Clik here to view.
The Hershey train IV
Fortunately, control console looks like it was built to last. We're between stations when the train stops. I see the engineer descend the stairs from the driver's compartment that are the only easy...
View ArticleClik here to view.
The Hershey train V
Car begins to fill for afternoon run between Havana and Matanzas. Later that same day I return to Casablanca Station (the ferry across the harbour can be a story for another time). I take a seat on...
View ArticleClik here to view.
The Hershey train, postscript
A quick search will yield numerous warnings about the unreliability of the Hershey train. What's interesting is that few if any of those issuing these warnings seem to have first-hand experience...
View ArticleCheerful Cuban car show
If you expect to be in Santa Cruz del Norte on the last Sunday in October – and yes, that's probably unlikely, unless you live in Santa Cruz del Norte, but hey, you never know – you'll want to take...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Missed Nebraska? Try Cuba
A '55, foreground, and a '56: Classic Chevrolets abound in Cuba. Old Chevrolets have been much in the news lately (though always in our hearts) because of a Nebraska auction that drew world-wide...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Further to that last item
Chevrolet produced nearly 270,000 Bel Air sedans for 1956. At VanDerBrink Auctions, you can see all the Chevys (plus a scattering of other brands) that were sold in the Lambrecht Chevrolet sale – and...
View ArticleClik here to view.
A Plymouth, a Chev and a mystery truck
Three more images from Tony Robertson, First two are reasonably easy to identify, but the third one has me stumped. Any guesses?Even sans chrome, Plymouth wagon is recognizable as a '57 Belvedere Sport...
View ArticleClik here to view.
International celebration
Built only in 1948, the International KB-5 was offered in several wheelbases. International trucks lack the following of old Fords, Chevrolets and Dodges. International was primarily a manufacturer...
View ArticleClik here to view.
More from the lost Chevy commercial
From the archives of Tony Robertson:Flamenco flock: Under Che's solemn gaze, a group of Bailarinas watch for their ride.Upright: Bassist stands tall by a '51 Chevrolet.High on the hood: '57 Chev...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Another fatal crash, another visitor detained
Damain Buksa on YouTube: A long stay in Cuba. Again Cuba is preventing a Canadian tourist from leaving after a serious car accident. Like Cody LeCompte, Eli Raffoul and others before them, Damian...
View ArticleClik here to view.
One camera, three wheels
Photo: Tony Robertson What better mobile vantage point from which to film a commercial in Havana than a motorcycle with sidecar? Sorry, can't tell you what brand of bike that is, but it sure looks...
View ArticleClik here to view.
So right in white
Impala appears to have all of its original chrome. Broad taillights mark it as a '58. Thought for a second that this was the Chevrolet Impala convertible I photographed near the Hotel Nacional a...
View ArticleCubans, Canadians and one South American
This year's Rusty Nuts Gearhead Country Car Show in Santa Cruz del Norte looks to have been the fun event it always is, judging by Ian Rome's video and slide show. Attractions included lots of the...
View ArticleClik here to view.
More from the show
Winners: '57 Chevy, and the happy recipient of a GM-appropriate raffle prize. Many of the cars on display bore Cuba's new white Euro-style licence plates.Cruising through Santa Cruz.Two-tone 1955...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Birdwatching in Cuba
Apologies, first off, to all you birders drawn here by the headline above. While we have seen the Cuban lizard cuckoo, the tocororo and any number of frigatebirds and herons during our visits to the...
View ArticleClik here to view.
More 'birding
Coupe's long, flat roof was a big contributor to 'Square Bird' nickname. The vast majority of Ford Thunderbirds built for 1958 were two-door coupes like this one I came across in Santa Cruz del...
View ArticleClik here to view.
The Soviet-era tractor in a word? Jaunty
Belarus MTZ-50, or maybe a MTZ-52, from the Minsk Tractor Works.
View ArticleClik here to view.
Rental car death row
Tripod Geely: Apparently, not a spare tire to spare. These Chinese-built Geely CKs look to have had a short life as daily rentals in Cuba. In their defence, however, let's remember that the CK is...
View ArticleClik here to view.
More from the corredor de la muerte
Geely CKs, retired from Cuba's daily rental fleet.Plastic discolouration is a problem.Newer MK appears not to have fared much better.Black bumper covers could have been in-service replacements.
View ArticleClik here to view.
Car news in Cuba: Nothing much has changed
Several news outlets got excited about the announcement this week that the Cuban government will allow "unrestricted" car imports. This, reported the Telegraph, meant the "end of the road" for the...
View Article