Ernie Adams was a gearhead from an early age. As a child, he would attach junkyard motors to bicycles and wagons to make running vehicles. In 1962, he came up with the idea of building miniature versions of real cars. By 1965, he was able to build a working scaled-down 1928 Chevy two-door sedan made out of nine old refrigerators and powered by a two-cylinder, 13-horsepower Onan motor.
Since then, Adams has built countless 11/16th scale model cars, all of them street-legal and complete with windshield wipers, air conditioning, and radios. In 1979, he ventured into race cars, participating in the first dwarf car race at the 1983 Yavapai County Fair. Before his recent retirement from building cars due to old age, he ventured into building classic touring cars.
Adams and his family, who are originally from Harvard, Nebraska, now operate a museum on their Arizona property showcasing some of his work. He often hangs out at the museum. On site, one can view a short film and book explaining how he creates his vehicles. One can also see his workshop and other cars and related memorabilia he has collected.
