Youngstar Awards 2026: These "youngtimers" are now stars
A Lotus Exige and a Volvo S60: At the finals of the first Youngstar Awards at the Mall of Switzerland, the two 2026 Youngstars were crowned. Autosprint was on the jury—and in the end, all participants were winners.
The first Youngstar Awards came to a close in early September at the Mall of Switzerland in Ebikon, Canton of Lucerne, amid standing ovations and plenty of emotion. This marks the first time the large youngtimer scene has finally established an award to honor those classics that aren’t (yet) «true» old-timers, but are cherished and cared for all the more enthusiastically by their fans. At the successful start In early June, on the grounds of the Arthaios AG film and photo studio in Däniken, SO, the expert jury—which also included Autosprint—selected the six finalists from among the many participating “youngtimers,” ranging from the Mitsubishi Eclipse to the VW Golf to the Honda NSX. That’s when things really started to get exciting. That’s because the jury’s scores account for 60 percent of the total, while community voting makes up the remaining 40 percent.
Jury's decision plus fan voting
«The Youngstar Awards thrive precisely on this combination of independent expert evaluation and community enthusiasm,» explains Michael Feuz, who launched the event together with Jörg Petersen and Ruth Feuz. «The jury evaluated the vehicles with a wealth of experience and a critical eye. Then it was the audience’s turn to have their say. That created a whole new dynamic in the rankings.»
A Lotus just loves to pass other cars
This was particularly evident in Category A, where the relationship between the owner and the car—that is, the personal story—mattered most. After the first round, Nancy Giger’s one-of-a-kind 1990 Subaru Outback and Denis Gygax’s 1991 Mazda MX-5 were tied for the lead, ahead of Lukas Baumgartner’s 2004 Lotus Exige. But during the voting, the Lotus did what a Lotus loves to do: it overtook the competition—and how! In the end, the Exige won with 108.6 points, ahead of the Outback (51.6) and the MX-5 (49.2).
Old Swede Takes the Win
In Category B, things went exactly the opposite way, which once again confirmed the jury’s expertise: Here, the focus was on condition and originality, and the audience agreed with the jury and endorsed its rankings. Here, the “Youngstar 2026” title went to Andreas Heinrich’s Volvo S60 R AWD (330.0 points). It was followed by Francesco Greco’s Porsche 993 (320.8). Third place went to a Ford Sierra, once purchased by Marc Brunner for 40 francs (!) and now rewarded with 293.4 points. With the finale at the Mall of Switzerland, the Youngstar Awards proved three things: there was a need for a dedicated award for “youngtimers”; the event’s success proved the organizers right and calls for a repeat in 2027—and nothing is as emotional as cars.
