Organisers of the Bradford Classic Car Show are looking to bring a prestigious Formula One racing car to the event next year, it was revealed today.

Formula One is widely regarded as the pinnacle of world motorsport, with the stunning aerodynamic cars having as much in common with jet fighters as they do with ordinary road cars.

Interest in the sport has soared with the emergence of Britain's Lewis Hamilton as a leading force in Formula One this season.

Hamilton, who drives for McLaren, narrowly missed out on the world championship to Ferrari's Kimi Raikkonen in the Brazilian Grand Prix last night Bradford Council, which organises the annual classic car show, based around Centenary Square, is hoping to make Formula One the theme of next year's event.

Motorsport enthusiast, Councillor Andrew Mallinson, one of the event's organisers, said: "I have been in touch with the Williams FI team, but the cost of bringing one of the cars and having it running would be quarter of a million pounds, which is a significant amount.

"I have not as yet ruled it out, but we need to find a major sponsor. As a corporate event for a major sponsor, it would pay huge dividends and it would bring in an awful lot of people. It's a million pound car and a dozen people have got to come with it to make sure the engine is set up correctly before it's fired up."

Coun Mallinson, who is also the Council's portfolio holder for regeneration, said he hoped the opportunity to sponsor the appearance of a F1 car at next year's show would appeal to the likes of Westfield, the company behind the £300m Broadway scheme, or Morrisons, the Bradford-based supermarket chain.

Coun Mallinson said: "We want to push the boundaries, which means people have got to come out of their comfort zone, if we are going to attract large numbers of people into the district.

"I would like to go a step further and run F1 cars down the Bingley bypass. It's achievable. Imagine the crowds that would attract. When they ran F1 cars through the streets of London, thousands of people turned out to watch. We need to raise the stakes."

Coun Mallinson said the Classic Car Show would definitely go ahead next year even if F1 involvement could not be secured. The theme of this year's successful event was rallying, with a fine selection of World rally cars on display outside City Hall before they were fired up for a high-speed city centre run the following morning.

If rallying were to be the theme again next year, Coun Mallinson said the high-speed stage would probably not be held in the city centre again, but could be held near Esholt, where a stage of the RAC rally used to be held.

"The show will definitely go ahead, but we are working on the details of the theme for next year," added Coun Mallinson.