Cuba has a not so well kept secret that harks back to the 50s, the city is awash with stylish cars from this period. Old school American car brands like Oldsmobile, Buick and Chrysler are well represented in the cars used daily by the Cuban population. Other nation’s classic cars are represented too, from Russian Volgas to old British Jaguars and MG’s decorate the countries streets and roads.
For a journey back in automotive history Cuba cannot be beaten. Cities like Havana are beautiful in their own right with colourful buildings and a softer approach to architecture that fits so well with the cars from the 1950s.
There are approximately 60,000 classic cars from America within Cuba. Estimates are that about half of these cars were imported in the 1950s, approximately 25% from the 1940s and the balance from earlier in the 1930s. The cars have passed from generation to generation, a tradition that continues to this day.
Even Harley Davidson motorbikes are to be seen weaving in and out of Cuban city streets, but why are they all there?
A Buoyant Economy
With cars from this era long since gone from other parts of the world, Cuba is unique in its retention of some of the world’s most flamboyant automotive designs. As the century turned the United States became Cuba’s largest source for its vehicles. By the 1920’s Cuba was the Latin world’s largest importer of American cars.
Cuba provided a backbone to American car exports at the time with all the major manufacturers enjoying buoyant trade with Cuba. By the mid-1950’s Havanah alone was home to over 90,000 American vehicles.
Political Change
In 1959 Cuba saw a political revolution and the import of American cars stopped abruptly. A very different culture sprang up to support the existing American cars on the country’s streets. Having mechanical skills to maintain and repair the vehicles became common and owners would fix and repair their own cars when they needed to. These cars proved tough and hardy, even without a source of spares for the vehicles they went on and on. Although car imports were still possible from Socialist countries, many people chose to keep the classic American cars going and used them for daily transport duties.
During the ’90s the old cars received revved interest driven by the economic crisis. The tourist trade’s love of the vehicles for their novelty and beauty kept them going through the decade and gave them a unique status within the country.
It is an incredible testament to the skills of Cuba that of the original 150,000 cars to be registered preceding 1956 that almost half of them are still travelling the countries roads today.
Preserving The Future
Cuba views these vehicles as a national asset and laws passed in 2010 prevent their export by foreigners. The cars themselves are also valued by Cubans, second hand, or 10th hand examples regularly change hands for between 3 and 10 times the price of a non-American vehicle within the country.
The Cubans that keep these cars going have a different idea of what recycling means than their European and American cousins. Food for thought.
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