The Formula One car Brazilian champion Ayrton Senna raced on Adelaide's street circuit 30 years ago is making a return to South Australia.

There will be 11 Formula One cars in town this weekend for a motor sport festival, which will include racing on the Victoria Park section of the original Adelaide race circuit.

"Two Formula One cars have been shipped to Adelaide from Switzerland, including Ayrton Senna's JPS Lotus, for this celebration and both cars raced on the Adelaide track in 1985 and 1987 respectively," SA Minister Martin Hamilton-Smith said.

The cars include Senna's 1985 JPS Lotus 97T, which he drove to pole position on the Adelaide circuit 30 years ago in the city's first Formula One race.

It also includes his Camel Lotus 99T, which he drove to cross the line in second place in 1987 before being controversially disqualified.

"It is fantastic that a further nine Formula One cars will be involved in the festival over the weekend, all of which have raced on the Adelaide track," Mr Hamilton-Smith said.

The motor sport event will include a return of the Classic Adelaide Rally after a six-year hiatus.

From Friday about 160 cars will tackle a 16-stage course through the Adelaide Hills, the Fleurieu Peninsula and into the city.

Ayrton Senna set a blistering pace on the Adelaide circuit in 1985, when he first raced in SA. ( Courtesy: Channel 9 )

Sporting Car Club of SA president Peter Whelan said the race would include similar stages to previous events.

"You sort of take all the safety precautions you can but you have to acknowledge motorsport has an element of danger, so you do everything you can," he said.

"We have to meet stringent safety requirements and we meet those and trust that everything will go well."

Organisers said there would be almost 1,000 vehicles competing or on display at the festival, which was now in its second year.

Sporting Car Club president Peter Whelan said the weekend festival would pay tribute to the Adelaide era of Formula One and this year highlight, the 30-year anniversary of F1 racing coming to Adelaide.

Senna visited Australia nine times during his racing career. He died more than two decades ago while racing in San Marino, aged just 34.

He won the Adelaide Grand Prix twice and had a total of 41 Grand Prix victories during his career.