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Cuba’s Classic Cars
I am a car freak at heart and I am so intrigued by Cuba’s classic cars. These colorful automobile historians have immortalized a time in history when the leader of Cuba, Fidel Castro, placed a ban on foreign vehicle imports due to his grudge against the United States, that lasted four decades. It’s funny how a negative can turn out to be a positive because it has created an island museum of classic cars.
It is definitely on my bucket list to visit Cuba to view through my own eyes the line up of old American automobiles, from Oldsmobile to Chevrolet, Buick to Ford and Chrysler’s old Plymouth brand just rolling down the streets of Havana like it’s just no big deal. Many car enthusiasts would pay hundreds of thousands of dollars on these cars because it is simply like getting in a time machine and waking up in yesteryear.
The colorful vintage cars go well with the textures and the colors of the islands architecture. I so want to skip down the streets of Havana and simply take it all in. I know I would be snapping shots of all the vintage scenery as I LOVE color! I remember recently visiting Barcelona and seeing all the old architecture and even the colorful graffiti art drew me in.
It is estimated that Cuba has approximately 60,000 vintage American cars. Along with Castro putting a ban on foreign imports he also banned the parts entering Cuba, making it very difficult to maintain them. The ingenuity required to keep these old cars running is amazing. Cuba’s classic cars are part of the national heritage or Patrimonio Nacional, and cannot leave the island which really puts a smile on my face knowing the charm of the island will remain intact!
The T-Girl
I told you I had a love for the vintage style which is why in 2003 I purchased the most beautiful car I had ever seen, my Thunderbird. I know she is not one of Cuba’s classic cars, but she is a retro design that I loved which included the two toned red and black leather interior with accents of stainless steel. I still own the T-Girl, which is what is on the license plate, and this picture was taken two weeks ago and she still looks brand new. My husband is all about selling her, but every time I think about it I get emotional. I bought her at a time when I no longer needed my Volvo wagon to drive the kids around. I think it represented me getting “ME” back. I could put the rag top down and listen to my Led Zeppelin music as loud as I wanted because it was just the T-Girl, the wind and me!
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About the Author: Patricia Davis Brown
