Following the announcement of the 2025 FIVA Heritage Hall of Fame inductees, the first induction ceremony was held on October 4, 2025. Medi Halilaj is one of the most prominent figures in Albania’s burgeoning historic vehicle community. Mr. Hallaj is a passionate restorer and enthusiast dedicated to preserving the country’s automotive history. Alongside his partner Arben Prrenjasi, Halilaj has traveled across Albania in search of rare communist-era vehicles, with many discoveries coming from the Korça region.
“Mehdi Halilaj is a valuable partner for the Retro Albania community,” explains Sibora Xhemali, head of Retro Albania’s numerous initiatives. “Not only does he possess the technical expertise to maintain vehicles in top form, but his passion for cars, motorbikes, and all forms of transport has been evident since childhood. Mehdi often accompanied his father, an army mechanic, to military drills and parades—a fascination that has never waned.”
Albania is unique in the automotive world for its collection of rare and often unknown Chinese and Russian vehicles. Halilaj and Prrenjasi have made it their mission to collect and preserve these historic communist-era military vehicles, including the Jiefang C-30, a fire tender produced in China beginning in 1965. The particular model restored by Halilaj, a 1967 example once in service with the Albanian Army, was acquired by Prrenjasi in 2017. Under Halilaj’s meticulous care, the vehicle was restored to its former glory, a process that demanded both time and exceptional skill.
Arben Prrenjasi, a renowned historic vehicle collector in Albania, has become an advocate for the preservation movement, sharing his collection and passion with the wider Retro Albania community. Backed by the Albanian government, Retro Albania recognizes the cultural and historical value of these vehicles - a contrast to the situation in many other parts of the world.
Prrenjasi’s collecting journey began at age 40 with the purchase of a communist-era ZIS military vehicle. Since then, his collection has grown to include state security vehicles, motorbikes, helmets, uniforms, camouflage gear, and a wide array of automobilia, all carefully restored and preserved thanks to Halilaj’s expertise.
Through his work, Medi Halilaj is not only restoring vehicles but also safeguarding a crucial part of Albania’s history, ensuring that future generations can experience the unique stories and engineering of the country’s automotive past.
To recognise Medi Halilaj’s invaluable contribution to the historic vehicle movement, Mr. Halilaj was selected by the FIVA hall of fame jury. and to do the honours, FIVA VP Luigi Frigerio and erstwhile VP Communication Gautam Sen participated in a beautifully celebratory event organised by the Arben and the Retro Albania team at Arben’s ROM Museum. Later that evening FIVA Hall of Fame jury member Malcolm Forest came in from Brazil to grace the occasion too. Most importantly, Blendi Gonxha, who was recently appointed as the Minister of Tourism, Culture & Sport was present too, along with Tirana's Deputy Mayor Ilir Mengra reflecting the prestige and recognition that the Heritage Hall of Fame is garnering across the world.
