ASI Press Office
Asi and the Alfa Romeo, Fiat and Lancia historical registers present an extraordinary appeal to the President of the Republic against the blocks on the circulation of historical vehicles in the capital.
The Italian Historic Automotoclub and the Alfa Romeo, Fiat and Lancia Historic Registers (certifying bodies pursuant to art. 60 of the Highway Code) have presented an Extraordinary Appeal to the President of the Republic for obtain the cancellation of the decrees and resolutions of the Region and Regional Council of Lazio, the Metropolitan City and the Municipality of Rome which prohibit the circulation of historic vehicles, since they are included without proper distinction in the oldest and most polluting circulating fleet. The FMI (Italian Motorcycle Federation), also very active in the attempt to dialogue with the Municipality of Rome to request the activation of appropriate exemptions, has been called into question as an interested party and will have the opportunity to intervene ad adiuvandum to support the initiative in front of the President of the Republic.
“In Italy there are almost 57 million vehicles in circulation – explains Alberto Scuro, president of the Italian Historic Automobile Club – and, of these, those over twenty years old are about 16 million. The percentage of these that are certified as historic is completely irrelevant but to continue to represent the cultural and economic resource that they are for our country they must be able to be kept alive by activating specific exemptions regarding circulation. Even though they are few and travel a very low annual average mileage (about 1000 km) during the negotiation phase ASI did not ask the representatives of Rome Capital to let them circulate freely but maintaining some appropriate limitations.”
Getting into specifics in the territory of the Metropolitan City of Rome, the daily use vehicles in circulation (MTCT data) are 4.040.078 and those with a Certificate of Historical Relevance registered at the Motorization are 9.945: a share equal to 0,25% of the total, which annually travels 0,014% of the kilometers traveled by vehicles in daily use (source: FIVA census and insurance company data). It is only for these vehicles that a derogation is requested, because certified historic vehicles are to be considered irrelevant in terms of environmental impact and their ability to circulate in a controlled manner is part of the protection and safeguard actions: if they do not circulate, historic vehicles die and with them the entire world connected to them dies, causing enormous social, cultural and economic damage. These are not privileges, but protections for an Italian historic, cultural, technological and artistic heritage that has no equal in the world.
“ASI has spoken with the administration of Rome Capital – President Scuro underlines – bringing proposals aimed at the possibility of using historic vehicles for recreational purposes only and for slow tourism, therefore with time restrictions such as to prevent their daily and commuter use. Furthermore, we propose to monitor, one year after the entry into force of any exemptions, their effect. Since the historic vehicles for which we are requesting exemptions are registered with the Motor Vehicle Department, their number and age are easily assessable. We propose to monitor them and evaluate corrective measures twelve months after their application, with maximum transparency and concreteness.”
The historic vehicle sector is of enormous importance, as already demonstrated by a Decree of the President of the Republic which in 2022 had agreed on the opportunity for a different declination of the limitations on circulation and the related exemptions with regard to historic vehicles, “which takes into account the protection of the values and interests of private collecting”. Even earlier, the ASI had reached another important milestone when the President of the Republic had accepted the Extraordinary Appeal presented by the Federation to obtain the annulment of the decrees and resolutions of the Region and Regional Council of Piedmont, the Metropolitan City and the Municipality of Turin on the bans on the circulation of historic vehicles. The request had been presented at the end of 2019 and already in the following months the Piedmont institutions had accepted the ASI's motivations by launching the Piedmont Regional Law 27/2020 for the “Promotion of vehicles of historic and collectible interest”.
“We expect – ASI president comments – that this new Extraordinary Appeal, advanced with the same motivations and purposes as the previous one, can be accepted so that enthusiasts can be protected even in the Capital, where the measures adopted are not proportional to the problem created by certified historic vehicles. We are also confident that the dialogue with the Municipality can continue to arrive at shared and satisfactory solutions for everyone.”
