The focus is on people, the people who organize a meeting, run an organization or are generally committed to the preservation of historic vehicles. These were the words of initiator Bernd Link at the start of the award ceremony on Friday evening in the large hall of the Filmtheater in Lucerne's Museum of Transport. With around 380 seats, it was almost completely full on December 5, 2025. As the Swiss Historic Vehicle Federation (SHVF) has taken over the only prize in the Swiss classic car scene, the evening was also merged with the presidential soirée, which had previously been held separately.
New categories
In addition to the previous awards for innovation, the Rookie Award for new players and events, there was also the new Swiss Classic Female Award, which focuses on the achievements of women in the world of historic vehicles. Another new addition was the Restoration Award, a category that Hannes Gautschi, who presented the award later in the evening, said should have been part of the whole thing from the very beginning. However, this can also be said of the Female Award, although it has always been a concern of those responsible for the jury - which has been mixed since the beginning - to also recognize women in their awards.
The voting mode was also new for 2025, with the public vote and the awarding of points each weighted 50 percent.
Young people are more active than expected
A woman also won first prize in the Innovation Award. Manuela Mondelli, an employee of Emil Frey Classics in Safenwil, received the diploma and medal for her master's thesis: "The ReGeneration" on the younger generation's perception of classic cars. The fact that the Swiss Classic Award focuses on the cause and that commercial matters are of secondary importance was also demonstrated by the fact that the Emil Frey Classics employee was presented with her prize by Dino Graf, AMAG Classic Manager and Group PR.
A group of young classic car enthusiasts from the Zurich Oberland took home the Rookie Award in 2025. The illustrious group of Leon Ladiges, Laura Erismann, Roche Luder and others caused a brief moment of amazement among the assembled spectators when the rookie organizers made it clear that their motor get-together mainly appeals to young people between the ages of 18 and 35 and that they, for example, held an event just for pre-war vehicles - completely contradicting the cliché that young people are no longer interested in vintage cars. According to Laura Erismann, the oldest car in her group is from 1920.
Honored for many years of commitment
Like the Rookie Award, the Swiss Classic Female Award will also find its home in Safenwil in 2025. Ursula Hediger, the long-standing president of the Safenwil Classic Car Club and co-founder of GP-Safenwil, won over both the voters in the online voting and the jury. She was well-deserving to receive the first female award from the hands of car journalist Isabelle Riederer.
Although the individual language regions are considered separately in the Swiss Classic Award, this year the French-speaking part of Switzerland was delighted to receive two awards. The organizers of the Ollon-Villars historic hill climb literally won the Swiss Historic Motorsport Award. Their commitment to this classic Swiss hill climb, which in the past even counted towards the European Hill Climb Championship and saw racing greats such as Jo Siffert and Jim Clark on the results lists, was particularly recognized. In more recent history, Sir Jackie Stewart, for example, has made an appearance.
True passion and regional diversity
Norbert Wicht, former President of the Veteran Car Club Suisse Romande VCCSR and this year's last jury member for French-speaking Switzerland, emphasized the strong presence of historic vehicles in this part of the country. It was therefore no easy task to choose the winner from three candidates, together with the online voters. In the end, the winner of the Swiss Classic Passion Awards Suisse Romande was the international VW meeting of the Coccinelle Club Lémania. This biennial event for rear-engined Volkswagens in Château d'Oex regularly attracts over 1200 vehicles from all over Europe and almost 10,000 visitors.
The winner of the Swiss Classic Passion Award Ticino could not be present in person in Lucerne. Antonio Santarelli is an exceptional car upholsterer who has not let even the hardest blows of fate get him down. He lost an arm in an accident, shortly afterwards his workshop burned down completely and yet he carried on, as laudator Roberto Bernasconi was able to tell the audience that evening. Once again shaken by fate, he unfortunately spent December 5 in hospital, so a good friend collected the diploma and medal for him.
There was also a Passion Award for German-speaking Switzerland. Since December 5, 2025, the Saurer Museum in Arbon has been able to add this prize to its small, respectable collection of awards. However, the museum has never actually received an award like this from its own country, as the members of the Eastern Swiss team said. The museum on the history of the Arbon-based company with a long tradition in textile machinery and truck construction is impressive with its fleet of almost 50 historic Saurer vehicles, most of which are in running order.
Prima ballerina, fire ruins and a short visit
Daniel Bachmann and Georg Dönni went head-to-head in the run-up to the Restoration Award. The reasons for their nomination were, on the one hand, the complete restoration of the Audi Quattro number 1, the R3 car, from a completely burnt-out fire ruin and, on the other hand, the conservation refurbishment of the Jaguar XK 120 from the 1949 London Motor Show, known by the first name of its first owner, the American-French prima ballerina Rosella Hightower.
While "Rosella" even made it onto the stage, the prize went to Daniel Bachmann, who, according to his own statement, had "fallen flat on his face" a few days before the award ceremony and was therefore still in hospital shortly before the Friday in question instead of finding the time to bring the Quattro to Lucerne. With the stage presence of the Jaguar and the prize for the Quattro, both candidates were probably given the attention they deserved at this award ceremony.
December 5 and 6 are very special days in Küssnacht am Rigi, when lantern bearers, Sami lice and especially the "Trychler" and "Geislechlöpfer" parade through the village at the foot of the Rigi and the shores of Lake Lucerne. During the "Chlausjagen", the evil spirits and winter are chased away with lots of light and noise.
So it's not surprising that Edgar "Gary" Gwerder only paid a brief visit to Lucerne and then had to move on. Because the public and jury chose the 2025 mountain race from Küssnacht to Seebodenalp for two and three-wheelers as the winner. OC President Gwerder and his Küssnacht delegation happily accepted the diploma and medal with satisfaction at this recognition, and nothing should have stood in the way of extending the victory celebration deep into the night at their home that evening...
Another Basel native receives the Lifetime Award
Urs P. Ramseier said at the opening of the evening that he was the jury president of the Swiss Classic Award so that it would never occur to anyone to award this prize to him. However, the presentation of this year's Swiss Classic Lifetime Award to Basel-based carrossier and Monteverdi enthusiast Ruedi Wenger also highlighted one of the origins of Ramseier's Swiss Car Register in Safenwil.
For the 50th anniversary of the Swiss Carrosserie Association, whose organization Wenger was responsible for and led, content from the still young register was used for a publication for the first time, thus laying the foundations for documenting and preserving the heritage of Swiss vehicle and car body construction. As Ramseier emphasized in his laudatory speech, Ruedi Wenger has rendered outstanding services to the classic automobile with his multifaceted commitment. This also includes preserving the history and vehicles of the Binningen car manufacturer Peter Monteverdi. Ruedi Wenger founded the Monteverdi Club in 1985 and chaired it until 2015. Monteverdi's partner Paul Berger, who has since passed away, received the Swiss Classic Lifetime Award in 2022.
With Ruedi Wenger and his newly awarded statuette "Beatrice" in hand - the name is pronounced in Italian - and with him in the middle and all the other prizewinners around him once again on stage for the final picture, the official evening ended a little later than planned. A standing dinner surrounded by historic aircraft in the aviation hall brought the evening to a close. The premiere with the classic car umbrella organization Swiss Historic Vehicle Federation SHVF as the new patron of the event was a success.
All nominees and the award winners:
Innovation Award
- Synhelion, CO2-neutral fuel from solar energy
- young4vintage, the SHVF's young talent development program
Award winner: "ReGeneration Project", study by Manuela Mondelli, Safenwil
Rookie Award
- Crazy Cargirl, influencer Jennifer Hohl
- Shift Happens, car event: "When passion creates movement", Philippe Maderthaner & Friends
Award winner: Motorentreff Zürich Oberland
Female Award
- Julia Gut, Race like her, the Girls-Only Classic Car Club
- P791 Car Hotel, co-owner Michèle Ulmann
Winner: Ursula Hediger, Oldtimerclub Safenwil and Co-Founder GP-Safenwil
Historic Motorsport Award
- Rubin Motorsport, Erlenbach, specialist for historic rally cars
- Hemberg Hillclimb Club, historic hillclimb race
Award winner: Historic Hillclimb Ollon-Villars
Passion Award Romandie
- Dakota Events, organizer Swiss Rétromecanika, Geneva
- Rétro Circuit Porrentruy - Courtedoux, historic race in the Jura
Award winner: International VW meeting in Château d'Oex
Passion Award Ticino
- Haflipinz, club for historic military vehicles in Ticino
- AutoMoto Club Generoso, passion and tradition for historic motorsport
Award winner: Selleria Antonio Santarelli: Passion, craftsmanship and iron will
Passion Award German-speaking Switzerland
- Christian Hartmann, Classic Car Archaeology
- "The Century of the Automobile", book, exhibition and event on 100 years of automobile traffic in Graubünden
Winner: Saurer Museum Arbon
Restoration Award
- Racervices GmbH, Ueli Schüpbach, Monteverdi Service and Motorsport
- Jaguar XK 120 OTS "Rosella", GB Classic Cars Dönni and Dr. Christian Jenny
Winner: Prototype Audi quattro R3, Garage Bachmann Inwil, Daniel Bachmann
Bike Award
- Alex Lüchinger, historic motorcycles, Niederönz
- Red Bull Alpenbrevet, largest motorcycle event in the Alps
Award winner: mountain race from Küssnacht to the Seebodenalp
Swiss Classic Livetime Award 2025
Ruedi Wenger, coachbuilder in Basel
