Wives of classic car enthusiasts need patience

"Because we kind of like the car more than we do," he stopped himself, laughed and turned to Barbara, who has been sitting by his side for the past 46 years.

"It's the other woman," she said.

Wives of classic car owners perched themselves in folding chairs Thursday night patiently enjoying the first evening of the five-day Relics and Rods 32nd annual Run to the Sun car show.

Roughly 500 cars older than 1972 lined McCulloch Boulevard between Acoma Boulevard and Smoketree Avenue for what is known as one of the area's largest car shows.

Mary Schofield said she sits patiently for three days during the event — as long as her husband, Don, promises to go see the arts for one evening.

"I have season tickets to the arts and he has to spend one evening with me," said the Lake Havasu City resident. "As much as he cleans this (car), I wish he would help me clean the house."

Schofield echoed sentiments of a few other car guy wives Thursday night when she said she never gets impatient with all of his hours logged in the garage on the '56 Chevy or the money spent.

"That's his heart," she said.

For Becki Watson, from the San Diego area, she found herself new feelings she never dreamed of having after being married to a car guy for nine years.

"I love driving this," she said sitting behind a 1963 Ford Falcon Sprint with a Shelby motor. "It's kick ass. I like the adrenaline rush. I was driving it last night going down the freeway and I was hammering it, so they say. Speed. It kind of gives you goosebumps."