Model of Piston Peak Cars Land at Magic Kingdom Coming to the 2026 D23 Expo!

Well, we can check one of our Walt Disney World predictions for the 2026 D23 Expo off the list. In a new video, Imagineering all but directly confirms that a massive model of Piston Peak National Park, or Cars Land, is coming to the show floor.

In the time lapse video shared to social media, Imagineers are seen in an Amazon fulfillment center-style warehouse, boxing up a model to take to the Anaheim Convention Center for the 2026 D23 Expo. The footage shows Imagineers handling multiple interconnected sections of a large model, inserting them into the middle of three (!!!) large shipping crates.

The video is intentionally vague, and undoubtedly meant to serve as a cryptic clue for fans to decipher. It never gives a completely clean shot of the model, and there are certainly no dead giveaways like a bright red Lightning McQueen or any Cars characters. But it reveals just enough for us to make a highly educated guess that this is Piston Peak.

For one thing, the music that the video is set to is an instrumental version of “Life Is A Highway,” the 2006 song by Rascal Flatts from the original Cars. That is pretty much a dead giveaway, unless there’s going to be a big announcement at D23 that the next Monsters, Inc. film is titled “Monster Truck on the Highway” and Monstropolis is actually based on that. Somehow, I doubt that.

For another thing, the model features a rocky mountain landscape, lush green trees, and what appears to be a rally race circuit, complete with a track (abandon hope of a trackless ride system!) like what will be found at Piston Peak National Park. The original concept art and even the more recent Fun Map more or less align with the brief glimpse we get here.

It also seems that the walkway in the far right of the image below is the bridge in front of Tiana’s Bayou Adventure:

Not only that, but process of elimination helps a lot! There’s really no other announced project that this model could be for. I’ve seen some fans speculate that it’s for Lion King Pride Lands, but we’ve already seen a model for that. This isn’t that, and we also don’t expect that to appear at D23 again.

Another vague possibility is Villains Land, but this doesn’t align with the original concept art, so unless something has majorly changed (always a possibility), this model also isn’t for that.

Just based on project timelines, our gut is that this is the year for a Piston Peak National Park model, with Villains Land getting the model treatment at the 2028 D23 Expo, when it’ll be roughly two years from opening. Of the models that have a realistic chance of appearing on the show floor at the 2026 D23 Expo, Piston Peak is really the only possibility with these features.

There’s also the fact that we’ve seen this model before, at least in digital form. In last year’s Inspiration for Cars Land in Magic Kingdom, we shared details from a media presentation we attended led by key Imagineers working on the Walt Disney World project. During this, they shared video of the Piston Peak model and a fly-through around the perimeter of the land so that we could see for ourselves how the new area would mesh with the existing Magic Kingdom.

Granted, it’s been over a year since that, but I’m pretty sure this is Piston Peak. When zooming out and considering the totality of the circumstances–the music, the alignment with the concept art, the timing, and that video I saw last year–my confidence level rises to about 99%.

Here’s the video shared by Imagineering so you can judge for yourself:

Imagineering Booth at D23 Expo

The good news is that D23 already revealed that the “Imagineering: Horizons” booth is returning to the event and invites fans to explore the largest-ever Parks Pavilion showcasing the progress around the world during an era of unprecedented growth. This exclusive experience gives guests an up‑close look at the people, the process, and the possibilities brought to life by Imagineers.

D23 is vague about what Imagineering: Horizons will feature, but our expectation is that it’ll be heavy on models. That’s hardly a bold prediction, as it’s usually the case. As you might recall, the 2024 version of the booth had several models (Disney Adventure World, Lion King Pride Lands, Tropical Americas, plus smaller-scale displays for the Monsters, Inc. Door Coaster and Avatar), but a few of them weren’t installed until after the Parks Panel. This was a categorical mistake.

As a result of the models, which are what every parks fan wanted to see, only being showcased for one-third of the D23 Expo, crowds were modest on the first couple of days and absolutely bonkers on the final day. Our not-so-bold prediction is that Disney won’t make this same mistake again.

Models will almost certainly be present in the Imagineering booth from day one, meaning that we’re probably going to get some worthwhile news out of the D23 Expo before the event even starts. We fully expect the Piston Peak Cars Land model to be among them.

Piston Peak Construction Progress

This project was originally announced at the 2024 D23 Expo. Only two days later, Walt Disney Imagineering got to work filing permits for the project. That involved back and forth between Disney and the South Florida Water Management District for several months. Finally, the SFWMD issued its final approval in February 2026, at which point Disney filed a flurry of supporting permits and began land clearing backstage.

The Rivers of America, Tom Sawyer Island, and Liberty Square Riverboat closed back on July 7, 2025. Walls went up along a portion of the waterfront in Liberty Square and Frontierland, and crews started by draining the former Rivers of America.

Following a couple months of that, demolition of Tom Sawyer Island occurred in earnest from roughly October through December. By the start of last year’s Christmas season, the structures were all gone, with only trees and the island itself remaining.

With the land cleared, the first half of 2026 has mostly been a matter of site prep and grading. Underground utilities work is now being done, and crews are erecting a vertical concrete retaining wall that’ll separate the new Piston Peak National Park landscape from the existing Frontierland.

This has grown quite tall over by Big Thunder Mountain, and there’s a crane positioned along the promenade. Along with this, construction walls have moved out into the Frontierland walkway. We’ve yet to see vertical construction in the true sense of the term, but we’re hoping to see that by late this year or early 2027.

Another “development” is that Big Thunder Mountain Railroad reopened ahead of summer, and the elevation of the queue really gives you a view at just how expansive a project site this is. To be sure, it looks large from the aerial photos, but being able to see clear across Magic Kingdom, backstage, and beyond really underscores just how much space there is for Piston Peak and Villains Land. There’s tremendous potential for Imagineers to create a truly stunning and varied landscape between these two new areas.

Piston Peak National Park Basics

According to Disney, these Cars attractions will be set outside of Radiator Springs, as the franchise heads west into exciting new frontiers. On this adventure, guests will be able to experience two exciting new attractions.

The marquee ride is not a clone of Radiator Springs from Disney California Adventure. It’s a new story and setting that differs from what’s been established in the Cars film franchise. Same goes for the secondary ride. It’s not Mater’s Junkyard Jamboree or Luigi’s Rollickin’ Roadsters, but it is expected to be a compact flat ride.

One of the two all-new Cars attractions will invite you on a rally race through the mountains that offers family fun and thrills, excitement and humor. Take on wild terrain as you race across the landscape climbing mountain trails, dodging geysers and — Mater’s favorite — splashing through mud holes.

Technically, this area isn’t Cars Land at all. It’s a subsection of Frontierland called Piston Peak National Park, which is pulled from the existing Cars cinematic universe (specifically, Planes: Fire & Rescue).

The version of Piston Peak National Park in that film was inspired by Yellowstone and Yosemite National Parks according to the animators. In all likelihood, they are referring to both the landscape and the architecture, as the movie features a mix of landmarks, lodges, and structures that are Yellowstone merged with Yosemite.

According to the Imagineers, the natural landscape of the Piston Peak National Park in Magic Kingdom is inspired by Rocky Mountain National Park. The Imagineering project team working on the Cars area has visited RMNP, and views it as both an ideal landscape and a good fit for the centralized location in Frontierland, tying together the land in a cohesive manner.

As reflected in our brief glimpses of the model, along with the Fun Map and concept art, Piston Peak National Park will feature beautiful buttes, rushing rapids, cool canyons, and a variety of other stunning landscapes–that kind of variety can be found at Rocky Mountain National Park.

Assuming this isn’t the biggest misdirection of all time, the model of Piston Peak National Park should showcase the level of detail and not-so-natural features that’ll be showcased in this landscape. Our hope is that existing features of Frontierland and even Liberty Square are also included, so we can get an idea of how the Cars land melds with the existing features of Magic Kingdom. Piston Peak is the project that needs the hardest “sell” by Walt Disney World to assuage worried fans that it’s a good fit. Let’s hope this model and Imagineering delivers!

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YOUR THOUGHTS

What do you think? Will we see a model of Piston Peak National Park at D23? Think Disney will want to show this off and put fan fears to rest, or keep the Cars land quiet? Cautiously optimistic that Imagineers can make lemonade out of lemons? Otherwise, what’s your reaction to Cars rides coming to Magic Kingdom? Do you agree or disagree with our assessments? Any questions we can help you answer? Hearing your feedback–even when you disagree with us–is both interesting to us and helpful to other readers, so please share your thoughts below in the comments!