The Forum für Fahrzeuggeschichte, or F-kubik, is awarding the "Goldener Kolben" 2024 to Peter Schneider in recognition of his many years of tireless and successful work to preserve the heritage of mobility in Germany. During the Bremen Classic Motorshow at the beginning of February, the winner will receive the award for his decades of selfless and visionary dedication to improving the legal and political framework for historic vehicles in Germany and across Europe.
Born in December 1954 in Hamburg, Peter Schneider has since 1986 been an active member of the Interessenvertretung der Veteranen- und Oldtimerbesitzer (interest group for vintage and classic vehicle owners), which was founded in 1976. The lobby group evolved into the association DEUVET Oldtimer-Youngtimer e.V., which is accredited at the Bundestag in Berlin. Right from the club's early days, Schneider took on vital work in the areas of finance and support. Then, in 2003, the community elected him to represent them in the political arena and to organise its activities.
Subsequently, Schneider was responsible for helping to develop and legally establish solutions to a whole range of issues for the community. Examples are the red H number and H registration along with permission to access low-emission zones. He was also an early advocate of cutting red tape for historical commercial vehicles, such as an exemption from the ban on Sunday driving for lorries.
Peter Schneider, in his professional life a master glazier, persisted in the face of the slowly grinding wheels of politics. He never wavered in his determination to tackle the consistently moving parameters by changing minds or challenging proposed laws. Making it easier for owners of classic vehicles to keep their cultural heritage alive on the roads is exceptionally time consuming and demands intensive study of the subject, permanent networking and tireless efforts to win over decision-makers and politicians. Ultimately, success and sustained results can only be achieved with diplomatic skills, broad general and expert knowledge and by gaining trust.
It takes huge motivation and staying power to prevail under the conditions of a lobby group that represents different interests, hopes and sometimes extreme demands. Passion and commitment to defending the interests of all classic vehicle owners are essential, even while a personal interest in preserving historical mobility remains Schneider's underlying motivation. Since 1987, Schneider has been preserving his own history of mobility with a 1956 Opel Rekord saloon.
About the "Goldener Kolben"
F-kubik awards the "Goldener Kolben" by unanimous and independent vote to individuals and institutions. The prize is intended to boost public awareness of the importance of vehicle history and to recognise exceptional achievements. The award comes in the form of a polished engine piston engraved with the name of the winner, plus a badge of honour. It has been presented at the Bremen Classic Motorshow since 2006.
About F-kubik
The Forum für Fahrzeuggeschichte (F-kubik) was founded in 2001 by vehicle historians, specialist journalists and publishers with the aim of increasing public appreciation of vehicle history. Key members of the group are Eckhart Bartels, Lars Döhmann, Horst-Dieter Görg, Dr. Wolfgang Kaese, Ulrich Knaack, Rainer Manthey, Gerhard Placke, Burkhard Schäfer, Halwart Schrader and Hans-Joachim Weise.
The experts issue respected publications and compile expertises of historical vehicles. They also contribute their specialist knowledge of vehicle history to projects conducted by the industry, public institutions and private collections. And not least, they support classic car events and shows such as the Bremen Classic Motorshow with their expert knowledge. The group organises symposiums on vehicle history which are open to the public and take place at different locations. It also publishes presentations by renowned speakers in the limited-edition book series Archiv zur Fahrzeuggeschichte (Archives of Vehicle History). More information is available at www.f-kubik.de
