Cadillac Ranch was invented and built by a group of “art-hippies” who called themselves Ant Farm. They were financially backed by an Amarillo billionaire, Stanley Marsh 3, who wanted a piece of public art that would make the locals stair in awe. Ant Farm were the ones to come up with the idea of having a tribute to the evolution of the Cadillac tail fin. In 1974, the ten cars, ranging in order from the 1949 Club Sedan all the way to the 1963 Sedan de Ville, were planted in the ground nose first and faced east and had their tail fins held high for the entire Texas panhandle to see. They were also reported to be facing the same angle as the Great Pyramid of Giza).
The monument currently resides the same place it was put almost 40 years ago! It is located just off Interstate 40 a few miles away from Amarillo. There has been controversy over the years after lawsuits have been filed against the owner about sexual abuse of minors, and some have tried to have the cars demolished.
The cars have appeared in backdrops of magazines and music videos and have even been sung about by Bruce Springsteen. It is truly a monument to an American Made car in the golden age of cars. It has been visited by hundreds of thousands of people and is in the middle of route 66, though not exactly on it, it is truly an iconic fixture on the famous highway.
