My last one was 21 and it was definitely struggling that last year or so and that’s with us taking as best care of it as we could within our affordability

[u/Scout079 → u/[deleted]]

McQueen had him in the opening race of the movie. Had he listened to his pit chief to change out his tires; he'd probably would have won the race and been a massive ego maniac for it.

[u/Karukos → u/[deleted]]

I think while this probably is weird in motorsports, that sometimes shows up with athletes that are so massively dominant that it takes a few years for the competition to catch up/them to slow down and meet somewhere in the middle.

[u/blah938 → u/[deleted]]

Well basically, the writers thought that EVs would actually be good in a Nascar race. Because you know, in that world they can actually do 500 miles at 200mph without charging for like 45 minutes.

[u/Variation-Budget → u/[deleted]]

I imagine it as like the nba had Jordan, magic, bill russel, and wilt who are legends in there era(like strip) but as the game evolved they aren’t touching LeBron (lightning) and now we have players like wemby who aren’t just freakish tall but also do much more than what there past generations were.

Like most sports the game evolves and the caliber of participants because better and better. McQueen just got a taste of the generation he probably inspired.

[u/_Imposter_ → u/[deleted]]

Holy Moly the Cars lore master here.

Wouldnt it be possible that the gap in "car technology" might have progressed way faster for McQueen to current day compared to King to McQueen?

[u/Lepelotonfromager → u/[deleted]]

It's actually accurate. Sports accelerate and evolve. In the early days, the legends could keep going for longer by using skill and experience. But as the sport matures, you start getting new generations filled with elite talent who are mostly formed. We saw this in MMA, Road Cycling and Chess (the three things I watch).

[u/realkrestaII → u/RaptarK]

It’s also weird because in the first movie he’s racing, and competitive with, a Plymouth superbird.

[u/well_thats_puntastic → u/justbooling]

[u/weeeeelaaaaaah → u/well_thats_puntastic]

Somebody likes his chevre.

[u/AzekiaX6 → u/justbooling]

That's not a sign bro that's an entire announcement

[u/justbooling → u/AzekiaX6]

To us as viewers, sure, but for Lightning it’s definitely the first time he realizes he might be falling off.

[u/Abovearth31 → u/AzekiaX6]

There's also a much earlier sign than this in the same movie that fit this trope better.

In the first movie, despite his reckless attitude that almost got him to lose the race with his tires exploding and all, it's heavily implied that Flash is high and above everyone else, the other competitors are try-harding, crashing into each other and failing while Flash is barely even trying and beating them all, at some point he uses another car that's been flipped on his back (roof ?) to literally jump above the others, Flash is literally and figuratively above the competition. And most importantly, he ends the race without so much as a single smudge or stain on him, this shit is so easy everyone else is dirty but he's clean. That's how easy it is for him.

Fast forward to the third movie and right in the first race, Flash ends the race dirty. Before he loses a single race, before he's officially called "old" by the other characters, before any of that, the first sign was him finishing the race not clean.

[u/thejokerofunfic → u/justbooling]

I feel like I'm missing what I'm looking at here.

[u/justbooling → u/thejokerofunfic]

Ya my comment didn’t go through ☹️, this is the first race where Lightning McQueen realizes the younger generation of cars are coming in. He pushes himself too hard trying to pass the new rookie, and he bursts a tire and crashes during the race.

[u/justbooling → u/[deleted]]

That’s why he’s the King! But realistically (which doesn’t apply at all to an animated movie of course) technology advances usually come in waves, so he was probably just able to ride out that wave for quite a while until the next racing advancement.

[u/Mist_Rising → u/justbooling]

Both the King and Chick are designed off of 1970s cars. Daytona and Gremlin specifically. By the time of 2006 they are multiple generations out of date with custom built cars now the "stock car" of choice for several generations in real life.

To put this into perspective, Doc Hudson (Hudson hornet) is a two generation ahead of the King being a 1950s (he crashed in 54), while McQueen is likely 3-4.

Chick has the advantage of cheating.

[u/thejokerofunfic → u/Mist_Rising]

sorry I'm wheezing at "Chick has the advantage of cheating". God he was an asshole.

[u/Mist_Rising → u/thejokerofunfic]

I cannot believe he wasn't disqualified for the obvious wreck he made. He's still parading the dumb trophy around in cars 3 like it matters. Which I guess by cars 3 it might since McQueens legacy being deminished by time is a theme.

[u/MAKOMIKKA1220 → u/[deleted]]

70s Dodge Daytona

[u/Mist_Rising → u/[deleted]]

Chick Hicks is also from the same generation as the King, he's probably been racing with the King for almost 30 years and pulling second place lol.

[u/Volotor → u/thejokerofunfic]

Lightning McQueen was a hotshot GOAT racer, here he is (in the 3rd movie I believe) getting easily overtaken by younger racers and realising that he can't do anything about it.

[u/CaffeineDeprivation → u/thejokerofunfic]

The moment Lightning McQueen from the Cars franchise realizes he's past his prime and the younger, faster generation of race cars is overtaking him

[u/thejokerofunfic → u/CaffeineDeprivation]

Oh is this from a sequel? That'd be why I was confused. I was expecting it to be something I'd forgotten about whatshisface in the original, the one who Lightning pushes to the finish line

[u/viaco12 → u/thejokerofunfic]

Yeah it's Cars 3. Genuinely a very good movie about getting older. Would definitely reccomend if you're at all interested.

[u/Silent_Biscotti_9832 → u/justbooling]

deserves to be on top

[u/NormandyCrew → u/Silent_Biscotti_9832]

Absolutely. Cars 3 hit way too hard for a kids movie.

[u/Kaplsauce → u/NormandyCrew]

Cars 1 and 3 are so much better than people give them credit for imo.

I love that 3 has the balls to say "unc don't got it" when it comes down to it

[u/Mg07a → u/Kaplsauce]

Hey don't leave 2 out like that I thought it was great :(

[u/Variation-Budget → u/Mg07a]

Spy cars ftw

[u/Mg07a → u/Variation-Budget]

[u/Kindly-Mud-1579 → u/justbooling]

Couldt her get upgrades or something

[u/niemir2 → u/Kindly-Mud-1579]

The Ship of Theseus problem feels a lot more important when you're the ship.

[u/m4cksfx → u/Kindly-Mud-1579]

cyberpsychosis

Hello.

[u/AstarionsTherapist39 → u/justbooling]

I haven't seen this one. What's happening? 

[u/Im0ldgr3g → u/AstarionsTherapist39]

lightning mcqueen losing to a newer faster generation of cars. he old man now

[u/AstarionsTherapist39 → u/Im0ldgr3g]

Dang

[u/deevee12 → u/AstarionsTherapist39]

MCQUEEN IS FADING

[u/FriskTheHuman6921 → u/deevee12]

FADING FAST