Larry Edsall / Special to The Detroit News
Artists visiting the Cadillac Ranch came in all shapes, sizes and ages.
Cadillac Ranch is a work of art still in progress
By Larry Edsall / Special to The Detroit News
In fact, the ranch gets only a single sentence in the guide's section for Points of Interest, which it certainly is, what with 10 classic Cadillacs planted into the ground -- at an angle that's the same as the faces of the Cheops Pyramid in Egypt.
As you drive along Interstate 40, they suddenly appear, just south of the eastbound lanes, like 10 giant metal yard darts, noses down and tail fins pointing into the eastern sky.
The Cadillac Ranch isn't a working ranch, but rather an automotive art exhibit and American cultural commentary that comprises 10 now-classic Cadillacs: a 1949 Club Coupe (Sedanette), a 1950 Series 62 sedan, a 1954 Coupe de Ville, a 1956 Series 62 sedan, a 1957 sedan, a 1958 sedan, a 1959 coupe, a 1960 "flat top" sedan, a 1962 four-window sedan and a 1963 sedan.
They first were planted in 1974, but as the city grew the cars were transplanted in 1997 a couple miles further west.
There's no admission fee for Cadillac Ranch. You simply park along the Interstate frontage road and walk through the gate.
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The work was done by a group of architecturally oriented artists from San Francisco, Calif., who called themselves the Ant Farm. The project was funded by Amarillo's Stanley Marsh III, who has been described by local commentators as a helium magnate, oil tycoon, rancher, art patron, media mogul and "merry prankster."
There's no admission fee to enter the property, which is in the midst of working farmland. You simply exit the highway and park along the frontage road, then walk through a gate and follow the path a few hundred feet to the cars. It's all within easy view from the highway, but you have to walk among the vehicles to truly experience them and to see the way they've been painted and repainted and painted again.
In fact, you can bring your own paint and add your own artistic touches to the vehicles.
As you walk toward the Caddys, you'll probably hear the sound of BBs rattling around inside a paint spray can as someone gets ready to add his or her marks to the cars.
A youngster adds her own artwork to the roof of one of the Cadillacs, in this case a 1954 Coupe de Ville.
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"Over the decades, a lucky handful of offbeat attractions have grown in recognition and stature, celebrated frequently in magazine photo essays, in calendars, as backdrops for music videos and movies," notes RoadsideAmerica.com, which proclaims itself to be the online guide to offbeat tourist attractions. "These Great Monuments are rhapsodized as the embodiment of American hopes and dreams, folly and failure, art and commerce, materialism and spiritualism. Professional authors and screenwriters know a pre-baked, easy-to-get symbol when they see it."
The latest of that lot was the artists and producers of the animated movie, Cars, which used the Cadillac Ranch as inspiration for the mountain range featured as a backdrop to the town of Radiator Springs.
Cadillac Ranch was created as an artistic commentary on American culture and Cadillac's role as an automotive status symbol. Today, it continues to create conversation among those who drive past and to provide a place to stop for reflection - or simply a place to add a personal "Kilroy was here" to those who walk among the cars, parked like tipping dominos, or tipped gravestones, on the Texas ranchland.
For much more information on the ranch, its creators and the cars, including details on the cars, how they were acquired and, in some cases, for what prices, visit www.libertysoftware.be/cml/cadillacranch/crmain.htm.
Ten classic Cadillacs are planted nose-down, tailfins up in a field adjacent to Interstsate 10 in Texas. Part art installation, part cultural commentary, Cadillac Ranch has been a roadside attraction for more than 30 years.
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