Although Cuba’s antique cars (coches antiguos) are such a cliche, it’s difficult to resist photographing them. And the surprising thing when visiting Cuba is that they are not particularly rare….I’d guess about a quarter of all cars on the streets of Cuba are old American clunkers like these – although not all are as well preserved. (Probably another quarter is made up of Russian Ladas, Volgas, and Moskvichs, which are a lot less attractive…) In Havana and many other places, it is possible to hire a lovingly restored 1950s Buick or Chevrolet Impala for sightseeing or excursions. At $35/hour (in Havana), this is by no means cheap and means that the cars provide a major source of convertible currency income. Therefore, anyone hoping that – with all the political changes in Cuba – it might one day be possible to buy one of these oldtimers at a bargain price will be disappointed: even today, they already cost tens of thousands of dollars.
