The first thing many a tourist will notice on their maiden voyage to Cuba is those old classic American cars that still roam the streets. They’re everywhere. It’s like “stepping back in time,” they say. Although the old cars aren’t only American, (one can find old Ladas, Mercedes, BMWs, Fiats and others too, American cars still dominate the road scene. What is fascinating is that most of the cars are still running ‘just fine’ after more than 50 years. Thoughts of quality from yesteryear and the ingenuity of Cuban mechanics (probably the best in the world) drift through the mind.
The United States stopped exporting cars to Cuba right after the U.S. government placed an economic embargo against the Island. Fidel Castro responded to this with the still true and defiant, “We need tractors, not Cadillacs!” However, the skills of the Cuban mechanics have kept the old American classics running as if time stood still. Necessity breeds creativity.
Some of the classic American cars still rambling through the streets of Cuba come from the 1940s and 50’s era. Oldsmobiles, Buicks, Chevrolets, Studebakers, Ford Fairlanes, Cadillac Coupe Devilles, Chrysler’s old Plymouths, Pontiacs, and Dodges are there. Cars owners with families abroad receiving remittances have found a way to keep the cars chugging along, painted most often in bright colors such as baby blues, bright yellows and hot pinks. One of the most popular cars was and is, the Chevrolet Bel Air. It is not unusual today to find a 1950s Chevy running as “smooth as a dream” with a Toyota engine.
How much would a completely renovated 1950’s era car cost today? With a total refurbishing, interior, exterior including leather upholstery, and new air conditioning, a Chevy will cost about $45,000 U.S. But can foreign car collectors still hope to snatch up a classic car from Cuba? The answer is currently: No. The American 1950s’ classics are now a symbolic and fascinating icon of Cuba. Can you imagine Havana without these beautiful cars? Nope.
Do the Cubans love these old cars? The answer is yes and no. Yes, it’s transportation in a country where transportation is somewhat difficult and lacking. Many of the older cars are used as taxis by Cuban citizens. Named, “taxis viejos almendrones,” a ride in a almendrones will cost less than one CUC between various barrios of Havana. It’s a service provided especially for Cubans and adventurous tourists.
Yes, too, in answer to the question: Do the Cubans love these cars? Some Cubans are driving tourists around in the old cars, or carrying bridal couples or over-glamorous and made-up 15 year olds for the traditional quinceañera. The drivers are earning the big tourist bucks. From a personal observation, being a taxi driver is probably one of the most lucrative jobs in Cuba.
And, the “no” answer to the question posed… Humanity is condemned to always wanting something newer, bigger, better, faster.
Foreign vehicle imports from anywhere in the world are available for purchase in Cuba, but the prices are unbelievably out of reach, i.e., astronomical for the average person. To date, banks in Cuba are not offering car loans which would simplify the whole concept of car ownership for the people. And, as at the date of publication of this article, there are no ferraris in Cuba, just in case you’re curious.
Cuba currently imports cars from Russia, China, Japan and Korea, but the price to purchase is unbelievably astronomical. Import duties also fit this category. I’ve seen a few new American cars on the roads, but can only hazard a guess as to what the owners actually paid for them.
We recently drove across the Island and what was most remarkable was the number of old classic American cars we saw throughout the journey. This signifies that, at one time, there was a HUGE market for American cars. Today, it is estimated about 60,000 of the old classic cars are still driving on the streets and highways of Cuba.
Hopefully, the U.S. will one day again be able to export to, or manufacture cars in Cuba because the market is a natural one and so close to each others shores. Cubans need a cheaper car. What about environmentally friendly electric cars? It’s a market just screaming for attention. There was a market for American cars once, why not again?
Looking back at the history of the American car in Cuba, GM – General Motors, was the most popular automobile on the Caribbean Island. A representative from the GM Heritage Center told Cuba Business Report, “our records indicate that GM Overseas Operations (GMOO) ran a branch of its General Motors InterAmerica Corporation at Havana from 1944 to 1952. However, these records do not indicate which products were imported to Cuba for sale.”
But GM was exporting Cadillacs to the Island earlier than the 1940s. The Heritage Center representative also said, “The year 1944 was certainly not the beginning of GM cars in Cuba. A document titled Yearly Distribution by States, 1903-1917 which chronicles the distribution of Cadillacs during that period indicates that Cadillacs were exported to Cuba as early as 1905. However, similar reports are not existent for any of GM’s other brands.”
Eduardo Mesejo Maestre, curator of the Depósito del Automóvil, the country’s official antique car museum told the New York Times that during the 1940s and 50s, Fords and Oldsmobiles were assembled in Cuba, but that, “After the Revolution the car companies left, and Cuba, as an auto assembly country, was paralyzed.”
The Russians, Koreans, Japanese and Chinese have been importing cars to Cuba since the cessation of American imports. What’s the future of the American car in Cuba? Cuba was once a huge destination market for the Detroit automotive sector. Today, the U.S. auto industry is closely monitoring developments for new opportunities and markets on the Island. It all seems so close, but yet so far away.
From our staff writers and editors.
