International Old-timer Vehicles Show DSV Kamnik 2025 – FIVA Premier Event May 16–18, 2025

The third weekend in May, this year from 16 to 18 May, is usualy dedicated to a old-timer vehicles (car and motorcycle) show in Kamnik and the Volčji potok Arboretum. To make the event more interesting, the show also takes a detour to one of the neighbouring municipalities, which, although requiring a lot more activities, attracts more spectators. This year, the stop in Kamnik was joined by a stop in Cerklje na Gorenjskem.

At this year’s show, the phrase ” old-timer vehicles should stay on the road” was ever present. It was not only the owners of old-timer vehicles who spoke about it, maintaining their vehicles with such love and enthusiasm, but also representatives of local authorities. They all agreed that old-timer vehicles should not be locked away in museums, where they lose their meaning and all the knowledge they contain slowly disappears. The longer these vehicles are on the road, the longer the knowledge to maintain them is preserved. The fear that modern vehicles will not live to see their status as old-timer vehicles was also a recurring theme in the conversation. The more electronics in cars, the more they risk being overtaken by time.

Another special feature of this year’s show was its status as a “FIVA Premier Event”. This gave us the opportunity to have a wider choice of vehicles, especially from other countries, but of course it brought additional demands on the organisation itself. With the help of the SVS Federation, we were able to collect beautiful examples of vehicles from Austria, the Czech Republic, Croatia, Italy, Germany and Slovenia. This time, we also had a slightly rejuvenated line-up, as there were quite a few vehicles, manufactured from 1950 to 1985, on display.

We have not changed the format of the show – only invited vehicles were accepted, based on their age, quality and preservation. Perhaps the only difference this year was that fewer vehicles were invited, as our intention was to give as much attention as possible to those we did select.

We started the show on Friday evening, when the participants started arriving, mainly from abroad. For them we organised a tour of the Kvedrova tišlarija Museum and a familiarisation evening at the Mekinje Monastery, where the Mayor of the Municipality of Kamnik, Mr Matej Slapar, welcomed the participants.

The main event started on Saturday, 17 May, with a vehicle presentation in the centre of Kamnik. The vehicles were presented to the visitors on arrival in the old part of the town and then placed at the old town centre of Kamnik. The smaller number of participants allowed for a greater spacing between the vehicles, which gave all vehicles the attention they needed, and also made it easier to ensure their safety.

The official opening of the show was held according to the usual protocol with speeches by the President of DSV Kamnik Mr Miroslav Vrhovnik, the Vice-Mayor of Kamnik Ms Romana Učakar, the Director of ZTŠK Kamnik Mr Luke Svetec, the President of SVS Mr Leon Vrtovec, the representative of FIVE Mr Janko Uratnik and the Vice President of FIVE Mr Malcom Grubb, who also attended the show as a steward. Before and after the opening, the good mood was kept up by the Celjski Dixieland Ensemble, whose music evoked the periods from which most of the participating vehicles originated, and the Kamniške mažurettes also performed. On Saturday morning, DSV Kamnik and a few of its vehicles took part in the charity event “Hand in Hand” in Šmarca.

Saturday afternoon brought a panoramic drive to Cerklje na Gorenjskem, where the Cerkljanska brass band greeted the participants at the entrance to the town. In front of the primary school, where the vehicles were parked, the participants were greeted by the Mayor of the Municipality of Cerklje na Gorenjskem, Mr Franc Čebulj, and a cultural programme was presented by the Cerklje Folklore Group with dances from the area. On the way back to Kamnik and the Mekinje Monastery, where the social gathering took place, the motorcade passed through the garden of Strmol Castle.

Sunday events have been taking place for years at the Volčji potok Arboretum, which offers a wonderful backdrop for old-timer vehicles with its beautiful surroundings at the entrance to the park. This year’s event was also very special, as for the first time we held the day without any official speeches, but with a presentation of all the vehicles before they were lined up around the park. Once again, the smaller number of vehicles allowed us to have a wider layout in the space allotted.

In his report, FIVA Steward Mr Malcolm Grubb said: “This was a very well organised and run event. The support of the local mayor and community was evident throughout the event and the public parades and stopping points were very well attended. The cultural aspects were also important, such as local bands and dancers gave the event a very local feel. The marshalling of the convoys were done by motorcycle equipped marshals – to ensure the event kept to schedule, and these marshals did an excellent job throughout. “

We can certainly be pleased that this edition was also a success. Of course, as always, with the dedicated work of the members of DSV Kamnik and the generous help of the sponsors, without whom this format of event would not have happened. Special thanks also go to the municipalities of Kamnik and Cerklje na Gorenjskem, and especially to the Volčji potok Arboretum, which has provided us with an exceptional venue for our events for many years.