What Is Carhenge?

The world’s most bizarre Stonehenge replica can be found near Alliance, Nebraska, made entirely from wrecked cars. Built by Jim Reinders in 1987, “Carhenge” has 38 cars, positioned in a circle 96 ft (29 m) in diameter, echoing its famous English counterpart.

Jim Reinders conceived Carhenge 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.

Carhenge was formed from vintage American automobiles, all covered with gray spray paint. The automobiles are arranged in a circle measuring about 29 metres (95 ft) in diameter. Some are held upright in pits 1.5 meters (4.9 ft) deep, trunk end down, and arches have been formed by welding automobiles atop the supporting models. 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 features in the 2007 travel book 1,000 Places to See in the USA and Canada Before You Die.