What to Wear to a Vintage Hillclimb Auto Race — Men's Complete Guide

Walking through the grass paddock of a historic mountain hillclimb auto race places you among open-wheel pre-war Bugattis, howling air-cooled Porsches, and the sharp scent of Castrol R racing oil. Drivers line up at the base of a twisting alpine ribbon of tarmac, launch past hay-bale chicanes, and sprint individually against the stopwatch toward the summit finish line.

The quintessential dress code is mid-century gentleman driver style and alpine weather adaptability: suede bomber jackets or waxed cotton racing jackets, fine-knit polo shirts, tailored cotton chinos or cords, and pebbled leather driving loafers or retro sneakers. Because hillclimb courses climb thousands of feet from sunny valley paddocks to windy mountain peaks, classic layering is essential.

From inspecting twin Weber carburetors in the open paddock to watching tail-sliding hairpin exits from hillside spectator banks, here is your definitive hillclimb race style guide.