In Nebraska there’s a car monument called ‘Carhenge’ with a surprising story behind it

There’s a car monument in Nebraska, US, called ‘Carhenge’ that has quite a surprising story behind it.

When you think of monuments, many will undoubtedly come to mind.

You may even think of Stonehenge itself – the prehistoric structure in Wiltshire, England.

Well, Nebraska’s answer to Stonehenge is certainly not as old but it’s just as intriguing.

DISCOVER SBX CARS: The global premium car auction platform powered by Supercar Blondie

What is Carhenge?

Outside the small town of Alliance is Carhenge, modeled after Stonehenge itself.

But instead of rocks, old American cars are the building blocks of this quirky attraction.

Whilst its English counterpart dates back to the Bronze Age, the Nebraskan landmark only goes back to the 1980s.

It owes its creation to Jim Reinders.

Jim was living in England during the 1970s and became fascinated with Stonehenge, admiring its historical significance.

Out of this respect came an idea – to bring a little bit of Stonehenge to Alliance, Nebraska.

Alliance was Jim’s hometown and he wanted his monument to serve as a tribute to his dad.

Using vintage American cars, Jim arranged them into a circle, making sure they matched Stonehenge’s proportions.

In the summer of 1987, Carhenge was unveiled to the world and went on to become one of the state’s biggest tourist attractions.

Taking a closer look at this Nebraska icon

In total, 39 cars were used, ranging from 1950s Cadillacs to Chevys.

They were stacked and partially buried in ground to mimic the appearance of Stonehenge.

All of the vehicles were spray-painted grey to pay homage to the stone coloring.

A 1962 Cadillac is right in the center of Carhenge, surrounded by three foreign cars and a tongue-in-cheek sign: “Here lie three bones of foreign cars. They served our purpose while Detroit slept. Now Detroit is awake and America’s great!”

This is a playful nod towards the Michigan city which was once the forefront of the American car industry and the dominance of foreign manufacturers during the 1980s.

In the years since it was first installed, Carhenge has proven to be a huge hit.

A visitor center was erected in 2006 and the site was donated to Citizens of Alliance seven years later.

It’s even made appearances in movies and music videos.

Even Pixar paid tribute to it in their Cars on the Road series, which saw Lightning McQueen and Mater go on a road trip and visit various locations along the way.

We can’t help but wonder if things got a little meta at that moment – anthropomorphic cars looking at cars stacked up on top of each other is a bit weird, right?

What if the NASCAR version of Lightning were put into the structure?

KA-CHOW, right?

It’s sometimes said that the US lacks history because it’s a relatively young country – but if monuments like Carhenge are anything to go by, it’s clear that history is being made all the time.

So when you’re next near Alliance, Nebraska, why not swing by to check out Carhenge?

It’s certainly safer than a lot of other tourist attractions out there, like Devil’s Pool and the Stairway to Heaven.

Tourist attractions are evolving, with Saudi Arabia building a tourist resort ‘the size of Belgium’ in the Red Sea.