FINAL THOUGHTS

Cuba observers are experiencing history in the making. During the spring of 2016, US Secretary of Transportation Anthony Foxx traveled to Havana and negotiated an agreement with the Cuban government for as many as one hundred commercial flights per day from the United States to Cuba, and President Obama became the first sitting US president to visit the island nation since Calvin Coolidge in 1928.

Policies are certainly changing quickly.

Bill and I traveled to Cuba on a cultural exchange visa, but like most enthusiasts, we were curious to see if cars could be purchased, then sold back in the States for profit. But as you read, 99.9 percent of the cars are not worth bringing back. Except for the odd Porsche Carrera or Mercedes 300SL, most of the cars we saw are not worthy of the 90-mile trip north.

But the great news is for Cuban motorists who have been bandaging these cars together with junk parts for more than half a century.

When relations resume between our two countries, Cubans will finally be able to obtain the parts and tools they need to correctly repair their cars for the first time since 1959. And they might even have the opportunity to buy newer cars with features that the rest of us take for granted, such as air conditioning.

When that wall comes down, maybe the big winners will be those millions of Cuban citizens who have suffered under a failed government for so many years.

That’s probably the best outcome of all.

—TOM COTTER

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People often ask me if Cuba will change or how will Cuba change. Will Cuba change? Absolutely! It has to, as Communism (or socialism… you choose) has devastated the country, and the rest of the world has left it behind in quality of life, education, productivity, and the freedom to be self-sufficient. What will drive the change? I feel the Internet will have as big an impact as anything. Cubans are intelligent and resourceful and, providing they embrace a form of capitalism, they will succeed. As we have mentioned elsewhere in this book, there is a pent-up desire to improve their lot. As for the pre-1960s cars, as soon as Cubans can earn more money than the stipend the government gives them, they will be buying newer, more modern cars. It could very well be that good used cars will be exported from the United States to address the needs of the Cuban people. If—and that is a big “if”—they can develop their oil resources, it could be a game changer. I’ve enjoyed my trips to Cuba as well as my relationships with the members of the car culture there. Things will change—the only question I ask myself is how long will it take and over what period of time ?

—BILL WARNER