The only thing more perfect than the weather in downtown Bowling Green on Saturday afternoon were the automobiles.

Nearly 200 vintage, restored, and tricked out autos lined Main Street as part of “Classics on Main.” For those college students used to driving used Toyota Corollas, Ford Tauruses or Eagle Talons, the sight of some of the most famous cars restored and in perfect condition was a sight to behold.

Whether you wanted to see a coupe, Thunderbird, Corvette or Chevelle, there was something for all ages. Cars as old as a 1923 Chevrolet Utility Express and as recent as a 1994 Dodge Viper were on display.

Many fathers had exuberant sons in tow as young boys were seeing lifesize versions of cars they had only seen in Matchbox form. As boys raced from car to car, asking questions about the engines and designs of some of the older cars; the fathers would tag along, usually a few feet behind, answering things as best they could and talking about the little differences in all of the cars.

Many of the children, growing up watching rapper Xhibit on MTV’s “Pimp my Ride,” and movies like “Fast and the Furious,” were drawn to the sleek customized cars and motorcycles: some featuring hundreds of thousands of dollars of customization.

As Andrew, 12, took his little brother, Tray, 5, up and down Main Street, they were drawn to the Corvettes and Mustangs.

However, Andrew saw his dream car in the form of a souped up Chevy Cobra. Tray agreed it was the best car.

“It was the coolest car because it had Nitrous,” he said confidently.

Nitrous, or NOS, refers to nitrous oxide. The oxidizer allows for more oxygen into the engine, which allows the engine to burn fuel faster and generate more power.

While children ran around, bouncing from car to car in the streets, the owners were perfectly content to sit on the sidewalk in a simple folding chair, trying to find any available shade and talk shop with other car owners.

Most of the owners were retired men, many with a cigar in one hand and a lifetime of knowledge about their restored cars in the other. They know the younger generation is becoming less and less interested in the cars they grew up loving, but it doesn’t phase them.

Chuck Hazlett, Archie Mead and Mick Rosonowski are three classic car owners from the Swanton area. They work in with the Make A Wish Foundation, and donate most of the proceeds from car shows to the Foundation. During summer, they might participate in two car shows a month.

They said it is not so much the chance to get the vote as one of the best cars of the show, or to expose a new generation of youngsters to classic cars. For them, it comes down to the bare essentials.

“Good weather,” said Mead. “You meet a lot of nice people,” added Rosonowski.

But Hazlett probably said it best.

“If you win you win; if you don’t you don’t,” he said. “You look at the cars, you look at the girls. Us old guys, we like that stuff,” he said.