Friday, November 30, 2018

On the streets of Cuba: Painstakingly maintained cars are a 'living museum' of pre-1959 design

Via Cousin Colby

 
 A technicolor array of 1950s American convertibles gathers daily at Havana's Parque Central near the national capital. Most serve as taxis tourists can ride in.

Cubans have by necessity evolved a different relationship with cars than Americans have. Rather than being traded in every few years, cars are revered as family heirlooms, refurbished continuously and passed down through the 
 
SANTIAGO DE CUBA, Cuba — I climb into the back seat of a fire-engine red 1957 Chevrolet Bel Air taxi owned by Argelio Pena Mendoza here in Cuba’s second largest city. Mendoza turns the key, and the ancient inline six-cylinder engine wheezes and rumbles to life in a haze of exhaust smoke. He shoves the car’s three-on-the-tree shift lever into first, and we’re off.

8 comments:

  1. Cuban ingenuity. Back when America was great. Now, there is
    nothing to see. As I understand, the Cubans repair these oldie
    but beauties with whatever they can find. My mother use to say
    the cars back in her time could be fixed with a bobbie pin.
    Thanks for the trip back in time.

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  2. Cuba is a "Gold Mine" of classic American cars. The cars there are probably worth more than the annual Cuban economy.

    Badger

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    Replies
    1. The cars there are probably worth more than the annual Cuban economy.

      :)

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  3. yeah they look good, but the engine and tranny are long retired. some of those beauties have lawn mower engines and motorcycle engines. still, gotta give them credit for maintaining with next to nothing.

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    Replies
    1. gotta give them credit for maintaining with next to nothing.

      Yes, indeed.

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  4. And our young "useful idiots"indoctrinated in government schools and "institutions of higher learning" want to bring Cuban socialism and communism here. They can't even learn from history with its results right before their eyes!! --Ron W

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