A drive assembly moves a vehicle closure panel from an open to a closed condition. The drive assembly has a housing and a motor mounted on the housing. A drum and gear assembly is rotatably mounted on the housing. The drum and gear assembly has a drum having a helical groove, a gear in driving engagement with the motor, and a spring biasing the drum in a winding direction relative to the gear. The drum and gear have a lost motion connection therebetween. A cable has an end connected to the closure panel and an opposite end connected to the drum about the helical groove in the winding direction. The drum rotates in the winding direction relative to the stationary gear as the closure panel is manually moved from the open to the closed condition with the spring maintaining a cable tension. The drum and gear rotate together in the winding direction upon energizing the motor effecting powered movement of the closure panel to the closed condition. The motor is afterwards energized in an opposite direction counter-rotating the gear relative to the drum back to a start position.