Classic Cars

With U.S. imports cut off after the 1959 revolution, these vintage vehicles serve as a reminder of times gone by. This fleet of classic American cars from the 1950s assembles in downtown Havana ready for a drive. Photo: Mabo/iStock
Vintage Cars

Tourists sit in classic American cars on the Paseo del Prado. Many vintage American cars survived in Cuba and are now used as taxis and are a big tourist attraction. Photo: Tella/iStock
Vintage Car

Classic American automobiles are prized family possessions in Cuba, and are seldom offered for sale. There are an estimated 60,000 pre-1960s automobiles still driving island roadways. The cars are kept running by mechanics that lavish attention and ingenuity on aging machinery, and sometimes have to improvise or fabricate their own spare parts. Photo: Maria Pavlova/iStock
Vintage Car

A 1950 Packard sedan still sports the original swan hood ornament and intact body work. While a car like this would be a collector’s item in many countries, brought out only for shows and Sunday drives, in Cuba it is still considered a daily driver. Photo: Tim Lecomte/iStock
Classic Cars

The restored and brightly painted buildings overlooking Havana’s waterfront Malecon provide a fitting backdrop for a pair of 60-year-old automobiles. While some such vehicles are maintained as original, others sport a range of modifications that even includes re-powering to run on diesel fuels. Photo: iStock
Vintage Cars

The relaxation of laws regulating a private business in Cuba have allowed enterprising car owners to set up as private taxis licensed to carry foreigners. This trio of classics await passengers in front of Havana’s historic Capitol building, which was built to mirror the U.S. Capitol in Washington D.C. Photo: Anzeletti/iStock
Classic Car

A classic 1955 Chevrolet Bel Air seems right at home on the cobblestone streets of Trinidad. An original and well-preserved model such as this one could fetch upwards of $100,000 in the United States, prompting some car collectors to venture to Cuba in hopes of scoring a find. Photo: Marcel van den Bos/iStock

Cuba’s Classic Rides
Published on: 8/01/16 By Pierce Hoover

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