In a drive device for opening and or closing the hatch of a motor vehicle, the drive including a spindle drive with a threaded spindle and a nut, with a clutch arranged between the rotary drive and the spindle drive, the clutch includes a shifting element, a clutch element, and a clutch disk non-rotatably connected to the threaded spindle. The shifting element is rotatably drivably connected to the rotary drive. The shifting element has an axially oriented helical first ramp and the clutch element has an axially oriented helical second ramp in opposed contact with said first ramp. Relative rotation of the shifting element and the clutch element causes relative axial displacement of the shifting element and the clutch element against a spring force. The clutch element has a clutch area movable into non-rotatable engagement with the clutch disk in response to the relative axial displacement of the shifting element and the clutch element such that the rotary drive for the spindle drive also operates the clutch.