Malta has a classic car culture unlike anything we’ve ever experienced. People on the island are passionate about classic vehicles of all shapes and sizes and will talk animatedly about them as soon as you give them the chance (and we gave them plenty of chances!).
This is the reason we chose Malta as the location for our first press conference. We’ve been speaking to various professional drivers and car hire companies on the island but we were keen to connect with the classic vehicle community as a whole, so we invited car clubs and private collectors to join us alongside the press.
The press conference started with a very special trip on Malta’s oldest bus. We started in the capital of Valletta where we picked up our guests, before making our way to Mdina, the country’s old capital and a UNESCO heritage site that’s also known as the Silent City.
The journey on the bus was a chance to take in the sights and discuss everything classic vehicles, from the history of the very bus we rode in, through to Malta’s rules and regulations for car owners.
In Mdina we stopped to admire the collection of classic vehicles that had amassed, including Malta’s first registered car, a Siddeley from 1904.
From there we headed down to Museum Station and the Stazzjon Bar and Kitchen, which was to be the venue for our press conference. Guests were invited into the beautiful old railway station building and sat down ready to learn more about BookAclassic.
Our CEO Claus Stig Christensen took to the floor to discuss the vision of the business and how we’re keen to offer classic car hire around the world, while supporting local economies through increased tourism and opportunities for classic owners to see their vehicles on the big screen.
Claus also explained that we were in Malta for the long run and were open-minded to ideas and input from the community, finishing on the line: 'If you want change... you need to make change.'
From there, Roberto Naldini Ferrati, BookAclassic country manager for Malta, took over to explain our concept for luxury classic tours and experiences on the island. Within this, we’ll be working with professional owners to offer something new to the market and encourage even more tourists to visit the island and experience its classics.
Finally, executive marketing manager Jess Shanahan explained how we’re promoting BookAclassic and its car owners across Europe. We’re always open to hearing from classic car owners if they feel they have an interesting story to tell and already there has been interest from the press in Malta’s classic car culture.
Take a look at some of the photos from the event below.
