Cape Town’s iconic hillclimb racing returns, bringing vintage classics and modern supercars to the twists of Philip Kgosana Drive.
Cape Town, South Africa (29 September 2025) – Cape Town’s love for hillclimb racing is set to ignite once again after a six-decade hiatus. This October, the city will witness engines roaring along a scenic 1.8km stretch of Philip Kgosana Drive as nearly 150 of South Africa’s most impressive cars take on the turns and reviving a motorsport tradition last seen in 1962.
Hillclimb racing first took hold in Cape Town in 1912, with drivers testing their skills along Camps Bay Drive, Signal Hill Road, and Kloof Road. The races became legendary, with notable highlights such as the 1936 run when a Bugatti Type 59 completed the course in just 53.4 seconds.
Fast forward to 2025, and the silence will be broken with Speed Classic Cape Town, hosted in partnership with Motorsport South Africa and the City of Cape Town. The event spans two days. Saturday, 25 October, will feature the ‘Classic Car Saturday’ showcase, with vintage and elegant vehicles. While Sunday, 26 October, promises a modern twist with supercars and high-performance machines competing in the ‘King of the Mountain’ challenge.
Garth Mackintosh, Event Director of Speed Classic Cape Town, says the choice of venue was an easy decision.
“Philip Kgosana Drive is an iconic and beautiful piece of road that is well-suited to becoming a very fast track due to its sweeping corners overlooked by Table Mountain. It also has a return road, which is needed to bring the cars back to the pits after their run. While there are lots of great roads in Cape Town, including the ones that used to host the hillclimbs, I don’t think there is anything better suited to this particular format of hillclimb racing than Philip Kgosana Drive.”
Safety was almost non-existent in the early days, but now it’s the top priority. Spectators will be separated from the action. The City is also supporting the event with traffic management and disaster response measures, ensuring a secure and thrilling experience for all.
“I personally love the hillclimb format and we want to grow people’s enjoyment of the sport. Speed Classic Cape Town will help make motorsport more accessible to South Africans, particularly because of its location, and spark new interest in hillclimb racing, which is an important goal of ours.”
After decades of quiet streets, Cape Town is ready to welcome back the high-octane drama and the exhilarating spirit of hillclimb racing.
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