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A little news, a lot of pictures
News sites, you may have noticed, dug into their copious archives of Cuba car photos to illustrate their reports on the relaxation of vehicle import rules. CARISTAS, of course, needs no such...
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Once a woodie?
Steel cabin on this 1947-48 Mercury was likely fashioned from several donor vehicles. I posted a photo of this 1947 or '48 Mercury a couple of entries ago. I hadn't given the big Mercury a lot of...
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New year, new look
Bull bars could help this '55 Chevy Bel Air in an encounter with a wandering cow. Regular readers (a most discerning crew!) will have noticed a few changes to the appearance of this blog, the largest...
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Krazy Kuba Kar deals!
Looking for a former daily rental Peugeot 206 for the equivalent of $85,000 U.S.? We've got 'em! Manuel here, or as they call me at the lot, Manny the Moneymaker, because NOBODY sells cars in Havana...
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A car of many countries
Pride of ownership: Juan Carlos with the second most important thing in his life. Juan Carlos lists his priorities. "My family is first," he declares. "And then, my car. I love it." He knows his...
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Revealed! The Secret Chevy Workshop
Feigning sleep, carefully trained dog is ready to pounce on intruders. My chum Ralphee of CUBANCLASSICS once speculated that a clandestine Chevy workshop must exist near Matanzas, given the number of...
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After the before, before the after
From the ground up: Floor of '56 Chevrolet has been patched and primed. There is no mystery to the longevity of the Cuban car. Not when Alonso's 1956 Chevrolet is laid bare for you to witness the...
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The sorcerer's apprentice
Dating from mid-1970s, Peugeot 404 is being prepared for more years of service. After leaving the shop where Alonso's Chevrolet is being worked on, we stop by another garage a little farther along...
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Ralph Nader's Cuban cousin
As a 1960 model, Chevrolet Corvair would have been among the last direct U.S. exports. By the time Ralph Nader's Unsafe At Any Speed came out in 1965, the suspension of the Chevrolet Corvair had been...
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Why Justine Davis felt safe driving in Cuba
Update: The Canadian government and the Cuban embassy in Ottawa announced Thursday that Justine Davis will be allowed to leave Cuba and is expected to arrive in Canada on Friday.Justine Davis. son...
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Driving in Cuba, again
Wikipedia So why, after writing here about visitors detained after traffic accidents, and being fully aware of our own government's advisory against driving in Cuba, would we rent a Kia Picanto from...
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Señor Ralph, your taxi is here
Nader/ U.S. Library of Congress Ralph Nader had already made auto safety his cause in 1959, but his visit to Cuba in April that year was prompted by Castro, not cars. He wanted to get a close look at...
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Once more 'round Habana
Owner Ociel, guide Kenya, and their 1956 Chevrolet 210 private taxi. Visitors keen to hit the road in Cuba but reluctant to rent a car have alternatives. There are buses and trains. You could join a...
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Another driver does time in Cuba
Ted Barnett: 'Don't rent a moped or a car.' Add Ted Barnett to what seems to be an ever-lengthening list of Canadians held in Cuba following traffic accidents in which people were killed or injured....
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Need a cab? Take your pick
Leading the taxi line at a resort hotel is a 1952 Chevrolet Styleline Deluxe sedan.In Matanzas, you can hail a motorcycle taxi.Bicycle taxi passengers have time to ponder Che's imageand José Martí's...
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More from the Cuban cab stand
This 1958 Chevrolet four-door in Varadero didn't start life as a convertible, but it is one now.Without trim, it's difficult to tell whether this 1954 Ford is a Mainline or the posher Customline.You...
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All hail the Tri-Fives
Two-tone 1955 Chevy is finished in white and a shade I'd call georgeous green. While just about any brand of American car from the 1950s can be found serving as a private taxi in Cuba, Chevrolet is...
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Your Cadillac has arrived – and so have you!
One-piece windshield was new to Cadillac in 1950s. Should you desire to tour Cuba in style and comfort – and, of course, you do -- you'd be hard-pressed to find a better conveyance than this 1950...
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The tale of the mystery muscle car
Window sticker identifies fat-tired two-door from the 1970s as a Chevrolet Camaro. Every car tells a story, and some of the richest stories, we know, are told in Cuba.Consider this green muscle car...
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Hola Harlistas
My best guess: 1941-46 Harley-Davidson flathead UL or police-military ULH. Dropped by a gathering of Cuba's famous Harlistas and took many – many! – photographs. Would you have expected anything...
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