On Saturday, May 16, 2015, right on schedule and at the same time as the Concours d'Excellence just a few kilometers away, the two classic car umbrella associations FSVA (Fédération Suisse des Véhicules Anciens) and Swiss Oldtimers merged into a single umbrella association in Lucerne. This had already been attempted several times, but failed until yesterday. Now it has been accomplished.
Easy approval
This time it went off without a hitch. First of all, the two former umbrella organizations held their delegates' meeting in separate rooms at the Lucerne Museum of Transport in the morning. Both assemblies unanimously approved the merger.
The founding meeting of the new umbrella organization took place in the afternoon. A neutral chairman for the day, Daniel Wyssmann, a lawyer from Bern, led the meeting safely and efficiently through the agenda. This included some more complex points, e.g. the statutes, to which various amendments were proposed by the clubs.
SHVF - a new name to get used to
The name of the new umbrella organization gave rise to some discussion. Many people actually liked Swiss Oldtimers, as it seems modern, but Oldtimer is an Anglicism that makes the English-speaking world shake its head.
The delegates decided on "Swiss Historic Vehicle Federation", and a corresponding internet domain www.SHVF.ch has already been registered.
Appointment of the board
Two new clubs were then unanimously accepted into the new umbrella organization: the Saurer Club Switzerland and the Mercedes-Benz Veterans Club Switzerland. Lukas Oberholzer was elected as the new president. The other elected members of the Board of Directors are Felix Aschwanden, René Berset, Adam Ferrari, Thomas Habegger, Daniel Hirschi, Rolf Mäder, Ruedi Müller, André Schlatter, Bernhard Täschler and Judith Wyder.
Now the work begins
As a first step, the SHVF Swiss Historic Vehicle Federation board will now constitute itself and then devote itself to its actual tasks: Giving the classic car scene in Switzerland a voice. Classic cars are not just a hobby, they also represent an economic factor that should not be underestimated. This is in relation to the tourism industry - the vast majority of classic car events organized by Swiss classic car clubs take place in Switzerland - and the costly maintenance of classic cars, which secures many skilled jobs.
