Participants from 15 states and six countries will drive their rare automobiles to downtown Lodi on Monday, April 28, the first day of the 18th annual California Mille.

The California Mille is based on the Mille Miglia, an annual 1,000-mile race in Italy that began in 1927 and ended in 1957. Cars that could have qualified for the Mille Miglia are eligible for the California Mille. Participants are selected by committee.

California Mille participants leave San Francisco on April 28, wind through the Delta on back roads before stopping for a catered lunch on School Street in downtown Lodi. Visitors will have an opportunity to view the classic vehicles and chat with the car owners as they rest from approximately 11:30 a.m. to about 1:30 p.m., before heading to Lake Tahoe.

Lodi-area wineries are among the sponsors of the prestigious auto rally.

Cars on the tour this year include 15 Jaguars, 11 Alfa Romeos, 9 Mercedes-Benz and exotics such as Talbot-Lago, Nash Healey, Allard, Aceca-Bristol, Hudson Hornet,  Kurtis, Cisitalia, Cunningham, and Delahaye. Three of the vehicles in this year's event completed the Peking-to-Paris marathon in 2007.

In addition to the United States, participants will come from Canada, Australia, Colombia, Switzerland and the United Kingdom.

Parking on School Street, between Elm and Locust streets, and on Elm Street between School and Sacramento streets, with be off-limits from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. to accommodate the Mille participants. Elm Street will be one-way (west-to-east) during this time. Also, the Elm Street parking lot between School and Sacramento streets will be restricted to California Mille participants.