Yuki Tsunoda preforms during Red Bull Showrun in San Francisco, Feb. 21 (Long Nguyen | Red Bull Content Pool).

 

From Formula 1 machinery tearing through the streets of San Francisco to rare exotics parked in Santa Clara lots and vintage fire trucks rolling through historic Niles, Silicon Valley’s car scene is far more than Teslas on the 101. Vansh Gupta captures the sights from an underrated car scene across the Bay Area.

Formula 1 Hits the Streets of San Francisco

Mitch Guthrie Jr. and Scott Speed perform in the streets of San Francisco, on Feb. 18 (Todd Gutierrez | Red Bull Content Pool)

When Red Bull Racing brought its Formula 1 Showrun to San Francisco, the Bay Area got a taste of world-class motorsport on its own streets. Thousands of fans lined the barricades as the Oracle Red Bull Racing car roared along the waterfront with the Golden Gate Bridge providing a cinematic backdrop.

At one point, a Ford Raptor trophy truck launched into the air directly over the F1 car in a stunt that had the crowd gasping. Tire smoke from high-speed donuts blanketed the street as spectators roared their approval. For a region better known for self-driving prototypes than screaming engines, the Showrun proved that the appetite for live F1 action in Northern California is very real.

Supercars and Rarities at the Santa Clara Car Meet

A Porsche Cayman GT4, Nissan Skyline GT-R, and other imports line up at the Santa Clara car meet (Vansh A. Gupta/Siliconeer).

On any given weekend in Silicon Valley, a parking lot can become an impromptu showroom. At a recent car meet in the Boichik Bagels parking lot near Nvidia headquarters in Santa Clara, the lineup was a testament to the diversity of the local car community.

A stunning Guards Red Porsche 911 GT3 sits on bronze wheels at the Santa Clara car meet (Vansh A. Gupta/Siliconeer).

A Guards Red Porsche 911 GT3 on bronze wheels commanded attention, while a Porsche Cayman GT4 sat alongside classic Nissan Skyline GT-Rs. 

(Above): The ultra-rare 2011 Rossion Q1. One of only 85 ever made, the Rossion Q1 is based on the Noble M400. The car is Hand-built in South Africa, powered by a Roush-tuned Ford V6, and weighing just 2,350 lbs (Vansh A. Gupta/Siliconeer).

The real showstopper was a car most people probably have never heard of: the 2011 Rossion Q1. One of only 85 ever produced, this hand-built exotic was made in South Africa by Hi-Tech and it is based on another rare supercar, the Noble M400. Under its carbon Kevlar body, sits a Roush-built Ford 3-liter V6 twin turbo putting down 375 horsepower at the wheels. Seeing one in person at a local meet was a pleasant surprise. Although very tame at the car meet, this was the main attraction of the whole intimate car meet.

A Piece of History Rolls Through Niles

A preserved vintage fire engine cruises past the Niles railroad sign (Vansh A. Gupta/Siliconeer).

Not every great car moment involves speed and power. In the historic Niles district of Fremont, a beautifully preserved vintage fire truck took to the streets, its cherry-red paint and gold-spoke wooden wheels drew smiles from everyone it passed. With the Niles backdrop, the scene felt like a step back in time.