The 2020 Swiss Classic Awards should have been presented at a large ceremony and gala dinner, but as we all know, everything is different in the coronavirus year 2020. The decision was therefore made to hold the ceremony at the "autobau erlebniswelt" in Romanshorn as planned, but on a smaller scale due to the pandemic.
Four awards were presented to the winners on the evening of November 27, 2020:
- The Door Opener Award:
Candidates were the British Car Meeting in Morges, the Moto Retro beers and the GP Mutschellen. - The Innovation Award
The candidates here were the Interessengemeinschaft Fahrzeugrestauration Schweiz (IgFS), Classic to Click (online trade fair for classic cars, youngtimers and co.) and Kompass AutoWerkstatt (training project/association) - The Rooke Award
Sara's Garage, the Brooklin (garage/organizer) and "Alte Tankstellen und Garagen in der Schweiz" (Facebook group) competed for votes.
And finally, the Lifetime Award was also presented.
Four prizes, four satisfied winners
Dino Graf expertly hosted the evening program.
The "Door Opener Award" was presented first and went to the GP Mutschellen, whose organizer was visibly delighted with the award and the laudatory speech. The GP Mutschellen no longer needs any special introduction. The hill climb on the outskirts of Zurich is well-known and popular both nationally and internationally, but had to be suspended in 2020 due to coronavirus.
The "Innovation Award" was presented to Kompass AutoWerkstatt. This workshop in Bischofszell, Thurgau, cuts, bends, copies, welds and replaces. The actual aim is to integrate unemployed people into the primary labor market through the restoration work on classic and vintage cars. It is not uncommon for road gems that were thought to be dead to be given another chance to let the wind whistle through the radiator grille and for discouraged jobseekers to find a new job. The AutoWerkstatt is the newest and unique department in Switzerland of Kompass Arbeitsintegration, which has been organizing a temporary employment programme (PVB) in the canton of Thurgau for 22 years. Thanks to the new facility, even cars that would otherwise be unprofitable can be put back on the road.
The "Rookie Award" went to the Facebook group "Old petrol stations and garages in Switzerland".
The founder is Beat Schmitz and his aim is to collect petrol stations and garages that are disappearing from the city and townscape. The community keeps contributing interesting pictures and memories, so that some gems from days gone by are not forgotten.
The Lifetime Award was not awarded by the audience via online voting, but by the jury. It went to Keith Wynn, who founded the British Car Meeting in Morges many years ago. Starting with 25 cars in the pretty little town of Morges on Lake Geneva, this event has developed into an international crowd-puller. It is a must for owners and fans of British cars. Wynn recently handed over the event to a successor, but remains closely associated with the meeting. Unfortunately, he was unable to attend the ceremony himself due to a coronavirus case in his area, but he sent his thanks on site. Last year's award winner Fredy Lienhard, who also hosted the evening with his "autobau" in Romanshorn, presented the trophy to his deputy Norbert Wicht.
Of course, the organizers of the Swiss Classic Awards hope that conditions will return to more normal next year. In any case, the award tradition, which now spans several years, is set to continue.
Further information, e.g. on the nominees and award winners, can also be found on the Swiss Classic Awards website.
