7
LEFTOVER CLASSICS
BEFORE THE “TRIUMPH OF THE REVOLUTION,” A TERM SOME LOYAL CUBANS PROUDLY REPEAT WHEN DISCUSSING FIDEL CASTRO’S RISE TO POWER, THERE WAS HUGE WEALTH ON THE ISLAND.
PRIOR TO CASTRO, CUBA’S LEADER WAS THE ONE-TIME CUBAN ARMY SERGEANT FULGENCIO BATISTA. IT WAS WELL KNOWN THAT HIS ADMINISTRATION WAS CORRUPT, WITH HIS CRONIES BECOMING VERY WEALTHY, WHILE MOST CUBANS LIVED IN SEVERE POVERTY. CUBA’S ECONOMY WAS BOOMING, BUT SO WERE GAMBLING, PROSTITUTION, AND OTHER ILLEGAL ACTIVITIES. MANY OF THOSE PROSPERING IN THE COUNTRY HAD TIES TO THE MAFIA THROUGH AMERICAN CASINO OWNER MEYER LANSKY.
A red 1953 Chevrolet Bel Air convertible sporting modern alloy wheels basks in the streetlights of Havana’s historic district.
The jesuit-educated former law student Fidel Castro led a revolution that ultimately overthrew the Batista regime. When Batista and his henchmen hopped on airplanes and flew off to South America and Florida, Castro found himself the leader of the island nation. Batista’s supporters left behind many assets, including real estate, businesses, and expensive automobiles.
Those automobiles have since become the subject of fact, speculation, and folklore. We were lucky enough to meet owners of some interesting cars, who were as passionate about their vintage automobiles as any American enthusiast.
Please Note: In describing these cars, we use the word “classic” rather loosely. The Classic Car Club of America defines a classic car as from an “exclusive list that includes only specific important marques built largely between 1925 and 1948.” Think Duesenberg, Bugatti, or Pierce-Arrow.
In this book, we use the word “classic” to describe the thousands of standard Fords and Chevys that are still running around the streets of Cuba. It’s a word of convenience, mostly to describe the romance of Cuba’s vintage cars.
WORLD’S LARGEST CADILLAC MARKET
In the 1950s, money was so plentiful on the island that more Cadillacs were sold per capita in Cuba than anyplace else on earth. And since many of Batista’s followers owned Caddys, some of the cars seen on the road today may have a direct lineage to the controversial leader’s regime.
For such a poor nation, it is amazing how many Cadillacs can be seen driving the roads of Cuba. It gives tourists an idea of just how much wealth there once was on the island.
This 1950 Caddy has certainly seen better days.
“WE ALL LIVE IN A FLAT-BLACK LIMOUSINE…”
One Cadillac that has not seen road miles recently, however, is the 1958 Cadillac submarine car created by renowned Cuban artist and sculptor Esterio Segura. Esterio lives in a sprawling suburban villa that was built in 1924. His flat-black Cadillac is on display in his front yard, surrounded by a wrought-iron fence.
He told us the car is mechanically all original except for a Russian carburetor. It started out as a limousine, but he fabricated the rear body with sheet metal over a tubular-shaped structure, complete with portholes and a propeller.
“My first submarine car was built out of a Nash Cross Country, “said Esterio, whose artwork—which often includes submarine and airplane themes—has been displayed at galleries around the world. “I was going to build a submarine car out of my 1957 Cadillac Fleetwood, but it was in such good condition that I decided to buy this 1958 instead, which had been sitting for thirty years. This one was not so nice.”
Esterio is not shy about converting large American vehicles into pieces of art.
“My second automotive sculpture was a 1954 Chrysler limousine, which I converted into an airplane,” he said. “While the car was being displayed at a gallery in Barcelona, it was damaged, so I had it shipped back to Cuba. I am rebuilding it now.”
He is currently building another version in his submarine series, this time out of a 1952 Cadillac limo.
“It is very long.”
One of Esterio Segura’s mediums for sculpture is automobiles. This 1958 Cadillac has been restyled as a submarine. He has constructed a number of submarine- and airplane-themed automotive sculptures.
1954 “STEEL” CORVETTE
Esterio is a car enthusiast, and he owns more cars than just the Cadillacs he turns into submarines and airplanes. His daily driver is a black 1954 Corvette. According to Corvette expert Noland Adams, it is thought that fewer than ten 1954 models were painted black, but this isn’t one of them. Remember, this is Cuba!
Segura’s Corvette’s interior is obviously modified, with non-original gauges and steering wheel, diamond-tufted console cover, and drag racing type shifter.
And the car appears to have an interesting history.
“This is supposedly the only 1954 Corvette in Cuba,” said Esterio, who speaks perfect English. “This car is said to have run in rallies in Italy when it was new. Supposedly it got crashed in one of those rallies, so it was brought back to Cuba. I heard about the car and had hoped to find it.”
Years ago, Esterio began asking questions about where a crashed Corvette might be hiding. However, while he was living in Spain for a period, a Swiss collector, who lives in Cuba, discovered and purchased the Corvette.
Internationally renowned artist and sculptor Segura is also a serious car enthusiast at heart. He has customized Cadillacs and Nashes into submarine and airplane sculptures, but this ’Vette will remain just the way it is.
Looking at it through squinted eyes, Esterio Segura’s 1954 Corvette could pass for original. But understand that the entire front end, including the hood, was fabricated in metal instead of fiberglass.
The engine in Segura’s ’Vette has the correct design, but is not original. He has the original engine in his garage, complete with triple side-draft carbs, which will be reinstalled.
This car is said to have competed in road rallies in Italy when new. After being wrecked during an event, it was shipped back to Cuba and stored for four decades.
“The car sat in a garage from 1954, when it was crashed, until my friend bought it in 2003,” he said. “My friend fixed it, but he is very tall, so he didn’t fit in it very well. The Corvette was built for a medium-size guy like me. So I traded him a piece of bronze sculpture for the car in 2010.”
It’s not clear when the Corvette was repaired, but the damage must have been severe, because all of the bodywork from the firewall forward is fabricated from steel! It goes to illustrate the ingenuity of the Cuban spirit; metal is more plentiful than fiberglass cloth and resin here, so even though steel is much more difficult to fabricate, it was simply the material they had in hand.
The steel hood appears to have been fabricated from that of a 1957 Ford or Mercury, hammered into a shape that, if you squint, appears to resemble an original Corvette hood and front fenders. The grille, bumpers, and trim were fabricated from scratch, probably from photographs of Corvettes. The windshield is from a later (1956–1962) Corvette.
As with many Cuban cars, if you stand back and look at Esterio’s Corvette from a distance, there is something just not quite correct about the car’s proportions. The grille, hood, fenders—all seem similar to a Corvette, just not on the money. Surely if it were parked next to an original ’54 Corvette, the differences would be substantial. But, thankfully for Esterio, this is the only known ’54 on the island.
Under the hood is a six-cylinder Chevy engine of a similar vintage, but with a single-barrel downdraft carburetor instead of the multi-carb, side-draft setup. Esterio gave us an update on the engine.
“I have a correct Blue Flame six-cylinder engine with three carburetors that is being rebuilt for installation,” he said. “Plus the instruments in my car are not original, so I have friends in the US, Miami and New Jersey, who are helping me locate the original pieces.”
The car is not Concours d’Elegance caliber, by any means, but it is presentable. And it is, without a doubt, the best 1954 Corvette in Cuba.
QUARTER-MILE CORVETTE
Professionally, René Perez Dominguez promotes concerts and owns a restaurant and a bar, but his passion is for vintage American cars. His favorite is the 1959 Corvette he stores in the small garage behind his beautiful waterfront apartment along the picturesque Malecón.
“I’m not completely sure how this Corvette came to Cuba,” said René. “But I bought it about thirteen years ago. I am told that there are four Corvettes in Cuba, and I believe this is the only 1959.” He said that he heard about a 1953 Corvette in Santiago, on the other end of the island.
In a country where most cars are powered by diesel tractor engines, René’s Corvette engine looks more like one that might frequent a drag strip in the States.
René Perez Dominguez shows off his 1959 Corvette. The car has been modified for drag racing, but he retains most of the original equipment.
René’s daily driver is this pink 1966 Mercury Comet convertible. He has no idea how the car was allowed to enter Cuba, having been built seven years after the revolution.
René also believes his car was once owned by an auto racing icon. “It is possible that Juan Manuel Fangio may have owned this car,” he said. “He imported five 1959 Corvettes into Cuba in 1958. It was the same year he was kidnapped before the start of the Cuban Grand Prix. I was told that some French people living in Cuba at that time bought their Corvettes from him.”
René’s car is not restored to its original condition, but instead has been “restomodded” for drag racing.
“This car is a performer,” he said. “It originally came with a 283-cubic-inch engine, and then had a 327 installed. Now it has been upgraded to a bored and stroked 350-cubic-inch Chevy. The transmission is a Turbo 400, and it has Positraction. It has a Dart intake manifold with a Holley 850 cfm double-pumper.”
René told us he had the racing engine built in the United States. (With the US embargo in place for more than fifty years, we wondered how that was possible, but René didn’t elaborate.) Clearly he has more disposable income than average Cubans, who struggle to keep their cars operating by using homemade and used parts.
The good news for a future owner is that René still has the original 283 engine, Powerglide transmission, and carburetor that came on the car when new, should someone ever decide to restore the Corvette.
“The engine is there on the stand, and the carb is on the shelf next to the original three-spoke steering wheel.”
René’s son likes to take the car to the races.
“It looks original, but we bolt on drag slicks once we get to the drag strip,” René said. “He races it once or twice a year.”
We were told that clandestine speed contests are occasionally held on public roads on the outskirts of Havana.
“On one occasion, I drag raced it, but it was too scary.”
René’s daily driver is a pink 1965 Mercury Comet convertible with a Russian motor, which he’s owned for three years. We asked how an American car built six years after the revolution was allowed to enter the country—he speculated that perhaps somebody in the shipping industry purchased the Comet.
“He probably bought it when his ship was docked in some country that traded with Cuba,” René said.
1957 AUSTIN-HEALEY
One of the nicest restored cars we saw on our entire trip was the 100-4 BN4 owned by Dr. Armando S. Miari de Casas, the president of the Club de Autos Deportivos de Cuba—the largest sports car club in the country. Armando is a mechanical engineer and university professor, so he took the restoration of his Healey to an academic level.
“I restored the car myself, working with a small team of enthusiasts,” he said. “I’ve owned it for about five years.”
Armando told us it was a complete car when he got it, but in very poor condition.
“I bought it from the old man who was the original owner,” he said. “He was a doctor and bought the car new in 1958. When it broke down in 1993, it sat in his garage until I bought it in 2010.”
Armando said the hardest part about restoring the car was welding patches on the bottom of the doors, which he did himself: “The old man installed [nonoriginal] backup lights, which I left on because they are part of the car’s history.”
The exhaust system was also a big fabrication challenge because of the car’s low ground clearance.
“Now it is the best Austin-Healey in Cuba,” he said proudly. “It is original down to the last screw. That is certainly a rarity in a country where cars are patched together with parts from other cars, and even household items, in order to keep them operating.
Engineer and educator Armando owns this Austin-Healey 100-4 BN4, one of the nicest restored cars we saw on our trip.
“I rebuilt the engine as well. In Cuba, if you want to restore a car, you must work with every original nut, bolt, and part, because there are no replacements.”
Armando’s job as a professor allows him some freedom to travel outside of the country, including visits to relatives in Austin, Texas, and Miami, Florida. So he has visited stores such as Home Depot, Harbor Freight, and Advance Auto. He knows exactly what he is missing.
Five years ago, Armando knew nothing about Austin-Healeys. “Now every mechanic in Cuba who is working on an Austin-Healey or an MG or a Triumph calls me with their problems,” he said. He mentioned that there are fourteen Austin-Healeys in Cuba including his, most of them Bugeye Sprites.
“And there is one Mini Cooper in Cuba,” he said.
Armando mentioned that his brother is restoring a Healey Silverstone, which is a rare car regardless of what country in which it resides. Unfortunately, we were not able to arrange a visit to that car during our stay.
Armando’s Healey is his first sports car. Before this car, he owned a 1952 Chevrolet that he inherited from his father. At one time he also owned a VW Beetle and a Harley-Davidson motorcycle.
Now that his Healey is restored and operating well, he has another project in line: he found and bought a second Austin-Healey that he would like to modify. Obviously he has a little hot-rodder in his blood.
“I would like to install a V-motor,” he said. “I don’t care if it’s a V-6 or a V-8.”
Armando entered his Healey in an annual sports-car road rally.
1958 PORSCHE 356 CARRERA
One of the most interesting car guys we met in Cuba was Ivan Celestrin, a lawyer and Cuba’s resident Porsche guru. Ivan was born in Cuba but was sent by his parents to live in Moscow when he was a little boy.
“I didn’t know a word of Russian when I moved there,” he said about attending school there as a child. “Now I’m fluent.”
He eventually moved back to Cuba and went to college, then law school, and became a lawyer.
“The first time I saw a Porsche 356 in my life was in the American movie Top Gun, with Tom Cruise,” said Ivan. “In the movie, Tom’s girlfriend, Kelly McGinnis, drove a Porsche Speedster.
“Then in another movie, 48 Hours, there was another 356.”
The hook was set, and it began a lifelong passion in Ivan for the brand from Stuttgart, Germany. As luck would have it, when Ivan was married, his new father-in-law owned two Porsches: a Speedster and a Super 90 coupe.
“The Porsche I own once sat in the showroom in Havana until after the revolution,” he said of his own car, a 1956 356 Carrera GS. “The Porsche sat for forty-five years and only had about twenty-five thousand to thirty thousand kilometers until I bought it. Under its first owner, the car raced along the Malecón as car number sixteen.”
Ivan Celestrin’s Porsche four-cam Carrera is being restored in this “shop.” What you can’t see is the stink of the pigpen to the left.
Porsche Carreras are very rare. The car was named to celebrate the brand’s victories in Mexico’s Carrera Panamericana road races in 1953 and 1954. As opposed to standard Porsche 356s with pushrod engines, the Carreras are powered by the same four-cam motor that had been developed for the 550 Spyder. Only 1,138 were built between 1955 and 1963.
Ivan and his wife actually owned two Carreras during their marriage, which would be an impressive collection if they lived in Beverly Hills, but much more so in Havana, Cuba. When he and his wife divorced, she got one of them. But Ivan got custody of their wonderful daughter, Cecelia, which to us seemed like a terrific trade.
Ivan offered to take us to see his car, which was undergoing restoration at a nearby shop. In the States, restoration shops are usually clean, well-organized buildings stocked with machinery and a staff of uniform-wearing professionals. In Cuba, they are quite different. Actually, calling them “shops” is really pushing it.
The open-air restoration facility handling Ivan’s rare Porsche was at the end of a very rocky road on the outskirts of Havana, where a top speed of 10 miles per hour was pushing it. We arrived at a house that, for Cuban standards, was very nice. We beeped the horn and someone came to open the gate; driving down the driveway, we saw several restoration projects that were parked and awaiting attention. At the front of the line was Ivan’s 356.
There was no “shop” to speak of—just a flat, corrugated roof over a concrete floor. Walls are not too important here because of the heat, but it was what was next to the driveway that didn’t fit: a pigpen.
Ivan’s car was obviously well maintained because the body and floors are in very good condition. Even though he has a four-cam Carrera engine, he will drive the car daily with a pushrod 356 engine.
No, really—a pigpen with all the stench that accompanies pigs when they are lying in the mud. This was ten feet from where Ivan’s valuable Porsche was being prepared for paint.
Anyway, the Porsche was a steely metallic blue when new, but Ivan was having it painted black.
It needed some rust repair in the battery area under the hood and a small area behind the seat, but otherwise the car was in sound condition.
We decided that we would love to see how this car comes out when it is painted black, because, as you probably know, black cars need perfect bodywork to look correct.
Ivan was rightfully proud of his car. He told us the price he was paying for bodywork and paint: CUC$500, or about US$500. That is the total cost for labor and materials! “I hope the bodywork and paint is finished in the next seven days,” Ivan said.
Next we followed him to an upholstery shop a few miles away.
The upholstery shop that was reupholstering Ivan’s Porsche interior is also stitching new hides for his 1947 Chevy convertible.
“I like to do the mechanical work,” said Ivan, “but I prefer specialists to handle each area.”
We arrived at the upholstery shop, which was owned by Ivan’s friend Cervando. Sitting in front of the shop was a bright green 1948 Chevy convertible that was receiving a full custom interior and a new convertible top—and, actually, the quality of the workmanship and materials was about as good as any hot-rod shop in the States could produce. The Chevy’s upholstery was being done in white vinyl with lime-green piping to match the car’s exterior. It had a standard six-cylinder engine under the hood, but it had been converted from a generator to an alternator, and a power brake booster had been added.
Cervando showed us Ivan’s completed Porsche seats, which looked very nice. They were done in a high-quality, dark brown vinyl in the original pattern. The black car with brown interior should look very handsome.
“There is a small group of Porsche owners in Cuba,” said Ivan. “Originally there were thirty-nine or forty Porsches in the country before the revolution, but there are only about eight or nine remaining.
“I know of another 356 in Cuba, a 1500 Super, and it has roller bearings, but it’s not a four-cam. Then there is another guy who has two 356s, and a Brazilian who has lived in Cuba for twenty years, who also has a 356.”
Ivan is satisfied with his Porsche, a car that is rare and desirable in any country. And even though the car may not be restored to Porsche Club of America standards, this one will certainly be the best Porsche Carrera in Cuba.
This is not Ivan’s car, but another Cuban Porsche 356 A, which is awaiting restoration.
1958 MERCEDES-BENZ 190SL
Ivan Celestrin’s daily driver is a spiffy silver ’58 Mercedes 190SL. It looks correct from the outside but has a two-liter engine with a two-barrel downdraft carburetor under the hood. The engine is not correct.
“On Monday I found an original 190 engine here in Cuba,” Ivan said. “It has the correct dual carburetors, so I’ll rebuild that and put it in my car. Anything is possible with engines here in Cuba.”
Ivan is a car guy’s car guy. Over the past few years, and during our most recent trip, he spent days introducing us to other car enthusiasts and shops that specialize in the care and restoration of old cars. He also invited us to his house to inspect his spare Porsche parts inventory and treated us to a wonderful dinner at an outdoor cafe along the Malecón.
He and his daughter, Cecelia, were perfect automotive diplomats for our threesome of old-car enthusiasts from the United States. We certainly hope to one day return the favor in our country, Ivan.
Ivan’s daily driver is this Mercedes-Benz 190 SL. The car is powered by a non-original Mercedes four-cylinder engine, but the day before we arrived, he found a correct 190 SL, complete with side-draft carbs.
300SLS, DOUBLE BUBBLES, AND OTHER RARITIES
Our contact Quico purchased a 300SL in 1962. He still owns it today!
“It belonged to a person who left the country after the Revolution,” he said. “It belonged to Batista’s minister of public works. The car was confiscated and the government sold it to me when I was a young man.
“My car was driven by Abelardo Carreras in one of the Grand Prix races. These days, our lives don’t allow us to be as close to the cars as we would like.”
Alongside the Gullwing were a 300SL Roadster in similar shape, a 1956 Ford Crown Victoria under restoration, a Fiat Abarth 750 “Double Bubble,” the remains of an American sprint car, a Healey Silverstone, and our personal favorite: a very rare Chrysler Ghia Special Coupe, one of twelve made in 1953.
Quico said that there are another 300SL coupe and another 300SL roadster still on the island. The second coupe is rumored to be owned by one of Castro’s right-hand men—unfortunately, he got on the wrong side of Fidel, which, apparently is not all that hard to do, and was put in jail for a number of years. Now in his eighties, he has lost his sight, and his daughter inherited the coupe and an Uhlenhaut sedan, which are both in hiding. We’ve seen these cars in photos, but not in person.
Once a gleaming, new sports car, this Gullwing was entered in one of the early Cuban Grands Prix.
Cleaned of the debris that had covered it for decades, this 300SL roadster appears to be in restorable condition, but in Cuba, access to rare bits and pieces, such as correct taillights, will be nearly impossible.
Quico, who is one of the most “wired” car guys in Cuba, also told us about several other cars that were once seen regularly.
“There were once three BMW 507s in Cuba,” he said. “One was white, one red, and one black. There is still one remaining. And there is an Aston Martin on the island. They installed a Russian Volga motor in it—to me, they destroyed it. The last time I saw it, it was in very poor condition.
“And I believe there is a Jaguar XKSS here, but I’m not sure where. Recently it was confirmed that a third XKSS was shipped to Cuba.”
Previously, only two XKSSs were believed to have been shipped to Cuba, and those two were exported by the British collector Colin Crabbe more than forty years ago. If a XKSS still exists on the island, that means three must have been originally imported. But Jaguar expert Terry Larson advises that all sixteen XKSSs are accounted for—though he does not discount any rumors, chances are there were only two in Cuba, and they are no longer there.
“There is also a Ferrari Testa Rossa ‘Red Head’ body without a chassis sitting in Havana,” said Quico. “And I’ve heard there is a Ferrari here with a Chevy engine in it.”
We also met a man named Jolvany, who said he had seen interesting cars hidden away.
“I have seen exclusive cars that are hiding,” he told us. “I have seen a never-touched 1959 Chrysler and also a 1959 Buick that was purchased new and never driven.”
Have you ever seen a sadder sight?
This Chrysler Ghia was built in 1953 and probably shipped to Cuba for one of the car shows that took place in the country in the 1950s.
CHRYSLER GHIA
Quico said that there are many stories that have circulated about this car.
“One story was that it was owned by the owner of the Lincoln-Mercury dealership in Havana,” he said. “A man named McNoul owns the car now.”
The Chrysler Special Ghia is as handsome as they get. Twelve were built and eleven are accounted for in the United States and Europe. In all probability, this is the “twelfth man” on the field.
(By the way, the Cubans now access the Internet and know the value of their cars. We were shown printouts of the sale of similar cars.)
When new, this Chrysler Ghia, with a Chrysler New Yorker chassis, was wrapped with an absolutely stunning body by Carrozzeria Ghia in Italy.
The Ghia’s once-supple leather-upholstered interior is now a storage shed for engine parts. Sad.
PORSCHE 550 SPYDER
As our plane approached the Havana airport on our first trip to Cuba in 2009, we noticed a “road course” off to the left side of the airplane. It appeared to be a small Sebring- or Lime Rock–type of racetrack, but then it flashed out of view as the plane turned for the landing.
We made it our mission to find out more about that racing circuit.
It turns out it was a go-kart track. We will discuss the track itself in more detail elsewhere in this book, but it was there that we met an interesting gentleman, Chris Baker—a Brit living in Cuba. Baker married a Cuban woman and decided to relocate from England’s frosty and wet weather to Cuba’s more temperate climate. He had a small trailer behind his Mercedes-Benz station wagon that he used to tow his racing kart to the track. Baker told us a fascinating story about spotting a rare Porsche in Havana traffic one day.
“I can tell you exactly,” he said. “It was very close to the Tropicana nightclub about seven or eight years ago [2000 or 2001]. I was stopped at a traffic light on a Saturday morning and turned my head and said, ‘Whoa.’ It was a Porsche 550 Spyder. I couldn’t, or wouldn’t, turn around—I don’t remember. There must have been a woman involved.
“Anyway, I remember the body was in raw aluminum. I never saw or heard of it again.”
Great story. We had hoped to learn more about the car during our 2015 trip and asked Quico, who is very connected in the racing world, to shed a little more light on the Spyder.
We never actually laid our eyes on these cars, but shot a photo of a photo of the two hidden cars—a rare Cisitalia (foreground) and a 1954 Buick Skylark. In 1954, Skylarks were only available as convertibles, so this is either a rare prototype or a “Cuban special.”
During our 2015 trip to Cuba, we met Mark Monson, a Canadian from Toronto who has lived in Havana for forty years. He owns this pretty MGA and just bought a 1956 Chevy.
“There is only one Spyder in Cuba, but possibly two engines,” he said. “The man does not want to sell it. He works around the world for the embassy and doesn’t want anyone to know what he has. In two years, he will retire and begin to enjoy the car. The same man also owns a Healey Silverstone [possibly the one in the shed alongside the Chrysler Special], which is missing the original engine.”
Quico told us the car was originally owned by the president of Shell Oil Company and that it was never raced.
There is something just so special about a vintage Jaguar Mark 9 sedan, with a partial Mercedes grill, that doubles as a taxi cab.
“A friend of the original owner wanted to race it, but the owner wouldn’t allow it. It is in very good condition and has the long headrest.”
Baker said that he had heard of an Italian guy living on the island who owned a Maserati. “I heard he died, but the car is supposedly still around. I have never seen it, though.”
He said he has also heard about other Ferraris and Maseratis but has never seen them either.
HISPANO-SUIZA
Little is known about a Hispano-Suiza that showed up in one of the British journals. When first reported, it was a body sitting in the middle of a sugar plantation. The next time we saw a photo of it, it was exposed in an X-ray of a shipping container showing the car complete with engine and chassis but in really poor shape. We were told the authorities seized the car, and where it is now is anybody’s guess.
CLASSICS FOR LADAS
“I have a pain in my heart about all the valuable cars that were taken out of Cuba,” said Quico. He was referring to a company called Coaches Classico. In 1980, the cash-strapped Cuban government partnered with the UK-based agency, which allowed Cuban citizens to trade their old, often impractical cars for brand new Russian Ladas.
The program came to an end when people started to complain that their cars were worth a lot more than the Ladas they were receiving in return. That’s when the cars became designated national treasures and were no longer permitted to leave the country.
It is estimated that hundreds of Cuba’s most valuable cars left the country during that period and now sit in the hands of wealthy collectors around the world.
Jon Arnold/Getty Images