#18: Carhenge Rebuilt Stonehenge With Vintage American Cars — Alliance, Nebraska
At first glance, the arrangement at Carhenge is immediately familiar: upright forms support horizontal ones in a circular composition unmistakably modeled after Stonehenge. Look closer, however, and every “stone” turns out to be an automobile. Artist Jim Reinders created Carhenge near Alliance, Nebraska, in 1987 as a memorial to his father, using vintage American cars arranged according to the general layout and proportions of England’s prehistoric monument. Some vehicles were planted vertically into the ground, while others were positioned across them to recreate Stonehenge’s famous trilithon forms. The cars were painted gray, strengthening the visual joke and making the structure appear surprisingly stone-like from a distance. What could easily have remained an eccentric family project gradually developed into a recognizable roadside attraction drawing travelers to western Nebraska.
