FIVA Symposium in Mexico: "What is Original? And what isn’t…"

On March 1, 2025, FEMAAC (Federacion Mexicana de Automoviles Antiguos y de Coleccion), FIVA’s authorised national federation in Mexico, organised a significant symposium in Mexico City. The title, ‘What is Original? And what isn’t… in the World of Historic Vehicles’, clearly defined the theme: the critical importance of authenticity and originality in the restoration and preservation of historic vehicles, viewed from a global perspective.

The Symposium adopted a hybrid format, accommodating both a well-attended local audience and a live global broadcast via Zoom and Facebook. In addition to the strong local turnout, delegates and guests joined from the United States, Brazil, France, India, Iran, the Netherlands, and Germany, among other nations.

The event was structured into three distinct sessions, commencing with welcoming remarks from the Master of Ceremonies, Mr. Pedro Sarda, Director of Culture and Delegate of Puebla, Tiaxcala and Veracruz of FEMAAC. Mr. Sarda, a frequent commentator on radio, press, and television on topics ranging from history to art and automotive collecting, demonstrated his expertise, knowledge, and professionalism in his role as emcee.

Following Mr. Sarda, Gerardo Garcia, President of FEMAAC, extended a warm welcome to the assembled guests. Mr. Garcia then introduced FIVA President Tiddo Bresters, who, after brief welcoming remarks, delivered his presentation, ‘Authenticity and the X Factor: The Immaterial Aspects that Matter’. President Bresters’ presentation offered a comprehensive overview of FIVA’s definition of a historic vehicle, as well as his view that originality starts with documentation. President Bresters’ then went on to propose a points system to express originality/authenticity as well as reviewing the various aspects of the FIVA Technical Code and the Charter of Turin as they pertain to authenticity and originality. The presentation emphasized that the underlying objective for the use of a vehicle is what it was made for, in other words its ‘Conceptual Authenticity’, and President Bresters’ provided unique insights within this context from both a professional and personal standpoint.

The first session officially launched with an online presentation by Laurent Heriou, Vice President of the Technical Commission of FIVA, speaking live from Paris. Vice President Heriou’s presentation, titled ‘Identity to Serve Authenticity’, provided a comprehensive overview of the 2025 version of the FIVA Technical Code, as well as FIVA’s positions on issues of originality, modifications, replicas, and related topics. Mr. Heriou particularly focused on two key strategies of the FIVA Technical Commission: safety and the environment. With respect to safety, he stated the view of the Technical Commission that "an originally configured and well-maintained historic vehicle could, in and itself, serve as a guarantee of safety." Regarding the environment, he noted that, notwithstanding the minimal impact of historical vehicles, the possibility of using emerging technologies like biofuels and e-fuels is under review and study. The subsequent Q&A session saw the audience pose a number of key technical questions concerning a broad array of issues pertaining to originality, restoration, and preservation.

Following Vice President Heriou, Fernando Mangino, President of the Mercedes-Benz Club of Mexico, took the podium with his presentation, ‘Preserved vs Restored: When to make the Decision’. He covered several issues, focusing particularly on considerations of cost-effectiveness versus restoration, with the perspective that "a car saved is a car preserved for history no matter how far gone." The key criterion of the presentation was identifying the fine line between the ability to preserve a vehicle in its original state versus the point at which an automobile would require restoration.

After a short recess, Mr. Miles Collier, founder of the REVS Institute in Florida, delivered his presentation, ‘Authenticity, Originality, and Genuineness in Historical Automobiles: A Critical Examination’, which explored the intersection of these concepts. The key perspective of the presentation encompassed the inherent physical transformation of automobiles over time to the layered identities they assume throughout their existence. The presentation also explored the philosophical implications of restoration and replication and the epistemological challenges in defining an automobile’s authenticity. The audience welcomed Mr. Collier with a standing ovation upon finishing.

Following a lunch break, the third session of the symposium commenced with a presentation by Brazilian celebrity and renowned car collector Malcolm Forest. Mr. Forest, whose multifaceted career includes being a gold record award-winning composer of classical and pop music, as well as an active presence in cinema, documentary, and television production, also actively advocates for environmental and historical preservation causes. His presentation, titled ‘Restoring Beauty to the Beast’, was a personal automotive odyssey detailing his experience restoring a number of unique vehicles to concours d’elegance quality, including, inter alia, a 1939 BMW327-8, a 1951 Mercedes-Benz 170S, and a one-of-a-kind 1924 S3 Graf & Stift D’Orsay Cabriolet. As an Isotta Fraschini specialist, Mr. Forest shared his experience as the owner of the Isotta Fraschini Sedanca de Ville coach built by Cesare Sala, a vehicle with a unique history, having been originally owned by the Raja of Kotwara and, among others, Led Zeppelin Manager Peter Grant.

Mr. Forest was followed by Mathias Heyer, a German expatriate who founded and runs a well-regarded restoration facility in Mexico.
In a presentation titled ‘Restoration, Preservation or Replication – What Defines Originality’, Mr. Heyer drew from his direct experience defining the fine line behind replication and restoration, using examples from his experience preparing vehicles for clients wishing to replicate long lost vehicles such as the AMG ‘Red Pig’.

The final session of the Symposium was a panel discussion titled ‘Lost in Translation: The Challenges of Multiple Languages’, moderated by emcee Mr. Rene Loza. This panel focused on how different historic vehicle terminologies could take on different meanings when translated into different languages. The first presentation was by FIVA Vice President Emeritus Gautam Sen, who highlighted the fact that FIVA has undertaken the challenging task of drafting an index of technical terms, which has proven difficult due to the nuances of language. An accomplished author and journalist, Mr. Sen pointed out how even when a single language contradiction and ambiguity arise they only multiply when translated into other languages.

Mr. Sen was followed by Ramin Salehkhou, Vice President of Communications of FIVA, whose presentation highlighted that even a single English word could be subject to multiple interpretations. As an example, he pointed out that FIVA has one meaning for the word ‘replica’ while US legislation governing replicas has an interpretation which is literally the opposite.

The third panelist, Mr. Jose Servin, Vice President of FEMAAC pointed out that in his view ‘originality’ should be interpreted within the framework of what an owner understands it to be.

The last panelist, Rene Loza, an automotive industry specialist, expressed his concern that even with a uniform understanding of terminology, there was no guarantee that this consistency would survive future generational shifts.

Following the presentation of these four viewpoints, the panel engaged in a dynamic exchange, fostering both constructive debate among themselves and lively interactions with the audience.