It is not just a photo op. It's true.
All over Cuba are time-warped 1950s American cars. Many are repainted in colors that Detroit never dreamed of. These big old autos have clocked hundreds of thousands of miles. Drivers I spoke with don't know how many times the odometer dial has spun around. Four hundred thousand? Five hundred thousand? More?
Replacement parts have not been available for decades. There are mechanics who make parts that no longer exist. Some cars have given in to wear and tear and have replaced the guts with old Soviet Lada engines or with newer engines taken from Toyotas.
All over Cuba are time-warped 1950s American cars. Many are repainted in colors that Detroit never dreamed of. These big old autos have clocked hundreds of thousands of miles. Drivers I spoke with don't know how many times the odometer dial has spun around. Four hundred thousand? Five hundred thousand? More?
Replacement parts have not been available for decades. There are mechanics who make parts that no longer exist. Some cars have given in to wear and tear and have replaced the guts with old Soviet Lada engines or with newer engines taken from Toyotas.
Dreamy Colors
In front of the Hotel Nacional de Cuba
View from the backseat while riding in a taxi
Peering into a car parked on a Havana city street. Getting by.
Supposedly used by Fidel's first bodyguards
Rural Transport