Stephen Zerafa draws parallels between the dramatic shift in transport at the end of the 19th century when horses were replaced by cars and today’s shift towards autonomous, more environment-friendly cars. He says that while new car technologies are replacing outdated ones, the preservation of our motoring heritage appears to be on the increase.

Did you know that just as car pollution presents a major health risk in cities today, so did horses 120 years ago? In 1898, New York held the world’s first international urban planning conference, largely to discuss the environmental crisis facing major cities namely, horse manure.

The Times of London estimated that by 1950 every street in the city would be buried nine feet deep in manure, while in New York, one pundit predicted that by 1930, horse droppings would reach as high as Manhattan’s third-storey windows.

A 1935 BSA Scout.

Even worse, horse manure led to flies, which led to diseases such as typhoid fever. In 1900, in New York alone, 20,000 deaths per year were blamed on horse manure.

The 1898 conference could devise no solution to the problem so it ended after three days, instead of the scheduled 10. Yet within a few short years the problem had entirely disappeared, thanks to the appearance of the automobile.

Which is why the Fédération Internationale des Véhicules Anciens (FIVA), represented in Malta by the Federazzjoni Maltija Vetturi Antiki (FMVA), has drawn the car-horse parallel to welcome 2016 as World Motoring Heritage Year. This was both in recognition of our motoring history and to celebrate a new dawn for the historic vehicle movement throughout the world.

After years in the doldrums, the classic scene in Malta is now healthy. Up to 300 classic vehicles are being imported into Malta every year

“This is the perfect time to launch World Motoring Heritage Year, as we are moving towards a bright new age of classic motoring,” says Patrick Rollet, president of the non-profit-making enterprise that was set up in 1966 and currently represents 85 member organisations in more than 64 countries, on behalf of millions of individuals with a passion for historic cars, motorcycles or utilitarian vehicles.

A 1920s Chevrolet Roadster.

At a time when new technology and autonomous cars are poised to change the face of motoring forever, one need only look at the similarly dramatic shift in transport at the end of the 19th century – when horses were almost entirely replaced by motor vehicles – to see a vibrant future for classic cars as recreational vehicles.

Indeed, there are some startling parallels between the environmental crisis of the 1800s and the challenges facing the motor industry today.

The automobile has – over the past 100 years or so – had a hugely liberating effect on humanity. FIVA welcomes safer, cheaper, more environmentally-friendly modern vehicles as necessary transport, but as autonomous cars become the norm on today’s roads, people will still be able to enjoy classic motoring.

A late 1960s Alfa Spyder ‘Boat Tail’. Photos: J.J.P. Zammit

In 2016, as alternatives to the internal combustion engine are further promoted, there is every reason to anticipate a growing appreciation of our motoring heritage and a new dawn for classic motoring.

And although it is right to celebrate motoring history, why celebrate classic vehicles by comparing them with horses?

One hundred years ago, the rising popularity of automobiles and the subsequent sharp fall in the use of horses gave rise to speculation that the latter would decline only to finish as a distant memory.

Yet in a curious twist, far from bringing about an end to horse ownership in the developed world, the appearance of the motor car at the end of the 19th century saw the horse’s lot drastically improved. Today, there are some 4,000,000 horses kept for recreational purposes in the US alone – and the average lifespan of the horse has increased from two years for a working ‘streetcar’ horse, to around 30 years for a recreational horse today.

History repeats itself, so while new car technologies are replacing outdated ones, the preservation of our motoring heritage appears to be on the increase.

A Jaguar XJ6 (foreground) being followed by an American World War II Willys Jeep.

FMVA chairman Charles Zahra says that after years in the doldrums, the classic scene in Malta is now healthy. Up to 300 classic vehicles are being imported into Malta every year, nearly all of them requiring restoration work.

This has not only started to reverse the depletion of the national stock of classic vehicles which for years has been disappearing abroad, but it has also given rise to a healthy local restoration industry.

Zahra adds that the Maltese have fantastic skills which are being put to good use to restore classic vehicles and there is a potential to develop this into a national industry to attract high-end work from abroad. The FMVA has presented detailed plans to the authorities to kick-start such initiatives, but so far it appears they have yet to be appreciated.

A more vibrant classic scene in Malta is reflected in the hugely increased activities of the numerous classic clubs of which the Old Motors Club is the largest with around 300 members.

More classics in Malta would also help in other fields such as film facilities, niche and even internal tourism, so the FMVA is actively promoting even more efforts in these areas, besides being heavily involved in the administrative, legislative and social aspects of the classic vehicle movement in Malta. So roll on the next 100 years!

Stephen Zerafa is the public relations officer of Federazzjoni Maltija Vetturi Antiki.