Carhenge: The Stonehenge of Vintage American Cars

It was the brainchild of Jim Reinders, who constructed it as a memorial to his father in 1987.

Carhenge has since become a tourist destination, drawing as many as 80,000 visitors annually to the site.

Carhenge consists of 38 automobiles arranged in a circle measuring about 29 metres in diameter.

The heelstone is a 1962 Cadillac.

Three cars were buried at Carhenge.

Their “gravestone” is a car that reads: “Here lie three bones of foreign cars.

They served our purpose while Detroit slept.

Now Detroit is awake and America’s great!”

![Five cars jut out of the ground at Carhenge, near Alliance, Nebraska, USA, 2004.

Carhenge is a replica of England’s Stonehenge located near the city of Alliance, Nebraska on the High Plains. Instead of being made from stones, Carhenge is constructed of vintage American automobiles, all covered with gray spray paint. Built by Jim Reinders, it was dedicated at the June 1987 summer solstice. During the summer of 2006, a visitors' center was being constructed to service the site. Thirty-eight automobiles were used in a circle measuring about 96 feet (29 m) in diameter. Some autos are held upright in pits five feet (1.5 m) deep, trunk end down, while arches have been formed by welding cars atop the supporting autos. The heelstone is a 1962 Cadillac. Three cars were buried at Carhenge. Their “gravestone” is a car that reads: “Here lie three bones of foreign cars. They served our purpose while Detroit slept. Now Detroit is awake and America’s great!” Carhenge replicates Stonehenge’s current “tumble-down” state, rather than the original stone circle erected between 2500 BC and 2000 BC. In addition to the Stonehenge replica, the Carhenge site also includes several other sculptures created from autos covered with various colors of spray paint.](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXaV2N6CWISsaRIiKNcB2wmPLniAHZB5zSoFOSdQcXzL7ZqnppaUPWfeTfsrz6sVOwHUkts5gO-jnacKzCvXWY9h3iHgqyuY6ywIpTj9a2Y1CeT102OcC9W7y1dgwnscp5oxtpwavY6P7c/?imgmax=800)