The Allure of the Simola Hillclimb

KNYSNA, South Africa, 13 June 2025 – The Simola Hillclimb always produces a spectacular array of cars, and this is especially true of Classic Car Friday which features a dazzling variety of machines from some of the most memorable periods in automotive history.

Few car brands know how to capture the raw emotion and passion that petrolheads live for, and even fewer can match Alfa Romeo – a storied Italian marque that is celebrating its 115th anniversary this year.

Cape Town-based Trevor Tuck is a true aficionado of the Alfa Romeo brand, and its legendary classic cars in particular – many of which he has competed in during Classic Car Friday at the annual Simola Hillclimb. The 15th edition this year was his seventh event, where he notched up a sixth class win behind the wheel of a 1969 Alfa Romeo 1750 GTV.

“For classic car enthusiasts the Simola Hillclimb is one of the premier events in the country, and there’s simply nothing else like it in South Africa,” Tuck says. “The Simola Hillclimb just gets better each year, and that’s why we keep coming back.

“My first year was a real eye-opener. Although I’m now used to it, every year you still get surprised by the support, the crowd, the level of competition and the amazing range of cars and drivers. It’s lovely,” he says.

“I saw a Nike advert at the airport the other day, and I thought it was quite apt for the Simola Hillclimb. It said, ‘Never again. See you next year’. It’s exactly the same thing with the Hillclimb,” Tuck adds. “You say never again, but we’ll see you next year and we just keep on coming back. We really enjoy it, we love the Alfas and we love the spirit and the vibe of this special event.”

Tuck’s passion is Alfa Romeos, having built and raced them for 25 years. He has also competed in more modern machinery, racing in the South African Production Car Championship in the mid-2000s.

“I love the Alfa Romeo brand and know the classic Alfas so well, so that’s what we stick with,” he says. Not surprisingly, Tuck has a strong association with the Museo Della Passione (Museum of Passion), a haven for automotive enthusiasts located in the picturesque Lourensford Estate in Somerset West. The museum is owned by Lynton Hilliard-Lomas who has a vast car collection, but it is best known for the breathtaking range of classic Alfa Romeos. Tuck is responsible for keeping these cars, and those of other Alfa owners, in tip-top shape, and carefully restoring those that need a refresh or a complete rebuild.

Italian stallions

Tuck has the privilege of driving some of these legendary Alfa Romeos with vigour at the Simola Hillclimb each year, just as they are meant to be. “We try and bring a different car every year for the Hilllclimb. Last year I competed with the 1960 Giulietta, joining the worldwide celebrations for this car’s 70th birthday.” Although he just missed out on making it into the Class Finals with a best qualifying time of 55.715 seconds, it was a delight seeing this gorgeous model in action.

“For this year we brought a 1969 1750 GTV to mark Alfa Romeo’s 115th anniversary. It’s a special car, but she last raced in 2007. We pulled it out the shed, just gave it a good clean up and came to race up the Simola Hill,” he says. The iconic 1750 GTV powered Tuck to his sixth class win in seven years, taking the H5 title for four-cylinder racing saloons (up to 1975) with a winning time of 58.448 seconds.

Another impressive car that he drove in the 2019 edition of the Simola Hillclimb was the 1969 Giulia GTAm – a lightweight and more powerful version of the Giulia GT production car which was specially developed for saloon car racing. Its motorsport pedigree was abundantly clear, taking the class win with an impressive time of 50.147 seconds up the 1.9 km Simola Hill.

As for Tuck’s favourite car to drive, he unequivocally points to the immaculately prepared 1974 Giulia 2000 Rally that he owns, and is well known in the classic racing community as ‘Giulia Caesar’. “I built this car when I was a lot younger, but I know it so well, and it fits like a glove whenever I climb into the car so it’s my favourite Alfa to drive,” he says.

The Giulia 2000 Rally, with its sizzling twin overhead camshaft 2.0-litre engine and intoxicating induction roar, handed Tuck the class victory on his first attempt in 2017, along with back-to-back wins in 2022 and 2023. His best official time in the car was 51.328 seconds in the 2022 Simola Hillclimb Class Finals, and he even made it into the Classic Conqueror Top 10 Shootout that year, ending ninth overall on 51.501 seconds.

50-odd seconds, flat-out

As for the hillclimb format, Tuck points out that strategy is essential for Classic Car Friday. “This has to be one of the most expensive 50-odd seconds of our lives,” he muses. “There’s only one day and you need to string it all together by getting through the practice sessions unscathed, and make it count in the qualifying runs to ensure that you get into the top three for the Class Finals. Then everything is reset and you have to do it all again for the single-run sprint to determine the class winners and, if you’re quick enough, the final Top 10 Shootout. So it’s quite a mind game.”

He indicates that Turn 2, which leads into the fast uphill straight, is the most challenging part of the course. “I always aim to take this corner flat-out in fourth gear in these old cars, otherwise you lose momentum going up the hill. But as you get a bit older every year it becomes a little less flat-out. After that, it’s fourth gear all the way to the top of the hill, with slight lift-offs at Turn 3 and in the first part of the Esses, but for the rest, it’s foot-flat the whole way.”

Looking forward to the 2026 Simola Hillclimb and beyond, the combination of Trevor Tuck and Alfa Romeo will remain a force to contend with. “We are looking to build a car to go up to the next bigger class, and hoping to run a 1980s Alfetta GTV soon,” he concludes.

The 16th edition of the Simola Hillclimb takes place from 30 April to 3 May 2026.