After 30 years of collecting thousands of license plates and Gulf gas memorabilia, Paul Finn’s garage is a time-warp complete with a fire-enginered 1947 Ford pickup truck.

There’s a Gulf gas pump from the 1950s, gas and oil cans hanging from the ceiling and license plates -- from New Hampshire and about 130 countries -- covering the walls.

The car, though, is the centerpiece.

In Bedford’s Pre-Memorial Day parade, it won first place as an antique truck for 2003, 2004 and 2006. But the ’47 isn’t just for shows and parades.

“Oh yeah, I drive it all the time. I go to the dump with it and just chug all around town,” Finn said.

Finn has owned the car for six years and has driven it about 5,000 miles, bringing the total miles to just more than 58,000.

Under the hood is a 1953 Mercury eight-cylinder engine that burns through about a gallon of gas for every 15 miles, Finn said. Fine for cruising around in the 1940s, but expensive for today’s driving, he said.

“But gas was cheaper then. It was only about 10 cents a gallon,” he said.

Ryk Bullock, another collector in town, brings his 1923 Ford Model T out in early spring.

“It’s my toy,” he said. “It’s fun, especially the looks people give you and the thumbs up when you’re driving around in one of these cars,” Bullock said.

He’s had the Model T for about 20 years. It was originally a gift for his father -- who owns a pristine 1925 Model T -- but Bullock ended up with it.

With two gears -- low and high -- and the throttle on the steering column, it’s tough to drive the four-cylinder car.

“When I go someplace I leave the keys right in it,” he said.

If somebody did try to steal it, they wouldn’t know how to get it moving and, anyway, it’s not tough for police to spot, he said. Almost everything on the car is wood, aside from the frame and fenders.

Nowadays in Bedford, you can’t drive anywhere without seeing a shiny new car; there are Mercedes and Cadillacs everywhere.

And, since cars came into Bedford in the early 1900s, it seems residents have been car buffs. Perhaps the most notable is George Woodbury, who in 1950 wrote a book about his 1917 Stanley Steamer, said Greg Zimmermann, president of the Bedford Historical Society.

Woodbury will be the focus of the upcoming Bedford Historical Society second annual Antique and Classic Car and Truck Show on Saturday, May 19. The event is being held at the Wayfarer Inn from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.

The show is co-sponsored by The Stanley Steamer Museum in Kingfield, Maine, and they are asking any Bedford resident with Woodbury information to help piece together an exhibit in Maine.

Zimmermann said the Wayfarer is the perfect place for a tribute to Woodbury.

“He did a lot of things in town, and he ran John Goffe’s Mill, which is now the Wayfarer. That’s why we chose that site,” he said.

Finn said he’ll probably enter the show.

Bullock said he no longer participates in car shows because some patrons don’t respect the cars and can damage them.

“It basically is a sentence. You either sit by your car the whole time or have to get someone to watch it,” he said.

Zimmermann is a collector, too. He has a 1932 Alvis and a 1981 BMW 633. He inherited the BMW from his father and bought the Alvis about two years ago. He’s now restoring the twoseater British car.

“There’s a maintenance factor that does exist,” he said. So why do people in Bedford collect cars?

It seems to be about family.

“I’ve just always like them. My dad was a fan of older cars,” Zimmermann said.

“It’s in my blood,” Bullock said.

When Bullock was 3 or 4 years old, he took his first ride in a Model T with his father.

For Finn, his kids grew up around his classic cars and now his grandchildren ride in the back of the truck during the Pre- Memorial Day Parade, he said.

It’s about having the right collection, too. For Finn, his license plate collection isn’t finished with the thousands he has now. He’s looking to complete his collection of New Hampshire Veteran plates with a few more from the 1990s.

“What I’m really looking for are three or four of those veteran plates with the diagonal ‘veteran,’” he said. “That would give me a complete set.”

Antique and classic cars aren’t cheap, either. Bullock said his Model T is insured for about $16,000.

“The cardinal rule for a car like this or any other old car is it’s worth whatever anybody will pay for it,” he said.