Carhenge is a replica of England's Stonehenge located near the city of Alliance, Nebraska, in the High Plains region of the United States. Instead of being built with large standing stones, as is the case with the original Stonehenge,[1] Carhenge is formed from vintage American automobiles, all covered with gray spray paint. Built by Jim Reinders, it was dedicated at the June 1987 summer solstice. In 2006, a visitor center was constructed to serve the site. In 2023, Carhenge was featured in Disney Plus' Cars on The Road Series.
Carhenge consists of 39 automobiles arranged in a circle measuring about in diameter. Some are held upright in pits deep, trunk end down, and arches have been formed by welding automobiles atop the supporting models. The heelstone is a 1962 Cadillac.[2] Three cars were buried at Carhenge with a sign stating: "Here lie three bones of foreign cars. They served our purpose while Detroit slept. Now Detroit is awake and America's great!"[3]
Carhenge replicates Stonehenge's current dilapidated state, rather than the original stone circle erected between 2500 BC and 2000 BC.
In addition to the Stonehenge replica, the Carhenge site includes several other artworks created from autos covered with various colors of spray paint.
This table lists cars in Carhenge starting from the west entrance and proceeding left, or clockwise, around the outer ring of cars which represent the sarsen megalith circle of Stonehenge. The inner horseshoe of trilithons are also listed clockwise.[4]
| Car ! Stonehenge equivalent stone | - | 1965 Oldsmobile Delta 88 | Sarsen circle, standing | - | - | Sarsen circle, standing | - | Unknown Ford or Mercury | Sarsen circle, standing | - | Sarsen circle, standing | - | Sarsen circle, standing | - | Sarsen circle, lintel | - | 1986 Ford | Sarsen circle, standing | - | 1965 Chevy Impala | Sarsen circle, standing | - | 1951 Willys Jeep Pickup | Sarsen circle, lintel | - | Sarsen circle, standing | - | Sarsen circle, lintel | - | 1966 Oldsmobile Delta 88 | Sarsen circle, standing | - | Sarsen circle, standing | - | Sarsen circle, standing | - | Sarsen circle, lintel | - | Sarsen circle, standing | - | 1965 Ford or Mercury | Sarsen circle, standing | - | Sarsen circle, lintel | - | 1966 Oldsmobile Delta 88 | Sarsen circle, standing | - | 1964 Cadillac | Sarsen circle, standing | - | Sarsen circle, standing | - | 1960 Ford Galaxie | Sarsen circle, fallen | - | 1968 Chevy Impala Station Wagon | Trilithon, standing | - | 1957 Plymouth | Trilithon, lintel | - | 1968 Ford Station Wagon | Trilithon, standing | - | Trilithon, standing | - | Trilithon, lintel | - | 1965 Buick Estate Station Wagon | Trilithon, standing | - | 1967 Cadillac DeVille Ambulance | Trilithon, standing | - | 1961 Cadillac Deville | - | Trilithon, standing | - | 1954-56? Cadillac | Trilithon, lintel | - | 1969 Ford or Mercury Station Wagon | Trilithon, standing |
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Carhenge was conceived in 1987 by Jim Reinders as a memorial to his father. While living in England, he studied the structure of Stonehenge, which helped him to copy the structure’s shape, proportions, and size. Other automobile sculptures were subsequently added to the location of Carhenge, which is now known as the Car Art Reserve.[2]
Reinders donated the 10-acre site to the Friends of Carhenge. In 2011, the Friends of Carhenge listed the attraction for sale for $300,000.[5] In 2013, the Friends of Carhenge donated the site to the Citizens of Alliance.[6]
Carhenge has appeared in film, popular music, television programs and commercials. For example: Film - Omaha, The Movi (1995); Popular music - Steely Dan (album cover, Remastered, The Best of Steely Dan, 1993); P.O.D. (music video, "Youth of the Nation", 2002); Television - Biker Build-Off; Where in the World Is Carmen Sandiego? (episode: "The Great Train Slobbery"); Commercials - Nissan Pathfinder (2006), Nebraska Cornhuskers football (2007). It is the subject of the 2005 documentary Carhenge: Genius or Junk?[7] and features in the 2007 travel book 1,000 Places to See in the USA and Canada Before You Die.
The path of totality of the solar eclipse of August 21, 2017 included Carhenge. An estimated 4,000 people, including Nebraska governor Pete Ricketts, viewed the eclipse from the site. Reinders stated that, at the time of Carhenge's creation, he had not known about the eclipse that would occur 30 years later.[8] [9]