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YOU CAN’T BRING THEM HOME!
SO MANY CAR ENTHUSIASTS IN THE STATES CLAIM THAT AS SOON AS THE CUBAN/AMERICAN EMBARGO IS OVER, THEY’LL GO DOWN THERE AND BUY UP ALL THE OLD CARS. NOT LIKELY.
FIRST OF ALL, THESE CARS ARE VALUED BY CUBA AS TREASURES OF THE STATE, AND IT IS ILLEGAL AND VERY NEARLY IMPOSSIBLE TO SEND A CAR OUT OF THE COUNTRY EXCEPT IN THE MOST UNUSUAL CIRCUMSTANCES.
SECOND, YOU WOULDN’T REALLY WANT ONE. THE ROUGH CONDITION OF THESE CARS WOULD NOT MAKE THEM VERY DESIRABLE IN THE UNITED STATES, OR ANYWHERE ELSE. CARS IN MUCH BETTER CONDITION CAN BE PURCHASED HERE IN THE STATES, AND THE PURCHASER CAN BE MORE CONFIDENT THAT RUSSIAN PARTS WERE NOT PART OF THE PACKAGE. NOT SO IN CUBA, WHERE PARTS FROM ANY CAR, REGARDLESS OF VINTAGE OR ORIGIN, CAN BE USED IN THE REPAIR OF ANY OTHER CAR.
This Chevy Deluxe four-door is an example of one the better early 1950s cars on the island. lazyllama/Shutterstock
No, you can’t bring this Pontiac back to the States, but would you really want to? For every “pretty” car seen in Cuba, twenty more can be seen in this condition.
Besides condition, value comes into the equation. Go to Craigslist, eBay, or Hemmings Motor News and you’ll find cars in the United States in better condition for half the price the Cubans would be asking for their cars.
Finally, it is difficult to determine just who has legal claim to many of the cars. As in the case of the BMW 507 mentioned earlier (see here), courts may deem the car you squired out of Cuba stolen property and require you to forfeit your claim to it.
LEAVING ON A JET PLANE
The day we left Cuba, July 20, 2015, was the day the US embassy was reopened for the first time since 1961. As we drove our Geely rental car toward the airport, crowds were gathering and television cameras were in place for the big news conference that was scheduled to take place in just a couple hours.
Clearly, we were eyewitnesses to changes in the Cuban-American relationship. After fifty years of a US trade embargo, the walls were rapidly coming down.
Within the span of time that this manuscript was being written, the US embassy resumed operating with a full staff, travel restrictions were gradually eased, discussions were being held to begin cell phone and ATM services, and President Barack Obama made his historic visit to the country.
What does all this mean for car guys?
That potentially an exchange of parts and information can flow between the two countries without roadblocks. That perhaps cars will be sold between the two countries in both directions. And that citizens of both nations can participate in races, shows, and other automotive events without regard to borders.
We need some car-guy diplomacy between Cuba and the United States, just like it used to be.
“I can only hope that things will get better between our two countries,” said our friend Quico as we were leaving. It is a sentiment shared by enthusiasts on both sides of the border.
A car like this late-1940s Chevy sedan would have minimal investment value in the United States, but in Cuba, it is somebody’s pride and joy. It’s probably better just to leave it there.