HCVA chief urges industry to adopt change

The Historic and Classic Vehicles Alliance, an organisation formed four months ago, has appointed its first CEO, who has urged the classic car industry to embrace environmental challenges. Garry Wilson, who began his motor industry career as a Rover Group graduate trainee in the mid ’80s, said: “I think we need to embrace the environmental challenge and work with legislators to identify solutions – while at the same time demonstrating very clearly the environmental credentials of the classic movement”.

Wilson’s own credentials include helping to establish the Driving the Electric Revolution Industrialisation Centre and the Advanced Propulsion Centre which facilitates funding to UK-based projects developing low-carbon emission technologies. Challenges he identified include the immediate problem of E10 fuel, classic registration and, of course, the general move away from fossil fuels. A ‘not for profit’ organisation, HCVA was launched back in May with its mission to protect and promote the classic sector and campaign on its behalf. An early achievement was opening a dialogue with DVLA around the issuing of original or age-related registrations; more at www.hcva.co.uk