The annnual summer General Committee Meeting for 2025 took place in Andorra on 15th, 16th and 17th July 2025, kindly hosted by the Associacio Andorrana de Vehicle Antics, the FIVA ANF in that country, and it will for sure remain in the memory of its participants.
The meeting officially started with a greeting from the national authorities, represented by Mònica Bonell Tuset (Ministry of Culture) and Jordi Torres Falco (Ministry of Tourism). During a short, but meaningful, business breakfast, the President of FIVA Tiddo Bresters and the AAVA President Lluis Dejuan Massana proceeded to introduce FIVA and its continuous activities towards protecting, preserving and promoting world motoring heritage.
The working breakfast was followed by an open discussion meeting of the General Committee, where a number of subjects were discussed in a constructive and cooperative way. The focus was on how FIVA can remain organisationally and financially strong in order to meet all future challenges, not only in our anniversary year 2026 but also beyond.
After the meeting, the participants were accompanied in a guided visit of the Bicilab, the Bicycle Museun of Andorra, which hosts the stunning collection of the family Riberaygua. From the ancestor pushbikes to the famous penny-farthing, from the tricycles to the modern mountain bikes, the collection encompasses a broad gamut of bicycles made from the beginning of the 19th century to those produced in the last years of the 20th. century making it one of the most renown collections in the world in this field. For the time being, bicycles are still outside of FIVA’s scope, but this may change one day as the Motorcycle Commission, led by Keith Gibbins, is discussing with other associations in this field to join forces. The General Committee members were then accompanied to the Embassy Store, where they could assist to a presentation of Chopard watches. Whilst Chopard, is famous for being the sponsor of the Mille Miglia and is a family business with an interesting story, more importantly, the GC members were provided with a comprehensive presenation of the long-lasting commitment to sustainability and ethical development of the company, which was worth discovering and inspiring.
The Thursday full day session was dedicated to subjects of general interest for FIVA, like finances and national and professional membership developments, but at the end of the day the participants were rewarded for their efforts with a really memorable drive. Picked up by the enthusiastic members of the AAVA, each of the members of the General Committee were spoiled for choice amongst several remarkable cars, such as a Mercedes 190 SL, a Chevrolet Corvette, a Citroen Traction Avant and many more spectacular vehicles.
The itinerary followed scenic mountain roads up to the Puerto de Envalira, a mountain pass that looks over France, with two cultural gems being discovered along the road. The first one was the National Automobile Museum, which hosts a diverse collection of about 80 cars, in a display which reflects the evolution of aesthetics and mechanics and the adaptation to the needs of each era, and how speed limitations and engine power have been pushed, with some really unique pieces, such as the the Pinette Steam Engine from 1885, the oldest piece in the collection, and a lovely Bugatti type 35 from 1925.
The second cultural stop was dedicated to the Canillo Motorcycle Museum, an impressive display of approximately 150 models of the most iconic brands, each one telling a story of passion and thrill over two centuries long. Amongst the many interesting bikes, such as the pure Art Deco 1930 Majestic, there was also a remarkable collection of enduro racing bikes which captured the attention of many.
The intense schedule of the drive was closed by a convivial dinner, exploring the flavours of the indigenous food of the area.
The third day of the meeting was dedicated to the Commissions’ and Ambassadors’ Reports, providing a 360-degree overview of the FIVA activities in different fields and in different parts of the world, and discussing ways of improvement, in a constant strive for enhancement and progress.
The members of the General Committee left Andorra with a smile on their faces and a deep gratitude for a Summer session which was at the same time fruitful and entertaining. This would have not been possible without the immense hospitality of Lluis Dejuan Massana and his team, who have organised the meeting with the greatest attention to the detail and a deep sense of affiliation to FIVA, along the lines of the Spirit of FIVA which creates a brotherhood across the whole world.
Text and pictures by Gian Mario Mollar