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Carhenge

Carhenge is a monument in Alliance, Nebraska, made from 38 automobiles and clearly inspired by Stonehenge. Created by Jim Reinders in 1987 as a memorial to his late father, it was built with help from more than 30 family members. The cars were arranged to recreate Stonehenge’s layout: some stand vertically in pits about 1.5 meters deep, while pairs of parallel cars support others placed horizontally. All of the automobiles were painted gray to resemble the stones of Stonehenge, and the circle measures about 29 meters in diameter. Today, Carhenge attracts around 60,000 visitors a year and is the city’s main tourist attraction.

Carhenge sculpture made of tan-colored cars standing in a dry grassy field under a clear blue sky.
Carhenge’s car formations rise from a dry field beneath a clear sky.
September 2013 © · CC0
Inner circle of Carhenge with vintage cars painted gray and arranged in a sandy field.
The inner circle of Carhenge, showing the site’s stacked and partially buried cars.
September 2012 © · CC BY 3.0
Carhenge made from grey-painted cars and trucks standing in a grassy field under a clear blue sky, with a person looking up at the structure.
Carhenge in Nebraska, built from grey-painted cars and trucks, with a visitor standing beside the monument.
August 2022 © · CC BY-SA 4.0
Carhenge sculpture with a pale vintage car standing vertically in a grassy field under a cloudy sky.
A vertical vintage car at Carhenge rises from a grassy field beneath dramatic clouds.
June 2016 © · CC BY-SA 4.0
Carhenge-like roadside monument with cars arranged on gray supports behind a large green metal sculpture in the foreground.
A Carhenge scene with car-topped gray structures on a dry plain, seen behind a large green metal sculpture.
© · CC BY-SA 3.0

Identification

TitleCarhenge
Name originFrom English car + henge
TypeReplica of Stonehenge
Original-language nameКархендж

Historical context

Built1987
DedicatedAt the summer solstice in June 1987
Built forA memorial to Jim Reinders' father, who once lived on the farm now containing Carhenge
Conceived1982

Creator

CreatorJim Reinders
Construction participantsMore than 30 family members
Source of inspirationReinders studied Stonehenge while living in England, helping him copy its shape, proportions, and size

Discovery and provenance

Donated to citizens ofAlliance
Sale priceUS$300,000
Listed for sale2011 by the Friends of Carhenge
Donation year2013
Former site nameAutomobile Art Preserve
Donated tothe Friends of Carhenge
Site area10 acres
LocationNear Alliance, Nebraska, United States, in the High Plains region
Site nameCar Art Reserve

Physical characteristics

ArchesSome upright cars were welded together with horizontally placed cars to form arches
Additional artworksSeveral other car-based artworks were later added to the site
Buried carsThree cars were buried
Heel stoneA 1962 Cadillac
Circle diameterAbout 29 meters
Vertical supportsSome cars were placed upright in pits about 1.5 meters deep, trunk end down
ArrangementCars arranged in a circle with an inner horseshoe of trilithons and an outer ring representing the sarsen circle of Stonehenge
Number of automobiles38
MaterialVintage American automobiles

Materials

Surface finishCovered with gray spray paint

Technique

Construction methodBuilt to recreate Stonehenge's arrangement, spacing, shape, proportions, and size using automobiles instead of stones
Placement patternCars were positioned at the same spacing as the original stones

Appearance

Design referenceReplicates Stonehenge's current dilapidated state rather than its original appearance
Difference from originalMade of old cars painted gray rather than stone megaliths

Location and ownership

StatusThe city's largest tourist attraction
Visitor centerA visitor center was built in 2006
Approximate annual visitors60,000
Current site ownerThe Citizens of Alliance

History and restoration

Removed objectA Toyota car was removed in 1992
Reason for removalReinders wanted it to be an American Carhenge, not a Japanese Carhenge

Significance

Media appearancesFeatured in films, television programs, advertisements, popular music, and a documentary; including Omaha, The Movie (1995), Cars on the Road, Steely Dan's Remastered: The Best of Steely Dan (1993), P.O.D.'s "Youth of the Nation" (2002), Biker Build-Off, Where in the World Is Carmen Sandiego? episode "The Great Train Slobbery", Nissan Pathfinder (2006), and Nebraska Cornhuskers football (2007)
DocumentaryCarhenge: Genius or Junk? (2005)
Travel book mention1,000 Places to See in the USA and Canada Before You Die (2007)
Solar eclipse visibilityIncluded in the path of totality of the solar eclipse of August 21, 2017
Eclipse viewersAbout 4,000 people, including Nebraska Governor Pete Ricketts
Reinders statement about eclipseHe said he did not know at the time of creation that an eclipse would occur 30 years later