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Fidel Castro is 90. This bus is not much younger
Public transportation in Santiago de Cuba. IN A LETTER released on his 90th birthday this past Saturday, Fidel Castro paid tribute to the advances that let him continue to contemplate the ways of the...
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Polski power
The little Polish-built Fiat 126p will go a long way on a litre. AN ASSOCIATED PRESS report in the Washington Post suggests that the Polski Fiat 126p is enjoying a "revival" in Cuba. I don't recall...
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Havana and Detroit: Sisters under a well-worn skin
WDIV anchor and Havana 313 host Devin Scillian. VOLUPTUOUS, PRE-1960 American cars are the obvious link between Detroit and Havana. One city built them, the other relies on them. But the Michigan...
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More from the Santiago transit file
Mucho modificado based on what appears to be a General Motors heavy truck.Even with the reworked roof, seating is cramped in this '56 Plymouth wagon.The world's only 1951 DeSoto dualie. We're sure of it.
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Santiago's two-wheeled taxis
An operator collects his fare. The average ride is just 10 pesos. ELSEWHERE IN Cuba, the usual taxi is a Hyundai or a Lada for locals, a '56 Ford or similar classic for tourists. In Santiago, the...
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In pursuit of hire powers
MOTORCYCLES MAY BE the most common type of taxi in Santiago, but they aren't the only choice. For travellers seeking more comfort and security – not to mention room for more than one passenger –...
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Back in the U.S.A.?
Maybe available: a 1955 Ford Customline two-door sedan. The United States may be ready to welcome home cars it shipped to Cuba before 1960 – if, that is, Cuba is willing to part with any. Daniel...
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The Remarkable Story of Fortune Magazine's Confusion Over Cuba
The Q60 does Havana. Source: www.fortune.com WE KNOW THAT some American news outlets get Cuba, and for that matter, get cars. Fortune appears lacking on both counts. Sad evidence of this is...
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Trump and Cuba: A tortuous timeline
Car guy: A younger Donald Trump with his 1956 Rolls Royce Silver Cloud. WHAT IS Donald Trump's position on Cuba? As with so many other policy questions, his record offer no clear picture:Late 1998:...
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The earliest Escalade?
Plying the streets of Santiago de Cuba is the Cadillac of people carriers. I CAN THINK of just two possible explanation for this great red machine.1. Back in 1957, a group of up-and-comers in the...
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Fidel Castro Ruz, 1926-2016
Sergio Martinez's 'Quijote de America' in Vedado, Havana. "He often told interviewers that he identified with Don Quixote, and like Quixote he struggled against threats both real and imagined ..."–...
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Lost to history: Fidel Castro's Lincoln Continental
Streamlined as a speed boat, the 1940s Continental was an immediate classic. V-12 ENGINE purring, the big Lincoln rolls along U.S. 1 through Florida. Since leaving New York five days ago, the two...
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AFTER A momentous 2016 – Fidel's death, Obama's visit, Venezuela's vanishing support – we have to wonder what's in store for Cuba in 2017. One thing, however, we can confidently predict. It will...
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A 1961 (and later) Volkswagen Beetle
Front bumper with 'towel rack' is an original feature. MOST VOLKSWAGENBeetles in Cuba appear to be of 1970s vintage and almost certainly came from Brazil, where the original Type 1 body style...
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Going topless for the tourists
Open-air 1958 Chevrolet seen in Havana in 2011 was once a hardtop. More cars are losing their roofs for the tourist trade, according to Havana writer Conner Gorry. CONNER GORRY is flipping her lid...
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Further on the topic of catalytic converters
A 1950 Chevy makes its smoky way along Francisco Vicente Aguilera in Santiago.
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Island Cruisers
NEXT TO the Willys Jeep, the Toyota Land Cruiser 40 series (best known as the FJ40) could be the most common vehicle in eastern Cuba. Rugged and long-lived, it serves as a ranch truck in the...
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Don't take the wheel – or the tiller
Toufik Benhamiche tours Havana before the boating accident. Facebook photoAS LONG noted here, visitors should think twice about driving a car in Cuba. Get into an accident and you could find yourself...
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Unsafe assumptions: Where Toufik Benhamiche went wrong
Toufik Benhamiche faces a four-year term in a Cuban prison. Family photo.IN CANADA and other developed countries, we're accustomed to safeguards. Open the door of a microwave oven in mid-cycle and the...
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