This story is about cars, and I ask you, “what’s not to like about cars?” It seems I’ve been a car guy all my life, not only in my everyday life but my work life as well, but that’s another whole story for another time.  

At some point late last year, I caught the tail end of a piece on TV from one of the stations up in Billings and it was a piece on cars as art. We all know of Stonehenge over in England. Then there is a copy of Stonehenge made out of cars in Alliance, Nebraska, a place I have been close to but was never able to stop at and photograph.

Now and closer to home is a new set of 16 cars that have been turned into what has been called Fordhenge, in the small Montana town of Edgar, which is famously known for its lone bar and restaurant that has excellent food, beer and wine. The shrimp there are so big that one or two can be a meal by themselves.  

I kept that TV piece in the back of my mind and it drew me to Edgar recently and it wasn’t the restaurant that I was there to see, but instead it was the new art sculpture of 16 cars that brought me there. Greg Nelson, a 61-year-old resident of Edgar, had seen pictures of Carhenge in Nebraska, but had never been there until mid-summer of 2022 and he came back thinking he could do his own version, naming it Fordhenge. The first step was to collect 16 older cars to start his art piece. The cars he collected were from the 50s and 60s and he either somewhat buried them, stacked them or just set them flat on the ground. He said that to just place them on the ground all in a row seemed very boring, so he set about creating a flow for his car art sculpture piece. He even added flowers and memorial trees to the overall piece which added a further touch. He also wants to add a 1952 Ford, my guess is as soon as he can find one.  

Nelson himself has become sort of a landmark resident for the town of Edgar and the town’s residents say his work of art should be listed as a local tourist attraction. The residents couldn’t be happier for the attention his art attracts.  

Nelson does have two art degrees and it appears his car art piece is very popular. The car art piece sits next to what appears to be a warehouse or shop and he wants to add a mural from the cartoon movie “CARS” on the wall behind his sculpture. He said while the building has no trespassing signs all over it, they were added for insurance purposes and his car art piece is welcome for all visitors to drive by to see or stop to take photos.  

Trust me, it’s easy to get to Edgar, and for those of you who drive from Powell to Billings, Edgar is just off of Highway 310, which means you’re driving right past the turnoff for Edgar on your way to Billings. It’s worth the effort if you like art and cars.