Cuban Cars

The Cars of Cuba.

Since visiting 15 years ago, we found Havana itself to be more vibrant and gussied up, with its brightly colored—if slightly dilapidated and dusty--buildings and milling streets. But there is nothing quite as colorful as seeing a line of classic cars sitting at an intersection like it’s no big deal.

  

Cuba is literally a rolling car museum.  Everywhere you look is an old-school American brand vehicle, ranging from Oldsmobile to Chevrolet, Buick to Ford with a nice sampling of Chrysler's old Plymouth brand.  There are even a few Russian Volgas thrown in the mix. These are all vehicles that American car lovers would spend a lot of money on--and they are used as Cuban's everyday vehicles.  Roughly twenty-five percent of the 500,000 cars in Cuba are the so-called "old-timers."

This stuck-in-time feeling Cuba has generated is the result of a five-decade-long grudge Fidel Castro held against the United States. Castro had placed a ban on foreign vehicle imports, making it nearly impossible to buy a brand-new, foreign-made vehicle. It also made it difficult to buy new parts and fuel for the old-school American cars Cuba is known for.

As a result, not only do Cuban citizens drive vehicles straight out of the 1950s, but these vehicles are kept running through a hodgepodge of hand-built, improvised parts. The owners of the cars we rode in were very mechanically inclined and loved to talk about the work they had done to their cars. One guy had been to college and gotten a four-year degree in automotive mechanics. Old-timer owners belong to car clubs and organizations which help each other maintain the cars. They are immensely proud of their vehicles and acknowledge each other by honking when passing each other on the street.

 

The Cuban classic scene has strict standards for its competitions. While diesel engine transplants are allowed, they are relegated to the third and lowest judging category, the second category must have original motors and the first and most prestigious group must have its original driveline, trim, brakes and interior.   The ingenuity used to recreate their past glory is simply amazing.

 

These two blue cars are parked right beside our boat. 

Check out these videos on the Cuban Classic Car Club. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HLWyLItv0rY

Recently, Raúl Castro, Fidel’s brother and successor, abolished the need for permission to purchase a foreign-made car. This is the first time the ban has been relaxed since its implementation after the 1959 Cuban revolution. So now, Cuban consumers can purchase more modern vehicles—that is, if they can pay the government's hefty marked up price. Only the Cuban government can import cars. The government then sells the cars at greatly inflated prices to private citizens, foreign businesses and foreign countries with offices in Cuba. With the price of a car out of reach for most Cubans the “old-timers’ are unlikely to go away any time soon.