You've all seen the Cars movies, right? They follow the story of Lightning McQueen, his racing career, and his time in Radiator Springs. Now, someone is making a series about what happens before Lightning McQueen. And it actually looks awesome.

YouTuber Ariya Alexander Berenji is building a prequel nobody at Pixar asked for. And the fan film is already turning heads for one reason: the cars look flawless.

Berenji's project reimagines Strip Weathers, the character fans know as "The King," before he earned that nickname. The story is set in the 1980s with a cast of NASCAR-inspired vehicles rendered in detailed 3D.

The film tracks a younger Strip Weathers, the character built on NASCAR legend Richard Petty, in the years before Radiator Springs and before Lightning McQueen ever showed up on his radar. Berenji's take puts him on dirt and asphalt alongside rivals who would later shape his legend.

Anchoring the story is Toni Jo Torque, an original character billed as "The Queen," a five-time champion who mentors both Weathers and a young Chick Hicks. She has no equivalent in the official films.

A place called Copper Canyon Speedway anchors the scenes, while a bowling alley and an ice cream parlor serve up a fictional treat called frozen coolant and help round out the world-building. They're period-appropriate touches for a decade the original Cars universe backstory never fully explored.

Berenji has said he wants to keep expanding the roster. "I'm hoping there's room for a David Pearson-based character as well," he said, pointing to one of stock car racing's most decorated drivers as a possible future addition to the cast.

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