By GAYLE WEBER

gweber@dailynews.net

It wasn't hard to spot Don and Mary Hartman at the Hays City Auto Outlaws Rock, Roll and Ride Rod Run on Saturday in Hays.

Decked out in their Kansas State University attire, they sat under a K-State canopy, keeping an eye on their 1934 Ford pickup -- painted purple.

"It was just a regular ol' pickup," Don Hartman said of the truck when he purchased it.

But then, with the help of a professional car restorer, Hartman put his personal touches on the truck. And it's won him accolades in a purple-themed car show in Manhattan a few years ago.

"We wound up getting best of show, and we got to drive it around the (K-State) football field at halftime of the spring game," Hartman said.

Collecting cars and restoring them is more than a hobby for the Hartmans. Along with the 1934 pickup, they displayed a 1957 Thunderbird on Saturday. They also have a couple of older model Mustangs at home.

"This is what, when we retire, we want to do is travel around to car shows and have a good time," Hartman said.

He had help restoring the Thunderbird from Mike Keller, Ellis. Keller, who purchased his first car at age 12, helped restore a half dozen cars on display Saturday at the car show, including his own 1930 Ford A Roadster.

"Every one of them's unique," Keller said.

For Cody and Heather Pfaff, this month's Hays City Auto Outlaws show was just another in a series of shows they attend each year.

"I always like to see the new ones coming out," said Cody Pfaff, Hays.

And those new ones included the Hartmans' two cars. They hadn't been to the Rock, Roll and Ride show before, but said they were impressed by it.

"Good, other than the wind," Hartman said.