THE STUFF THAT DREAMS ARE MADE OF: CARS FETCH BIDS, NOSTALGIA

Lynn Adams of Cairo stood beside the 1965 Thunderbird admiring its flawless paint job and listening to tales about its vintage heritage before the classic car headed for the auction block.

"I used to have one like it," he said with a wistful look as he remembered another time. "It's a beautiful automobile. It just spelled class."

The 1965 Thunderbird was one of more than 250 antique and collectibles being offered at auction this weekend at the Show Me Center.

The auction continues today at 10 a.m. with a batch of fresh cars.

Admission to the Show Me Center is $5 for adults and $3 for children. Car collectors, restorers and owners are on hand to talk about their passion.

Neil Cooper of Viburnum, owner of the 1965 Thunderbird that Adams admired, said he has the skinned knees and elbows and forehead any serious car collector gets from climbing under vehicles.

"I've had this car for 10 years," he said. "It's all about memories."

Reggie Watt traveled from St. Louis to see the vintage cars and brought along his camera. "I just love them," he said, as he watched a 1956 Chevrolet convertible, sky blue and white, that was about to be auctioned. "It's a very classic automobile. Maybe some day," he mused.

Watt agreed that classic cars evoke memories that add considerably to the value of the automobiles. "It makes collectors think of the era, the time when the car was made," he said.

Mike Reiminger of Delta was at the auction to check out the competition and prices. He has just started a restoration project on a 1970 Cuda AAR, one of the muscle cars.

Reiminger spent the day looking under the hoods and inside the muscle cars for sale at the auction.

"It sure brings back old memories," he said.

In 1970, Reiminger was racing against muscle cars like the Cuda.

"I think these old cars are like a second childhood. We're old enough to remember and appreciate what these cars meant," he said, "and we're old enough to afford one now."

Affordability is in the eye of the buyer. Cars Saturday went for as low as $1,000 and as high as $50,000. The same is expected today.