By EVAN MCMULLEN
SPECIAL TO THE POST-INTELLIGENCER

The roar builds ominously from the left, crashing over the crowd in a deafening automotive Doppler that vibrates bone and drowns every ooh and aah. Long-revered factory colors glint and sparkle, blending together in explosive streaks.

The elegant antique racers all too quickly blur and pass from sight for another lap and, temporarily, the world feels strangely still. The effluvium of hot racing machines is slowly replaced by the wafting scents of corn dog and Eskimo pie.

And then it happens all over again.

Forget the fireworks, Mama: We're going to the vintage auto races.

The 16th Annual Pacific Northwest Historics Vintage Auto Races at Pacific Raceways in Kent offers a multimillion-dollar starburst of colorful classics -- a museum-quality array of pricey (and priceless) vintage race cars.

The event, put on by the Society of Vintage Racing Enthusiasts, has again attracted some of the country's most notable -- and raceable -- restorations.

Ferraris, Lotuses, Mercedes, Cobras, Corvettes, Porsches and Austin Healeys provide the well-known speed and muscle in a broad field of marques. But rarities such as Elva, Ginetta and McLaren will also dot the field. Many of these restorations are in mint or near-mint condition, and several attain speeds in excess of 150 mph.

More than 250 exquisite cars are expected to show in the paddock alone, which is open to the public.

The event's host, legendary Formula One Champion Phil Hill, and other racing celebrities will be on hand. Local racer Dominic Dobson will kick off the weekend's activities as official pace car driver.

Dobson has competed in seven consecutive Indianapolis 500 races and, like Hill, is a Le Mans veteran.

Highlights of the multiday event include an open paddock, Friday practice and qualifying rounds and the Saturday-Sunday practice and racing.

Each year, competitors descend from all over the West Coast and Canada to engage in mano-a-mano (or auto-a-auto) competition on the difficult 2.25-mile course, including nine turns, a 200-foot elevation drop and a three-quarter-mile straightaway,

Whether you're looking to witness a little history in motion or witness one of the world's most expensive track collisions, these races invariably dish up something for everyone.

With millions of dollars of rolling stock skidding through the turns, you can bet these competitors are unlikely to be interrupted by "good news" from their car insurance companies.

For pure fun, don't miss the Phil Smart Jr.-sponsored International Race of Executives (IROE), a competition of local and regional who's who that offers some of the weekend's most unexpected twists and turns.

Smart and IROE are back again for their eighth year, giving local executives the chance -- for a mere $10,000 donation -- to flog new Mercedes around the track. This is a fast-paced (and lucrative) fund-raising spectacle of the first order, a kind of entrepreneurial make-a-wish.

You can see Seattle drivers such as William Cotter of DaVinci Gourmet and John Goodman of Pinnacle Development race brand new street Benzes through the curves of this challenging track.

Of course, professional training from Performance Racing is included in the entry fee.

The $10,000 entry fees, like other event proceeds, directly benefit SOVREN/Children's Hospital.

With unprecedented celebrities, classics and activities, the Pacific Northwest Historics' "sweet 16" provides ample evidence of newfound grace and maturity.

Tickets are available through Ticketmaster and at the gate.

For more information, contact www.northwesthistorics.com or call the race hot line, 206- 389-5200.

Evan McMullen is the proprietor of Cosmopolitan Motors in Seattle.