| “ | Okay, McMissle. I'm here. It's time for the drop. | „ |
| ~ Rod Redline arrives in the bathroom to prepare his meeting with Finn |
Rod "Torque" Redline was a character in Cars 2. He's the American agent that Finn McMissile and Holley Shiftwell were supposed to meet until circumstances forced him to pass crucial information to Mater, whom the two British spies mistook for Redline wearing a "clever" disguise.
He was voiced by Bruce Campbell, who also played Ash Williams from the Evil Dead series.
History
Rod "Torque" Redline is considered by many as the greatest American spy in the world. Recruited after the Cold War for both his brains and brawn, Torque is a tough-as-nails Detroit muscle car with a mastery of disguises. In his latest deep-cover operation, he obtained vital information about the plot to sabotage the World Grand Prix. So Rod plans a rendezvous with his British counterparts to share his discoveries at the World Grand Prix welcome reception in Tokyo, Japan. But with the bad guys hot on his tailpipe, Rod was forced to ditch the intel early and with the first party guest he sees — a rusty American tow truck named Mater.
He was first seen on the oil rig (at the beginning of the movie) disguised as a Gremlin. Rod later came to the Tokyo party to exchange info with Finn McMissile, but his plan was infiltrated, and he was ambushed by Acer and Grem, who damage him heavily. When Mater comes across them, Rod passes the device with the info onto Mater's undercarriage when no one was looking. After doing this, Rod was captured by Grem and Acer, who brought him to Professor Z in their secret lair, where he was restrained with three Denver boots. He was then pumped with the fuel "Allinol", which he claimed was good for cars. However, Professor Z demonstrated, on the agent himself, what happens when cars fueled with Allinol are exposed to an electromagnetic pulse generator disguised as a camera. As Allinol began to react, the lemons demanded to know who Rod passed the intel to, putting up a slideshow of all the cars he made contact with. Rod resists, but he has an involuntary reaction at an image of Mater, which Professor Z catches. Rod could only show horror at allowing an oblivious civilian tow truck to become a target, before he was killed from the spontaneous explosion of Allinol.
After his engine was blown, his corpse is visible slightly among flames in the reflection of the screen. He had sacrificed himself to save Finn and Holley.
However, Rod and his "Gremlin Disguise" are playable/downloadable in the Cars 2 Video Game...(PS3/XBOX 360 versions only)
Personality
Rod has a cool manner. He does not worry even though he knows there is no chance for him to live even after the encounter with the lemons. Instead of worrying, he tries to keep up a smile and even insults the lemons.
Under his disguise, he is seen smiling at everyone he talks to except when meeting with the lemons.
Trivia
- Rod's design is a mix of a 2005 Ford Mustang GT and a Dodge Challenger R/T.
- G4 DXR labels on Rod may be stating the fictional name of his car model.
- According to the Meet the Cars book, he is a 2006 Deringer DXR.
- His license plate is M1911A1. This is a reference to the Colt M1911A1, a semi-automatic handgun popular for military, civilian, and law enforcement use.
- According to his license plate, he is from Michigan, which is the birthplace of actor Bruce Campbell, who voices Rod.
- A Toys "R" Us Lego exclusive of Rod was released for free on October 15, 2011 in the US.
- Rod is seen talking to Shigeko while in his Gremlin disguise.
- When Rod has his Gremlin disguise on, his eyes are brown instead of blue.
- Rod is downloadable in Cars 2: The Video Game, even though he was killed in the film. However, since all the tracks are just simulations, it's possible that Rod is part of the simulations.
- In the Cars Toon short, To Protect and Serve, the sheriffs Mike 07 and Didi 05 will reuse Rod's model. This is a nod to some real life police cars, which are Dodge Challengers, and Rod's design is chiefly based on a Dodge Challenger.