The fourth European Conference for Automotive history, organised by Anders Ditlev Clausager of the Society of Automotive Historians in Britain together with the culture commission of FIVA (Fédération Internationale des Véhicules Anciens), was hosted by Autostadt at Wolfsburg in Germany from 4 to 6 October 2024.
The 60 delegates came from 20 different countries, and were treated to 18 presentations on subjects varying from research into Citroën chassis numbers or patent databases, to cars in literature and in art, as well as the preservation and use of historic car factories, the history of the historic vehicle movement in Britain, the transfer of automobile technology from Germany to the Soviet Union, and aspects of the histories of various brands including AGA, De Dion-Bouton, Diatto, Ford, and the Swiss coachbuilder Italsuisse.
A number of presentations nodded to the history of Volkswagen, including those on the history of the City of Wolfsburg and the history of the rear-engine powertrain. Stefan Trauf, head of Audi Tradition, and Armin Maus, CEO of Autostadt, gave presentations about the classic work in the Volkswagen group. The Autostadt facility understandably came in for much praise by delegates, especially the highly professional work by the team of technicians.
Many delegates took the opportunity to visit the Zeithaus museum and the brand pavilions within the Autostadt complex, including a guided behind-the-scenes tour of the museum depot, or the Stiftung Auto Museum Volkswagen, also in Wolfsburg. It is hoped that the next conference will be held in 2026, with a number of locations being under consideration.
Photos: (courtesy Anej Ferko of FIVA.)
The assembled delegates at the end of the conference
Susan Grunewald of the USA talking about the technology transfer from Germany to the Soviet Union
Panel discussion with Stefan Trauf, Armin Maus, and Anders Ditlev Clausager
Jens Møller Nicolaisen of Denmark talking about his research in Citroën chassis numbers
62223 Alessandro Silva of Italy talking about the history of Diatto
62409 Tiddo Bresters, president of FIVA, giving the closing address
The organisers: Natasa Grom Jerina of the FIVA culture commission; Anders Ditlev Clausager; and Gian Mario Mollar, FIVA general secretary
Armin Maus talking about Autostadt
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