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If I had a Volga, I'd name it Olga
The Volga 24 was introduced in 1970 and became the 2410 in 1985. No. 4 on Ramon Rivera and Jay Ramey's list of10 cars to see in Cuba is the GAZ Volga 2410, a Russian-built sedan. What you see here is...
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The light burns brighter
Chevrolet row: A new proposal for an international tour. The renewal of U.S.-Cuba relations, however tentative, has been a tonic for Rick Shnitzler of TailLight Diplomacy. Shnitzler is a co-founder...
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The Gullwing's topless sister – and, perhaps, a Corvette clue
300SL Roadster is said to have been driven into the 1980s. In answer to the Internet's seemingly bottomless appetite for news of the Cuba Gullwing, Miguel Llorente of This European Life has posted...
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A higher calibre of motorbike
ZiD Voskhod was the 'luxury alternative' to the smaller Minsk M1A. Guns and motorcycles have similar requirements – spare design, quality materials, precise assembly – so it follows that the...
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Bright as an egg yolk
Volkswagen Karmann-Ghia: German engineering, Italian design, and on this Cuban example, a British-themed licence surround. IT TAKES courage – even in Cuba – to paint your ride chrome yellow. Few cars...
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The understated Lincoln Capri
This 1953 Lincoln Capri has lost the "Dagmar" bumper guards and quarter-panel protrusions that were among its few original adornments. All photos by visitcuba.com. Cadillacs outnumber Lincolns by a...
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This is not your father's MG
MG6 is hardly the first sedan to wear the famous MG emblem. IT COULD seem like sacrilege to affix the MG badge, the same octagon that has graced so many two-place, open sports cars, to a line of...
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This Kapitän is a survivor
HERE'S MORE proof that not every Cuban old-timer ticks along on some replacement Russian or Japanese diesel engine. A 1956 or '57 Opel Kapitän, this German sedan is propelled by the same...
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'Partner Tepee' is a dumb name for a car. Or a van
According to the Autocar review site, the Partner Tepee is 'Peugeot’s badge-engineered version of the equally convoluted sounding Citroën Berlingo Multispace.'
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Spotted! The elusive Chana 'Alfwin'
It took some time, but I finally came across this unique-to-Cuba, Chinese-made vehicle. Still looking for the Batista Corvette.
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Racing returns, a quarter mile at a time
A '32 or '33 Ford Altered Coupe makes a run during one of the rare state-approved race days. ORGANIZED DRAG racing still hadn't reached Cuba when Fidel Castro gave motorsports the black flag in the...
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Motorcycle racing on the Malecón
Sportbikes sweep through the course along the Havana waterfront. THE-STATE-APPROVED drag-racing events described here recently weren't the first time Cuba has broken its own ban on organized...
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Race day images
A FEW MORE of Tony Robertson's photos from the Havana motorcycle racing event described in the previous post.RUNNING LEAN: German-built MZ 125-cc carries not a gram of excess weight.TWO TO SIPHON:...
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Low-key in 1957, highly noticeable now
Oldsmobile called its four-door hardtop the Holiday Sedan. THE 1957 OLDSMOBILE was said to have restrained styling, at least in comparison to sister General Motors divisions Pontiac, Buick and...
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Waiting for nothing to happen
Goat stands guard at la Iglesia de San Juan Bautista e Inmaculada Concepción in Jaruco. CUBA SHOULD be humming. Tourism up 20 per cent; Havana hotels bursting. Air BnB representatives signing up...
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I rented a scooter. You should find a safer way to get around
The SYM Jet 4R from Taiwan's Sanyang Motor Co: Never judge a brand by a rental. IT WAS THE English scholar John Selden, who might have been a fine blogger had the Internet been around in the 17th...
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Governor de Soto, your taxi is here
Export-model DeSoto is based on a Plymouth – with an added bit of Dodge. HERNANDO DE SOTO was appointed governor of Cuba in 1538 but spent just 11 months on the island before leading his...
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DeSoto Diplomacy
Havana mystery-mobile – a Mercury, maybe? I was puzzled when I came across this chrome-toothed cruiser during one of my first trips to Cuba. The grille seemed vaguely Mercury, but the body lines, and...
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The rest of the Subie
The 1992-1998 Subaru Vivio remains popular in Cuba. THAT GIANT WING of a few posts back is bolted to a very small platform – a Subaru Vivio of the Japanese Kei microcar category. Subaru built the...
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