Helm Glöckler

Helmut Erik 'Helm' Glöckler (13 January 1909 - 18 December 1993): German racing driver from Frankfurt am Main and brother of Porsche constructor Walter Glöckler. Entered the 1953 German Grand Prix at the Nürburgring driving a Cooper T20-Bristol entered by Equipe Anglaise, his only Formula One World Championship attempt. Failed to compete in the race after his Cooper's engine failed during qualifying, ending his Formula One career before it began. Notably, had he qualified for the 1953 German Grand Prix, would have become the first driver to race with car number 0 in Formula One, twenty years before Jody Scheckter became the first to actually race with number 0 at the 1973 Canadian Grand Prix.

Before his Formula One attempt, competed in Formula 3 racing in 1951, driving a Deutsch-Bonnet and demonstrating his single-seater racing abilities. Became a Porsche works driver in 1953, joining the factory team during Porsche's early years of competition in international motorsport. Won the sports car race at the 1953 Eifelrennen driving the new Porsche 550 prototype, giving the legendary sports car its debut victory in heavy rain at the Nürburgring. The Eifelrennen victory in appalling conditions demonstrated Glöckler's car control and ability to extract maximum performance from the revolutionary mid-engined Porsche.

Competed at the 24 Hours of Le Mans twice as a Porsche works driver: in 1953 partnering Hans Herrmann in a Porsche 550, and in 1954 partnering Richard von Frankenberg in another 550. While his brother Walter Glöckler gained fame as the constructor who built the Glöckler-Porsche sports cars that inspired the factory's 550 Spyder, Helm established his own reputation as a works driver. The Glöckler-Porsche cars built by Walter in 1951 featured innovative lightweight construction and mid-engine layout that heavily influenced Porsche's subsequent 550 design. Helm raced both his brother's Glöckler-Porsche creations and factory Porsche machinery throughout the early 1950s, helping develop and prove the concepts that would make Porsche dominant in sports car racing.

Continued racing through the 1950s in various European sports car events, primarily with Porsche factory entries and customer cars. After retiring from active competition, maintained connections to Porsche and the German motorsport community throughout his life. Passed away on 18 December 1993 in Frankfurt am Main at age 84. Though his Formula One career consisted of a single failed qualifying attempt, Glöckler's contributions to Porsche's early racing success and his Eifelrennen victory in the 550 prototype secured his place in German motorsport history.