Cubans still driving classic cars eye possibility of buying American imports
The retro rides are the result of the U.S. embargo imposed in 1962. Once in effect, American auto parts were nowhere to be found, meaning Cubans had to rely on ingenuity to fabricate replacements, or figure out fixes using parts culled from Japanese and Russian cars.
HAVANA — Cuba’s classic cars are the pride of the nation — and a huge pain in the neck for their owners.
Throughout Havana, gas-guzzling, steel “Yank tanks” from the 1950s and early 1960s still run — though many Cubans said Friday they wouldn’t complain if new American cars returned to the market after a 54-year hiatus.
Xiomara Valdez’s rickety red ride from 1960 sat on a jack near the center of Havana while a mechanic replaced the brakes. Yet again.
“I don’t like it because I always have to fix it!” said Valdez, 45. “The Studebaker is very, very bad ... It’s always a problem.”
Indeed, she said it’s been problem that’s been passed down in her family for more than five decades.
Nearby, Francisco Medina, 46, proudly declared that his 4-year-old son, Franki de Jesus, will one day inherit his blue 1952 Ford Sedan. The gift will unfortunately come with seemingly weekly repairs.
“It’s a lot of work to maintain a car like this. We have to repair everything,” he said.
http://www.nydailynews.com/news/politics/cubans-sdriving-classic-cars-eye-possibility-new-rides-article-1.2052331#
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