Ten Cadillacs jut nose-down from a wheat field along the south frontage road of Interstate 40, just west of Amarillo, and travelers have been pulling over to spray-paint them for half a century. The San Francisco art collective Ant Farm (Chip Lord, Hudson Marquez and Doug Michels) built the installation in 1974 with backing from eccentric local patron Stanley Marsh 3 (source: Wikipedia).
The cars span model years from 1949 to 1963 and trace the rise and fall of the tailfin. They are buried at an angle often compared to the Great Pyramid of Giza (source: GoRoute66). In 1997 the row moved about two miles west to stay ahead of the city’s growth. Decades of layered paint now coat the steel inches thick. Discarded cans litter the ground, and any tag you leave will likely vanish under someone else’s within hours.
Visitor Highlights & Practical Info
Admission is free, and the site is open around the clock. Park on the frontage road between exits 60 and 62, then walk through the gate along a dirt path. Bring your own spray paint, and wear shoes you don’t mind ruining, because the field turns to mud after rain. Sunrise and weekday mornings draw the smallest crowds and the best light for photographers. Please pack out your empty cans. Afterward, drive east toward the Big Texan Steak Ranch, or follow old Route 66 into Amarillo’s Sixth Avenue historic district.
