If you have never heard of Velocity International, you should. It’s the most mind-boggling congregation of the planet’s most expensive and rarest cars. But these aren’t your typical garage queens babied around velvet ropes parked up to be looked at. They are there to race and race hard. Described by the organizers as “A motorsports and lifestyle event dedicated to celebrating and experiencing the finest of vintage motorsport.” While that is true, it’s not the whole story. Velocity is so much more than vintage racing. It’s not as definitive as it looks on the website when buying tickets.

The event has moved around a bit this year it was hosted at Sonoma Raceway near Napa Valley in Califonia’s North Bay. The faintly seaside circuit is an old-school circuit reminiscent of the days of unrestricted, raw, gritty racing. The circuit reminded me of a slightly foggy Willow Springs Raceway. It catered to the vintage vibes with a wall of advertising surrounding the last corner and the lack of safety fencing. With most of my on-track experience coming from a Grade 1 FIA circuit, this bygone-era relic was refreshing to see. Being there made me feel nostalgic, even though it was my first time.

Velocity has many layers to it but I’ll try to explain it as best I can. The essential purpose of the event is to host multiple groups of cars with various practice, qualifying, and racing sessions based on the group you are in. Sprinkled over that are numerous vendors and side events showcasing new cars, old WRC cars, an electric boat, and a “Mclaren Demonstration”, which I’ll get to later. Never in my life have I ever been so overwhelmed by an increasingly long list of dream cars. Walking in can only be described with one word: Insane. There were 10 tents set up each with a specific group of cars. These Groups were not the only cars there, but these were the cars that would be participating in the racing. You can see the full entrant list here, which I highly recommend just to get a sense of what was there. From vintage Porsches and Minis to 80s-era Formula 1 cars, all the way up to recent Le Mans competitors. The place looked like a 10-year-old dumped out his Hot Wheels collection across the paddock. It’s hard for me to put into words what this event meant to me as all of my childhood dream cars were casually parked up for my viewing pleasure and not hidden behind bulletproof glass in a museum. I mean it’s not every day you see a 1965 Ferrari 250 GTO LM parked next to 3 Mclaren F1s. My favorite was the vintage F1 cars. I saw Niki Lauda’s Ferrari and Mario Andretti’s Lotus. Being a die-hard Formula 1 fan, this was like seeing royalty. This event was so happily unexpected. Every time you turned around, there was another incredibly rare car to drool over. I could never have imagined half of the stuff that turned up.

As we made our way out of the participant area, the flamboyance of the event continued. We started to see much more modern supercar types. It wasn’t just the fact that there are supercars though. It was the level of supercars that was in attendance that was staggering. These weren’t just dime a dozen Lamborghinis and Ferraris you can see at the dealers. They were the creme de la creme of the highest order and they were there in numbers. There were Pagani Zondas, Mclaren Senna GTRs, Ford GTs, and a Zenvo TSR just to name a few. We even found a tent with some 90s racing legends including a Mclaren F1 GTR, a Mercedes-Benz CLK-GTR, and a Porsche 911 GT1. My jaw was on the floor the entire time. And all of this for only $85. Due to some logistic issues with some of my friends I attended with, I was only able to attend the Friday session so it was cheaper. It would have been much more fun on race day I’m sure, but for the price, our experience was unbeatable. 

We finally found an area with some food and drinks and decided to chill for a bit. I went to grab a bite to eat and ran into another feature at Velocity I wasn’t expecting. With Monaco-like cars, why not have Monaco-like food? I went to a booth where I was treated to some Lobster Fries. I almost got a glass of Champagne to go with it, but I decided I wasn’t bougie enough for that lifestyle. After eating, something caught my eye. Something very indistinguishable and very orange. Well, Papaya to be exact. It was the Mclaren demonstration hall. I immediately rushed over to see what that was all about. Inside I was treated to the Holy Grail of Formula 1. Mclaren had brought out their collection of World Championship-winning Formula 1 cars. I was starstruck to say the least. The cars were in original spec with the original driver names on the sides still. Mclaren, Fittipaldi, Prost, Senna, Haikennen, and of course the ultimate for me, Hamilton. I wasn’t mentally ready to see this. I was under the impression that we would be seeing some old Alfa’s or Porsches, but that was it. My Hero’s cars sitting next to ones driven by the greatest talents in Formula 1. I needed a moment to process all of this. There is only one person who understands what seeing this meant to me, so I Facetimed my wife. She too was astonished to see these amazing machines. I could have stayed there all day. And I would have too, if I didn’t hear the sounds of cars racing past the building.

While there wasn’t any “racing” happening that day per se, there was a qualifying session for each group to set the order for the qualifying race that was happening on Saturday. Luckily, since I was close to the bridge over the end of turn 1, I posted up to get some killer views of the cars ripping by. Being just over the track, you could feel the concussion from the air wake and exhausts as the cars made their way up the hill to turn 2. It was the perfect place to experience the vintage rawness these cars brought. I’m not sure I could do the same, but I had to respect the drivers going balls to the wall side-by-side irreplaceable cars. These weren’t Miatas racing wheel-to-wheel so the stakes of missing a braking zone or giving too much throttle could be devastating. Even the Ferrari 250 GTO was going hard. If you aren’t familiar with their values, one sold a few days after the event at Sotheby’s for $51 million. I could barely afford to look at this car let alone race one.

After watching a few other groups, I made my way over to the grandstands to watch the last few groups and the much-anticipated Mustangs vs. Mini race. If you don’t know what that is, check out my other post about the importance of handling mods. The event concluded and I made my back to the car for our horrible “4-hour” drive home in Friday night Bay Area traffic. It gave me plenty of time to reflect on the event and to be honest, spending a bunch of time surrounded by normal cars in traffic grounded me. Heading to Velocity on a whim was a decision that I will never regret. They say Saturdays are for the boys, but sometimes Fridays are.  

While Velocity International may not find its place on your calendar every year, it unquestionably demands a spot at least once in a lifetime. The uniqueness of the event, the rare blend of high-end luxury and high-speed racing, is an experience that lingers in your memory. Velocity International isn’t just an event; it’s a symphony of speed, luxury, and racing nostalgia. The gathering of high-end cars, the thunderous exhausts against the hills of the iconic Sonoma Raceway, and the overall atmosphere make it an automotive spectacle like no other. It is a celebration of automotive excellence, a spectacle that transcends the ordinary. The value for money and an extensive list of potentially 7 to 8-figure cars is unrivaled. Unless you are planning to head to Cars and Coffee in Monaco, I suggest you hit up Velocity International in 2024.