The Federation Internationale Des Vehicules Anciens (FIVA) was set up with a view to looking after the best interests of historical vehicle owners. It has over two million members and has a presence in excess of sixty countries around the world.

There has been some publicity in recent months about the electrification of classic cars and FIVA has recently issued a statement about this. The full statement can be read on the website fiva.org but we mention some of the highlights below.

FIVA is aware why some owners of classic vehicles may be keen to electrify their vehicles but it does not feel it is able to support such action being taken by classic and vintage car owners. It is the opinion of FIVA that should such a modification be carried out using EV components to replace the drivetrain it means that such a vehicle would not meet FIVA’s historic vehicle definition.

Unless an “in period” change, it is the opinion of the Federation Internationale Des Vehicules Anciens that cars that have been electrically modified are no longer historic vehicles.

FIVA recommend that if such changes are made to a historic vehicle any removed parts are stored so that at some point in the future the owner could have it converted back to its original state.

Classic car owners will no doubt have their own views in respect of the above. As with most things, there will be some enthusiasts who are against making such a conversion of a classic vehicle but there may be others who support such modifications. After all, it is all down to personal opinion. It would be interesting to find out what impact such a modification would have on the value of such a vehicle.

Obviously, if someone is considering making such a modification to his or her classic vehicle then the classic car insurance provider should be notified to find out if this has any impact on the cost of providing important cover against the likes of theft and damage caused in a road traffic accident.