James Anderson has grown accustomed to people staring and turning their heads and pointing when he takes his cherry ’64 Chevy C-10 pickup &uot;J’s Joy&uot; out for a spin.

The most common reaction, he says, is &uot;Wow!&uot;

But even Anderson admits he was taken aback recently when he glanced up in his rear view mirror to see the flashing blue lights of a Selma police cruiser behind him. &uot;I really thought I was getting a ticket,&uot; he recalls.

Turns out the cop just wanted a closer look. Seems America’s love affair with the automobile is still going strong.

Anderson is one of a small coterie of classic car lovers in Selma. Saturday at the Community Bridgefest 2002’s car show they got the chance to strut their stuff.

A mechanic by trade, Anderson started restoring his Chevy pickup back in 1990. He figures the job is just about complete. If spending 12 years getting one car to look just right seems a bit extreme, just know that in the world of classic car lovers such single-minded dedication doesn’t even warrant a second glance.

If you’re thinking there’s a metaphor about life in there somewhere, you’d be right.

Richard Blevins admits he hardly ever drives his ’59 Ford Galaxie 500, but don’t think for a minute that he doesn’t enjoy owning it. The gangster whitewalls and the requisite fuzzy dice hanging from the rear view mirror say this is a car built for cruising.

Blevins prefers to drive cars from the old school, cars that were built 30, 40 or 50 years ago.

When Blevins does take the Galaxie out for a cruise, it inevitably draws a crowd.

Bryan Myracle is president of the True Colors Car Club, an informal group of local classic car buffs that meets once a month. They work on each other’s cars and travel together to various car shows throughout the South.

Occasionally, they’ll put the paste wax aside and go for a picnic. But it’s really just an excuse to get behind the wheel and drive.

Myracle is also the owner of Native Creations, a paint and body shop that specializes in restoring and customizing classic cars.

Ask Myracle how many cars he owns and his eyes drift up and to the left as he takes a quick mental inventory. &uot;I think six,&uot; he answers after a brief pause. His current ride of choice is a Chevy Blazer he’s completely rebuilt from the ground up. He ticks off a few of the personal touches he’s given it: shaved door handles, hydraulic tilt-flip hood, &uot;frenched&uot; antenna, molded ground effects.

In all, Myracle estimates he’s sunk &uot;about&uot; $22,000 into the car. &uot;I’ve got $4,000 in the engine alone,&uot; he adds. &uot;I had it dipped in chrome.&uot;

All that attention to detail has paid off. The car was featured in a photo layout in &uot;Low Rider&uot; magazine a couple of years back.

Over the years Myracle has developed a growing clientele among those who crave the thrill of driving a classic car but who have no desire to spend the next 800 or so weekends actually restoring one themselves.