A highly polished history of American-made power and speed was on display Saturday at the Douglas County 4-H Fairgrounds.

Brightly painted, heavily chromed and some extremely souped-up automobiles from nearly every era of American automobile history drew a car-loving crowd to the Lawrence Street Rod Assn.’s fifth annual Wizard Run car show.

Wayne Darrow, 56, came from Jasper, Mo., to glimpse prime examples of his favorite autos.

“I’m a 1954 fan — Chevys,” Darrow said. “They’ve always appealed to me. When I turned 16, I was driving one.”

A few years ago, Steve Swatsenbarg, of Lawrence, fixed up a 1964 Ford Falcon, which he still drives. Saturday he went to the show to admire what hot-rod aficionados had done with their machines.

“For me, I’ve been working on cars since I was young,” said Swatsenbarg, 46.

Jerry Lovell stood near a bright yellow 1969 Camaro he’d rebuilt during a two-year period. Its hood was open, exposing a gleaming 350-cubic-inch engine with a supercharger.

Lovell, 55, of Tonganoxie, said the car’s engine was made for roaring down a dragstrip, so he wasn’t sure just how fast it could go.

“It’s all balanced so it doesn’t shake and rattle,” he said.

Charles and Celeste Tipton, Lawrence, peruse the pristine engines of classic cars with open hoods at the Lawrence Street Rod Assn.'s fifth annual Wizard Run car show. The show, which began Saturday, continues today at the Douglas County 4-H Fairgrounds.

A 350-cubic-inch engine also could be found in Alan Geery’s super-powered 1934 Ford. The 62-year-old Tecumseh man did not build the car, but purchased it from a collector in Topeka. The car was built by someone in Glade, he said.

Geery, as do many of the hot rod owners, frequently drive their cars to car shows throughout the Midwest on weekends.

“It gets a lot of attention,” Geery said of his car. “A lot of people appreciate old cars.”

Many of the car owners spend from $35,000 to $45,000 to build their cars, said Bryan Sorenson, a member of the association.

Saturday afternoon, many of the cars were in a parade down Massachusetts Street.

The show continues from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. today. From 300 to 500 cars were expected to be displayed.

The cars come and go throughout the two days, said Tom Wilkerson, Wizard Run chairman.

Parking for the show is $2. Free shuttles will be running from downtown parking lots to the fairgrounds.