Last Call to Register:Fifth FIVA Pan-European Conference for Automotive History 2026
18–20 September 2026 | Norwegian Roads Museum, near Lillehammer, Norway
Registration is still open for the Fifth FIVA Pan-European Conference for Automotive History, which will take place from 18 to 20 September 2026 at the Norwegian Roads Museum near Lillehammer.
Organised by FIVA in cooperation with the Norwegian Federation for Historic Vehicles (LMK), this biennial conference has become one of the leading international forums dedicated to automotive and mobility history.
Historians, researchers, museum professionals, curators, authors, collectors, club representatives and passionate enthusiasts are warmly invited to join us for three days of presentations, discussions, international networking and cultural exchange in an outstanding Nordic setting.
Thirteen speakers from ten countries
The 2026 programme brings together speakers from Cyprus, Denmark, Estonia, Germany, Greece, Luxembourg, New Zealand, Norway, Sweden and the United States.
Together, they will explore pioneering automotive engineering, national vehicle industries, registration systems, motorcycle history, electric mobility, heritage tourism and remarkable but often overlooked chapters of automotive history from Europe, North America and Oceania.
Speakers and presentations
Stephen Wilkinson | Cyprus
His Own Thoughts Based on Long Experience
Dr Klaus Preuschhof | Germany
Front-Wheel Drive
Dr Jean-Paul Hoffmann | Luxembourg
The Early Days of the Automobile in Luxembourg – A Short Historical Sketch
Christoph Ditzler | Switzerland
The Hildebrand & Wolfmüller Motorcycle Partnership: A Noisy but Brief History, 1894-1895
Asbjørn Rolseth | Norway
Norwegian CKD and Vehicle Production
Rein Veldi | Estonia
On Registration
Michael Deichmann | Denmark
The Hammel Automobile – Denmark’s Forgotten Motor Car
Mark Webster | New Zealand
CKD in New Zealand
Howard Kroplick | United States
The Vanderbilt Cup Races and the Long Island Motor Parkway
Göran Flank | Sweden
Vulcan – The Unknown Daimler Factory in Sweden
Dr Stefan Dierkes | Germany
History of the American Exar-1 (1979) – The World’s First Production, Fully Battery-Powered, Electronically Driven Automobile
Evangelos Christou | Greece
Driving Nostalgia: Historic Car Rallies and Heritage-Based Sport Tourism
Norwegian museum representative | Norway
Museum presentation – further details to be announced
Moderated by Steve Berry
We are delighted to announce that the conference will be moderated by Mr Steve Berry, the distinguished British media presenter, motoring journalist and broadcaster.
Steve Berry is best known as a member of the presenting team of the BBC Two motoring programme Top Gear from 1993 to 1999, where he reviewed motorcycles and created numerous motorcycle-related features. He was also the principal presenter of the Top Gear Radio Show on BBC Radio 5 Live and appeared in the spin-off programmes Top Gear Motorsport, Top Gear Ex-Files and Top Gear GTi.
Berry wrote and presented The Bike’s the Star, a four-part documentary series for BBC Two, and produced motorcycle and engineering programmes for Discovery Channel, ITV and Channel 5. He has appeared regularly on BBC radio, contributed to major British publications and presented numerous motoring programmes during his extensive broadcasting career.
His professional experience, knowledge of motorcycles and engaging presentation style will bring a distinctive character to the conference and its discussions.
More than a conference
Alongside the academic and professional programme, we are preparing an engaging accompanying programme designed to offer participants much more than a conventional conference experience.
The programme will combine selected cultural activities, opportunities to discover Norwegian heritage and local traditions, and special gastronomic experiences. Our aim is to create a unique cultural and culinary adventure while providing additional opportunities for participants to meet, exchange ideas and establish new international connections in a relaxed and inspiring environment.
Conference Agenda
Friday, 18 September 2026
Arrival and registration of participants, followed by a welcome dinner.
Saturday, 19 September 2026
Opening speeches:
President of the LMK and host of the event: Carl A. Harbitz-Rasmussen
FIVA President, dr. Alberto Scuro
FIVA SVP Internal Affairs, Nataša G. Jerina
Full-day conference sessions, followed by the official gala dinner.
Sunday, 20 September 2026
Morning conference session, closing remarks with announcement of the location of the next conference and farewell lunch, followed by departure.
Further details of the accompanying programme will be announced soon.
An international meeting place for automotive history
The Pan-European Conference for Automotive History was originally conceived by the late Anders Ditlev Clausager together with Thomas Ulrich. It continues their vision of bringing the international automotive history community together in a spirit of serious research, open discussion, exchange and cooperation.
The conference examines the many ways in which the history of mobility is connected with culture, society, technology, infrastructure, industry, heritage preservation and historical interpretation.
Participants can look forward to:
High-quality presentations by international experts;
Discussions on automotive and motorcycle history;
New historical research and lesser-known stories;
Exchange between historians, museums, clubs and collectors;
International networking opportunities;
A special cultural and gastronomic accompanying programme;
A memorable Nordic setting at the Norwegian Roads Museum.
Last call to register
Do not miss the opportunity to participate in this important international gathering dedicated to automotive history and related heritage.
Registration is available through the official FIVA conference page. Select “Register now” to continue to the official Billetto registration and ticketing system.