The beautiful Widenmoos estate, once the summer residence of the Bally shoe factory owners, was the setting for the presidential soirée to which SHVF President Bernhard Täschler had invited his guests, Swiss classic car club presidents/representatives. The aim was to show what the Swiss classic car umbrella organization has done for its members (140 clubs, 24,000 club members represented) in recent months and what it intends to do in the future.
Admission of veterans increasingly difficult
In recent months, there has been an increasing trend for road traffic authorities to demand FIVA passports as standard. In general, it is becoming increasingly difficult to register cars with code 180 (veteran).
Shortage of FIVA ID cards
The bad news was that many FIVA ID cards are currently not being issued because no more forms could be delivered following the relocation of the FIVA headquarters from Belgium to Italy. However, the SHVF hopes that these problems can be resolved in the near future. It was also announced that the introduction of the electronic FIVA Card system has been delayed by one year.
The popular technical seminar for club specialists will take place as usual in Baden on January 26, 2019.
Successful cultural heritage year
Ruedi Müller guided the guests through the various events that had been held and supported as part of the Swiss Heritage Year.
Müller explained in his presentation that the automobile is still not automatically part of our culture, especially for traditional cultures.
Historic Vehicle Days as a lighthouse event
For Bernhard Täschler, one of the most important goals of the SHVF umbrella organization is to be able to represent more clubs and more club members. With every additional club/member, the political significance of the umbrella organization also increases.
The "Historic Vehicle Days", which were scheduled for April 27 and 28 in 2019, are intended to draw more attention to classic cars in Switzerland. The clubs, but also individual classic car owners, are called upon to make greater use of their old cars on that date, to show them off and at least put them in front of the garage.
Clubs and organizers can register their activities with the umbrella association SHVF, which will then coordinate the media communication.
Remember more!
Councillor of States Philipp Müller, former FDP Switzerland President, but from a classic car perspective an important former racing driver and car enthusiast, reminded the conference participants that the umbrella organization is certainly an important representative of opinion purely in terms of numbers. Some smaller groups make much more noise and are therefore also heard.
If the interests of classic cars (e.g. in connection with the electronic vignette, environmental zones in cities, mobility pricing or road traffic tax) are not heard, then more attention must be drawn to them. As an idea, Müller suggested that a large number of vintage cars should be driven onto the Bundesplatz during a federal parliamentary session. He also recommended the increased involvement of a parliamentary group and the inclusion of non-vintage car owners (e.g. in the form of passenger rides).
The SHVF umbrella organization's website provides information on current activities.
