Under the Hood of Havana, Cuba
American travelers flock to Havana, Cuba to experience the elusive city “stuck” in the past. Full of colorful, colonial architecture and classic American cars from the 1950s, Havana seems quite charming on the outside; however, what’s really under the hood is a different story…
American cars zoom up and down the wide roadways around Parque Central. They’re piled in with tourists, hair whipping in the wind with huge smiles plastered on their faces. These cars not only drive around this central area, but also strategically park here, right in front of the multistory luxury hotels that cater to thousands of tourists each year.
Cubans who have the luck of owning these cars cash in on tourist’s desires. They’ve found that for Westerners, the chance to ogle, touch and ride in a car that is only accessible to automobile collectors anywhere else in the world, is exhilarating.
How Did Classic American Cars Get to Cuba?
Cuba and the United States used to have close diplomatic relations before Fidel Castro rose to power in 1959. It’s not too surprising given that Cuba is just 90 miles away from the southern tip of Florida. However hard to imagine now, Cuba was a popular tourist spot in the 1950s. The Hilton Hotel thrived with American businessmen (Dirty Dancing: Havana Nights anyone?) and Hotel Nacional welcomed American gangsters — American cars were imported in droves.
The demand for American cars was high and the US was happy to oblige. About 125,000 cars were imported from Detroit before Fidel Castro took over Cuba. Once the U.S imposed a trade embargo against, Castro’s revolutionary government nationalized all private property, like cars and homes. Only certain people were given cars by the government and buying them privately was no longer an option.
Under the Hood of Classic American Cars in Cuba
Many of the classic American cars from the 1950s are in surprisingly good condition on the outside. Sparkling, smooth Chevrolets painted in bubblegum pink and baby blue seduce eager tourists to ride inside their leather seats.
A ride in one of these “taxis” seems reasonable enough: a rate of USD $20 to $50 for 30 minutes depending on the owner. Yet, the rate is unaffordable for average Cubans since their monthly wage is, on average, just USD $25.
For Cubans, classic American cars do not mean the same thing as they do to tourists. Their cars are just vehicles for daily use — to earn a living and to get from point A to point B.
Although the cars’ exteriors are shiny and gleaming, there’s usually not a single original part under the hood. The embargo not only stopped the import of cars, but also their parts. Thus, the cost of keeping a 50- to 60-years-old car running is quite expensive.
What Does This Mean for Cubans?
For the owners, they couldn’t care less about how vintage the car parts are as long as their cars keep running. If this means mixing and matching engine parts from European and old Russian cars, then so be it!
This desperate attempt to finding anything that will keep a car running has given rise to illegal auto shops (most cannot work privately). So when a family car breaks down for the third time in a month, the option to let it die and lose the much-need tourist income, doesn’t exist.
After Cuba restored its diplomatic ties with the US in 2014, restrictions have eased on owning private property, which includes cars. Since most cars cost thousands of dollars, owning one remains just a dream for most Cubans.
For more articles like these, visit The Only Social’s website.
