Farewell, Helmut!

Mastermind & Philanthropist: The Ennstal Classic Family Lost Its Guiding Light Yesterday, and His Family at Home Lost a Husband, Father, and Grandfather.

In the early 1990s, Helmut Zwickl, long established as the doyen of Austrian automotive journalism, founded the Ennstal Classic together with his friend Michael Glöckner—turning the tranquil town of Gröbming into a state of exception once a year. Every summer, when Europe’s classic car epicenter makes the most beautiful roads tremble, Helmut’s spirit of “hands-on motorsport” becomes palpable for everyone—whether participant or spectator.

The stars who came as crowd-pullers, the sponsors who sought an emotional platform, and the volunteers who became essential pillars of the spectacle—all of them, by the evening of the awards ceremony, had become friends. Within the picture-book setting of the Ennstal Classic, surrounded by the scent of high-octane fuel, lead additives, and boiling oil, Helmut built a network that no lobbying agency could ever replicate.

Between reporting on Grand Prix races from every continent, aviation as a hobby, and his family at home, Helmut’s mind was always in the Ennstal—constantly searching for new routes and challenges, because the Ennstal Classic was never meant to be a mere floral parade. In 1997, he even tore our classic cars from their well-earned winter slumber—the Planai Classic became the challenge for men, women, and machines in the vintage car scene.

The Zwickl brand was magnetic—it attracted everyone. After all, the myth that connects us in Austria with the names Rindt, Lauda, Berger & Co. bears Helmut’s signature. He penned hundreds of motorsport stories, writing the way people speak and answering the questions they truly cared about. A dozen Zwickl books adorn the libraries of motorsport history—timeless petrol compositions built on unparalleled expertise, seasoned with inimitable metaphors, and driven by an incredible passion for the subject.

Helmut’s last great chapter was a true labor of love: Driving in the Last Paradise. For classic car enthusiasts, it will remain his legacy—an eternal epilogue.

Enrico Falchetto, February 10, 2025