China as a nation may be relatively new to the automotive scene yet it exerts a huge influence on the global market regarding the development of existing and upcoming vehicles. The classic car scene is somewhat less well developed yet that is showing signs of change too as evidenced by the recent announcement that the Sanhe Classic Car Museum (SCCM), based in Chengdu, has just joined the Fédération Internationale des Véhicules Anciens (FIVA), a worldwide organization dedicated to the preservation, protection and promotion of historic vehicles.
The SCCM is currently China’s sole privately-owned classic car museum and it offers a collection of some 230 historic cars, with more than 30 marques dating from the early 1900s to the 1990s spread over a 20,000 square meter (215,000 square feet) facility. Owned and curated by Huang ZongMin (Jason Huang), the vehicles include a number of rare and desirable American and European classics as well as a number of Chinese-built Hongqis, the preferred mode of transport for senior Communist Party members and government officials.
“It’s hard to overstate the importance of welcoming a Chinese museum to the international community of classic vehicle enthusiasts,” says Dr Mario Theissen, Senior Vice President of FIVA. “A passion for historic vehicles, and for the culture that lies behind automotive history, is a relatively new phenomenon in China. This makes it a particular pleasure to share our mutual interests with the Chinese, and we look forward to exchanging valuable ideas.”
Comments FIVA (the Fédération Internationale des Véhicules Anciens) president Patrick Rollet, “While we already have Chinese members of FIVA, such as the Classic Vehicle Union of China (CVUC), the addition of SCCM is a huge step forward. Given the country’s size, population and enormous global influence, establishing a closer relationship with China is likely to be very good news for the future of historic vehicle preservation. This is right at the heart of why FIVA exists.”
The SCCM is just one of three museums in China dedicated to classic vehicles, the other two are state-owned museums based in Shanghai and Beijing. The popularity of Jason Huang’s museum and its link with the global classic car scene may well see many more similar facilities opening their doors in the near future, after all, China’s own motor industry is now producing the classic cars of the future too and that history will surely be worth preserving for future generations.
Images courtesy of Sanhe Classic Car Museum
