A Porsche and Ferrari for Franchitti

A 1970 Ferrari 512M sports racer driven in the 1971 24 Hours of Le Mans by Mike Parkes of Great Britain and Henri Pescarolo of France.

PHOENIX – When I go to classic car events, I always pick the car I’d most like to drive home. Turns out, I’m not the only one. The IndyCar champion Dario Franchitti also plays that game, though his interests are in driving on the racetrack rather than on the roadways.

Mr. Franchitti was the grand marshal for the third annual Wheels of Wellness classic racing car show, which started a week of collector-car auctions in Arizona on Sunday. There were 30 cars displayed around the historic downtown Phoenix house that is the base for the Wellness Community, which assists people who have cancer. Mr. Franchitti quickly picked two of his favorite cars.

“The two I’m drooling over are the 512 and the IROC RSR,” said Mr. Franchitti, the 2007 Indianapolis 500 winner and two-time national IndyCar champion.

The IROC RSR is a 1973 Porsche RSR that Mark Donohue drove to victory in the first International Race of Champions event. The 512 is a 1970 Ferrari 512M sports racer driven in the 1971 24 Hours of Le Mans by Mike Parkes of Great Britain and Henri Pescarolo of France.