The roar of engines echoed along Camps Bay Drive as drivers whipped their machines up through the twists and turns of the road in a bid to be the quickest of them all in this time-honoured tradition, Cape town Etc reports.
First held in 1912, the annual hillclimb races saw drivers showcase their cars and skills on Camps Bay Drive, Signal Hill Road and Kloof Road. One standout moment was in 1936, when a Bugatti Type 59 completed the Camps Bay course in just 53.4 seconds. Not even the Second World War was enough to permanently derail the event. After a pause between 1941-1945, the racing resumed in 1946 with the first post-war hillclimb on Camps Bay Drive.
On Saturday 30 November 1946, Roddy Turner drove his 747cc Austin to victory in the up-to-1000cc class. But in 1962, the engines fell silent. Stricter regulations and heavier traffic volumes ended Cape Town's hillclimb era, leaving the city's famous roads quiet for more than 60 years. This October that silence will be shattered. Backed by the City of Cape Town and Motorsport South Africa, Speed Classic Cape Town will revive the city's hillclimb tradition on 25 and 26 October.