Helmut Erik “Helm” Glöckler was a German amateur racer whose competition interests ranged from small single-seaters to Porsche sports cars. Born on 13 January 1909, he raced a DB in Formula Three in 1951 and drove a heavily modified Renault 4CV to an Alpine Cup sports-class success in that year’s Österreichische Alpenfahrt.
His strongest association was with Porsche. Glöckler won the 1953 Eifelrennen in a new 550 and contested Le Mans in the same model, sharing with Hans Herrmann that year and Richard von Frankenberg in 1954. His cousin Walter had built a Porsche-powered Spyder in 1951, part of the development story that led towards the 550.
Formula One offered a much shorter adventure. Glöckler entered the 1953 German Grand Prix in an Equipe Anglaise Cooper, but an engine problem in qualifying prevented a race start. The car carried number zero on its entry; it never raced with it. Jody Scheckter would become the first driver to start a World Championship Grand Prix bearing that number in Canada in 1973.
Away from the circuit, the Helm Glöckler GmbH motorcycle workshop and dealership in Frankfurt carried his name. He died on 18 December 1993, leaving a racing record rooted more firmly in German sports-car development than in his solitary, unsuccessful championship entry.
