Dwarf Car Museum, Maricopa, Arizona

The "Father of the Dwarf Car," Ernie Adams, hand-builds operational classic car replicas at 5/8 scale. It takes between one and five years to make one, and he builds them entirely by hand. They are fully street legal. You'll see finished and in-progress versions of these one-of-a-kind creations. The mini machines started as race cars meant as affordable alternatives to stock cars, and the "Dwarf Racer" circuit Adams created still exists today, but nowadays he only builds the sexy "cruisers." He never sells anything he builds, so don't even try to buy one. "I don't build things to make money," he said. "It's what I do to have something no one else has got. "Every day at 4:30pm is 'break time,'" when nearby friends and neighbors stop whatever they're doing to gather at the space and shoot the breeze; this is the best time to visit. 

The first Dwarf Car came to life in 1965 as a 28 Chevy two-door sedan made out of nine old refrigerators. Ernie began gathering the materials for this little car in 1962. By 1965 he had enough materials and an 18 hp Wisconsin motor to begin construction. With a homemade hacksaw made from a chair frame, hammer and a chisel, Ernie began construction. He had no idea what this would be the beginning of. Because this is the first Dwarf Car ever built, it is known as “GRANDPA DWARF.” This first Dwarf Car is kept in running order and is still driven today.

1942 Ford Deluxe

1942 Ford Deluxe Convertible. This is a hand built all steel replica built by Ernie Adams. The frame is 1x2 rectangular tubing. The body is made of 20-gauge steel sheet. The dash is hand made. The clock and speedometer bezel were hand formed as well as the clock and speedometer faces. Everything is fully operational. The car is street legal and is registered as a 1999 homemade car. It is powered by a Toyota 4KC engine and has a 5-speed transmission.

The first dwarf race car

Inside his shop