FORMULA One cars will return to the city's streets this year as part of an inaugural Adelaide Motorsport Festival.

More than 150 rare, vintage and sports vehicles with an estimated value topping $10 million will feature in the "museum in motion" in Victoria Park on April 13.

Among the collection is the 1985 Toleman Formula One car - in its famed Benetton livery - that featured in Adelaide's first Australian Grand Prix, as well as the Williams that Alan Jones drove to the 1980 world drivers championship.

Ten iconic Formula One vehicles - all from private collections from across Australia and the globe - are expected including the first Lotus produced for the 1957 season, a 1974 March and a 1985 Beatrice Lola Hart, driven by Jones alongside the Benetton-sponsored Toleman at the 1985 Adelaide Grand Prix.

"It's that rare opportunity for people to go to the track they maybe went to in 1985 - it looks a bit different now of course - but they'll hear the same sounds that they heard back then," event spokesman Tim Possingham said.

"At the same time they can learn about SA's rich motorsport history."

The festival, a first of its kind in SA, is based on similar events including England's Goodwood Revival and a Geelong Revival in Victoria.

Displays and demonstrations will also feature motorcycles and vintage racers, as well as a 1966 Corvette driven by Peter Brock at the Goodwood Revival shortly before the Aussie motorsport legend died during a Targa event in 2006.

Possingham said the event would also aim to highlight South Australia's rich motorsport heritage.

"Many people don't know that we had Grands Prix in South Australia at places like Victor Harbor, Nuriootpa, Port Wakefield, Mallala before the well-known Australian GP in the Parklands, where the Clipsal 500 track now is," Possingham said.

"If people remember older events like Port Wakefield in the 50s, those cars will be there. We want to keep those memories alive.

"It's amazing to ask someone, 'do you realise there was an Australian Grand Prix between Victor and Port Elliot?', and they're like, 'what?'.

"This is a celebration of motoring history."

The Sunday event will include a series of timed sprints involving race-ready vehicles.