Even after the death of its founder Helmut Zwickl Austrias No. 1 In 1993, the well-known Austrian journalist Helmut Zwickl and his friend and enthusiast Michael Glöckner realized their idea for the first time: to let historical vehicles compete in a kind of rally through the beautiful Styrian Ennstal and the surrounding hills. The first edition of their "Ennstal Classic" was won by the brilliant Walter Röhrl, and even "Mr. Red Bull" Dietrich Mateschitz was among the starters. Perhaps it was thanks to the legacy of these prominent "godfathers" that the event developed into the largest of its kind in Austria in the following years. 

The three-day rally traditionally concludes with the "Porsche Design Grand Prix": a parade of racing cars through the fan-crowded Gröbming. The spectacle, which has already been attended by personalities such as Sir Stirling Moss, Sir Jackie Stewart, Niki Lauda, Mario Andretti, John Surtees, Maria-Teresa de Filippis, Nigel Mansell, Rauno Aaltonen, Nino Vaccarella, Emerson Fittipaldi, Hans Herrmann, Mike Thackwell, and Jochen Mass, has developed into a significant economic factor over time. 

The rally is followed by an estimated 100,000 spectators and is expected to provide the tourism region of Ennstal with 20,000 overnight stays.The biggest stars from the motorsport world at this year's 31st edition were F1 driver and Le Mans winner Hans-Joachim Stuck, F2 and touring car legend Dieter Quester, former F1 driver David Brabham, DTM star Thomas Preining, and Dakar champion Matthias Walkner. However, in the eyes of many, they were overshadowed by a surprise guest: the genial and relatively publicity-shy constructor Gustav Brunner. The former F1 designer of Maurer, ATS, RAM, Rial, Ferrari, and Toyota accepted an invitation from former F1 chief technician at ATS, Bruno Flückinger, to Gröbming.Stuck drove the Grand Prix in his Le Mans-winning Porsche 962C, Quester in a Porsche 356, Brabham in a F2-Brabham BT38B, and Preining in a Porsche 908. The sensational field was complemented among many others by KR Hofer in his Ferrari 250 SWB, Rudolf Raml in the recently acquired Wolf WR1, and Alfred Ecker in the Lola T620.Nearly 180 valuable pieces of jewelry on four wheels took to the start at the three-day rally, many of them driven by successful Austrian personalities from culture and sports. Peter Schöggl and Werner Tripolt won in an Alfa Romeo 1750 Spider Veloce.The Ennstal Classic has been a success story for four decades - and yet this year "everything was different": 

For the first time, initiator Helmut Zwickl was absent. The native Viennese became one of the most influential German-speaking journalists in Jochen Rindt's "slipstream" in the sixties. He wrote for daily newspaper Kurier, but also for specialized magazines such as Autorevue and Motorsport aktuell. Zwickl was not only a confidant of Rindt but later also of Lauda, Berger, and Mansell. He attended around 850 Grands Prix and received a 'lifetime F1 accreditation' from Max Mosley in 2005. However, Helmuts' interest in current Formula 1 noticeably diminished around the turn of the millennium. He saw his new main task as the Ennstal Classic. The author of numerous books passed away at the beginning of February this year at the age of 85. Michael Glöckner must now continue his 'Ennstal' alone with the organizing team built around the Zwickl family...