Thirty six seconds. That’s all it took for the fiesty Ford Fiesta R5 to reach the top of the 2025 Hagerty Hill Climb.
Of more than 100 cars and drivers to tackle the historic Shelsley Walsh track the rally rocket was the fastest.
A need for speed wasn’t the only reason that Hagerty customers, Drivers Club Members and other guests arrived at the wooded Worcestershire venue early on a sunny Saturday morning. The annual event has become a fabulous rolling car show that highlights the wildly eclectic nature of Britain’s car enthusiast community.
At one end of the scale there was Jonathan Taylor and his tiny MG Midget, at the other Peter Thompson’s 1965 Ford GT40. Where else but the Hagerty Hill Climb would you see a 1956 Citroën Traction Avant follow an Aston Martin DB11 in friendly competition or classic Minis go up against Mazda MX-5s?
“It was a really amazing mix of cars,” says Hagerty’s John Mayhead who turned up in his Porsche 944 and co-hosted the Hagerty Drivers Club area with Charlotte Vowden. “And the stories behind there were just as fantastic. For example, there was Ian Tomlinson in his absolutely beautiful Triumph Italia which had been in Mexico of all places, then he found it in three different locations in Germany and fully restored it.”
“Naturally, a lot of the focus at a hill climb event is on the track itself, but this year I spent more time talking to drivers in the paddock – it’s a story-filled place,” adds Vowden. “With a 120-year history, Shelsley Walsh has many tales to tell, and the nature of Hagerty’s ‘run what you brung’ event means that anyone can have a go at tackling the oldest motorsport venue in the world. Seeing the trepidation experienced by first-time hill-climbers on the start line transform into elation upon their return reminded me of the emotions I felt during my inaugural run up the hill. The event followed on from the Hagerty Drivers Club Goes North tour in the Lakes and Dales, a road trip that John Mayhead and I took part in. Going up the hill as passenger in John’s 944 was the pinnacle moment of a brilliant few days.”
Armed forces charity Mission Motorsport provided some off-track competition with an epic Scalextric replica of Silverstone and also ran its hand-control equipped Subaru BRZ on the hill, while members of the Hagerty Drivers Club were treated to an exclusive area with refreshments and entertainment – just one of many reasons to join!
The drivers of the Ralli 22 club swapped the special stage for the hill and put on an incredible display featuring Group A and Group B cars from the Ford Escort Cosworth and Lancia Delta Integrale to the Renault Maxi Turbo and MG Metro 6R4.
As the engines shut down at the end of the day the Hagerty Hillclimb was once more an unqualified success, with road and race cars of almost every vintage from current production to the earliest days of driving all being used as they were intended.
Roll on 2026 – and in the meantime enjoy our highlights gallery below.
