Meet Cars 2 villain Professor Zündapp

One of my favorite characters in the recent Cars 2 trailer is Professor Zündapp. This means my kids don't have to refer to him as "Evil Monocle Guy" anymore!

In quite a menacing voice, in the trailer Zündapp says, "No one can stop us!" Zündapp, by the way, is voiced by Thomas Kretschmann, who played Captain Englehorn in King Kong (2005).

Professor Zündapp is modeled after the Zündapp Janus, manufactured in 1957 and 1958 by a German company founded in 1917. A unique feature of the vehicle is the fact that it's hard to tell if it's coming or going.

With a top speed of about 50 miles per hour, here's hoping Professor Zündapp can pick up a bit more speed in Cars 2 or he'll have trouble keeping up with (or getting away from) Lightning McQueen.

So what is Professor Zündapp up to in Cars 2? We'll find out June 24! Read a preview of the movie at the LA Times.