Jim Reinders grew up on a farm near Alliance, Nebraska, then left to work as an engineer in England. During his years abroad, he became fascinated with Stonehenge - its mystery, its precise construction, its endurance across millennia. When his father died in 1982, Reinders began planning a memorial that would combine his English obsession with his Nebraska roots. Working with family members over the summer of 1987, he constructed Carhenge using 39 automobiles from the 1950s and 1960s, positioning them to match Stonehenge's dimensions exactly. The cars were painted battleship gray to approximate stone. On the summer solstice of 1987, Carhenge was dedicated.

Alliance, Nebraska, did not initially embrace Carhenge. Officials saw it as an eyesore, a junkyard pretending to be art. The county threatened legal action, demanding Reinders remove the installation or face fines. Petitions circulated both for and against. The debate made national news, which brought tourists, which brought money, which changed the calculation. By 1989, the county dropped its objections. The Friends of Carhenge formed to preserve the site. What had been a liability became an asset. Carhenge was placed on the National Register of Historic Places - not as a monument, but as a significant example of folk art.

Reinders was obsessive about accuracy. Carhenge matches Stonehenge's dimensions: the outer circle is 96 feet in diameter; the tallest lintels stand 18 feet high. The heel stone, which marks the summer solstice sunrise at the original, is present. The slaughter stone lies flat. The inner trilithons - the tall formations in the original's center - are reproduced with appropriately sized vehicles. The cars were mostly sourced from local farms and junkyards; some were donated. Each was positioned with its trunk buried, welded to others to form the lintels. The gray paint unifies them into something that, from a distance, genuinely evokes its British inspiration.

Over the years, Carhenge has acquired neighbors. The Car Art Reserve, adjacent to the main site, features additional automobile sculptures: a spawning salmon made from a VW Bug, a dinosaur, abstract forms. Some were created by Reinders; others were contributed by visiting artists. A 1962 Cadillac serves as a sculpture called 'Ford Seasons,' positioned to change appearance with the seasons. The site has become a canvas for automotive folk art beyond the original Stonehenge replica. The visitor center, added later, provides context, restrooms, and souvenirs. Carhenge evolved from one man's memorial into a community art project.

Carhenge is located 2.5 miles north of Alliance, Nebraska, on Highway 87. The site is open 24 hours, free to visit, though donations support maintenance. A small visitor center operates limited hours, offering souvenirs and information. The Car Art Reserve is adjacent. Alliance itself has limited amenities; Scottsbluff, 50 miles to the west, is larger. Denver is 285 miles to the south; the drive across the Nebraska Sandhills is spectacularly empty. Western Nebraska Regional Airport in Scottsbluff has limited commercial service. For the authentic experience, visit at the summer or winter solstice - the alignment with the heel stone works exactly as it does at the original Stonehenge.