HAVE YOUR SAY TO STOP ANTICLASSIC LAWS
Influential group representing classic owners across the globe says new research will be used to help keep our cars on the road
Britain’s classic owners are being encouraged to have their say in an influential new international survey. The results will be used to persuade lawmakers not to pass legislation that will threaten how older cars are used both here and abroad.
Experts at the Fédération Internationale des Véhicules Anciens (FIVA) – a worldwide organisation representing classic car clubs and businesses – said that the survey will help to show how classics are used across the globe and how their use supports thousands of jobs and businesses.
FIVA culture commission member, Mario de Rosa, said: ‘The findings gained regularly serve as a basis for arguments and help in discussions with political decision makers and are therefore of considerable importance.’
THE COVER STORY
If you own a classic vehicle, then your responses to a new interntional survey could change the future of classic car ownership forever. Classic vehicle advocate group, the Fédération Internationale des Véhicules Anciens
(FIVA) is asking historic vehicle owners worldwide to take part in a new socio-economic questionnaire, including data collected from Britain’s own Federation of British Historic Vehicle Clubs (FBHVC).
FIVA’s 15-language survey will generate crucial data for legislators looking to manage the historic vehicle population by canvassing the opinions of enthusiasts, clubs and specialists. The study is particularly concerned with use patterns and mileage covered in classic cars, as well as the numbers of old vehicles owned and how much we spend on maintenance and show visits. FIVA culture commission member, Mario de Rosa, said: ‘The findings gained regularly serve as a basis for arguments and help in discussions with political decision-makers and are therefore of considerable importance.’
FIVA conducts global surveys every six years because it, like the FBHVC, is trying to understand the impact events such as the current COVID 19 pandemic on the historic vehicle hobby and the industry that supports it.
The survey closes on 31 October; the FBHVC’s 2020 Enthusiast Study of the UK’s historic vehicle scene and industry closes on 12
October, building on the data collected during the National Historical Vehicle Survey in 2016. Figures from four years ago revealed a domestic movement that is worth £5.5 billion to the economy each year and provides employment for more than 34,000 people. The survey also takes in the use patterns of modern classic vehicles produced between 1991 and 2000.
FBHVC communications director, Wayne Scott, said: ‘FIVA’s survey is based on gathering similar data on Europe to what we are looking to achieve here in the UK. Our Enthusiast Study will cover the UK data for lobbying our specific authorities and gives more detail on the UK community. As the UK rep of FIVA, we all feed our data into them. We need to push our survey so we get the UK detail we need.’