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CARS
Cuba-U.S. relations

Cuba's treasure trove of 1950s U.S. cars

U.S. cars from the 1950s still flood Cuban streets. Cubans haven't been allowed to buy new cars since the 1959 revolution, and the 1962 U.S. embargo dried up repair parts, but mechanics have kept old models running.
U.S. cars from the 1950s still flood Cuban streets. Cubans haven't been allowed to buy new cars since the 1959 revolution, and the 1962 U.S. embargo dried up repair parts, but mechanics have kept old models running.
AFP/Getty Images
A well-preserved 1956  DeSoto in Havana, Cuba. Chrsyler exported models that wore a mix of names. This DeSoto is a Plymouth with a Dodge model name -- Diplomat.
A well-preserved 1956 DeSoto in Havana, Cuba. Chrsyler exported models that wore a mix of names. This DeSoto is a Plymouth with a Dodge model name -- Diplomat.
Ellen Creager, Gannett
A 1950s Buick being tended by a motorist  in Cuba, where shade-tree mechanics have improvised parts and repairs since 1959 to keep the U.S. vehicles running. They make up more than 10% of all vehicles in the country. As travel from the U.S. to Cuba becomes easier, remily members might be packign their luggage full of auto parts for eager relatives in Cuba.
A 1950s Buick being tended by a motorist in Cuba, where shade-tree mechanics have improvised parts and repairs since 1959 to keep the U.S. vehicles running. They make up more than 10% of all vehicles in the country. As travel from the U.S. to Cuba becomes easier, remily members might be packign their luggage full of auto parts for eager relatives in Cuba.
Jack Gruber, USA TODAY
In this Oct. 15, 2014 photo, tourists ride in a 1950s  American car on the Malecon in Havana, Cuba. Those lucky enough to have a pre-revolutionary car can earn money legally by ferrying tourists or Cbuan wedding parties.
In this Oct. 15, 2014 photo, tourists ride in a 1950s American car on the Malecon in Havana, Cuba. Those lucky enough to have a pre-revolutionary car can earn money legally by ferrying tourists or Cbuan wedding parties.
Franklin Reyes, AP
A well-kept 1956 Ford totes celebrants at a Cuban marriage in 2011.
A well-kept 1956 Ford totes celebrants at a Cuban marriage in 2011.
Javier Galeano, AP
In this Oct. 16, 2014 photo, men repair an aging American car in Havana, Cuba. The cars may gleam on the outside, but they're often battered, rolling monuments to ingenuity within. People fabricate parts in crude workshops. A new agreement freeing trade with Cuba could mean an influx of  much-needed repair parts.
In this Oct. 16, 2014 photo, men repair an aging American car in Havana, Cuba. The cars may gleam on the outside, but they're often battered, rolling monuments to ingenuity within. People fabricate parts in crude workshops. A new agreement freeing trade with Cuba could mean an influx of much-needed repair parts.
Franklin Reyes, AP
A vintage and much-repaired early 1950s Chevrolet in Havana.
A vintage and much-repaired early 1950s Chevrolet in Havana.
Jack Gruber, USA TODAY
An early 1950s Chevrolet on the street in old Havana.
An early 1950s Chevrolet on the street in old Havana.
Jack Gruber, USA TODAY
A vintage and much-repaired early 1950s Chevrolet in Havana.
A vintage and much-repaired early 1950s Chevrolet in Havana.
Jack Gruber, USA TODAY
A 1956 Chrysler product in Havana.
A 1956 Chrysler product in Havana.
Jack Gruber, USA TODAY
Taxis picking up tourists in Havana -- an early 1950s Chevrolet wagon followed by a mid-1950s Chrysler.
Taxis picking up tourists in Havana -- an early 1950s Chevrolet wagon followed by a mid-1950s Chrysler.
Jack Gruber, USA TODAY
A 1956 Ford and and early 1950s Oldsmobile on the street in Havana.
A 1956 Ford and and early 1950s Oldsmobile on the street in Havana.
Jack Gruber, USA TODAY
A post-WW II Ford on the street in old Havana.
A post-WW II Ford on the street in old Havana.
Jack Gruber, USA TODAY
A taxi driver works on his 1950s car in Havana.
A taxi driver works on his 1950s car in Havana.
Jack Gruber, USA TODAY
A mid-1950s Chrysler on the street in old Havana.
A mid-1950s Chrysler on the street in old Havana.
Jack Gruber, USA TODAY
A 1960 Chevrolet Impala  graces the streets of Cuba. Some 1960 models were available in 1959, so made it before the 1959 revolution and its ban on future private ownership of new cars.
A 1960 Chevrolet Impala graces the streets of Cuba. Some 1960 models were available in 1959, so made it before the 1959 revolution and its ban on future private ownership of new cars.
Ellen Creager, Gannett
An orange Ford Prefect  at Las Terrazas, Cuba. The Prefect was made by Ford in the UK, mostly in the 1940s
An orange Ford Prefect at Las Terrazas, Cuba. The Prefect was made by Ford in the UK, mostly in the 1940s
Ellen Creager, Gannett
An orange Ford Prefect  at Las Terrazas, Cuba. The Prefect was made by Ford in the UK, mostly in the 1940s.
An orange Ford Prefect at Las Terrazas, Cuba. The Prefect was made by Ford in the UK, mostly in the 1940s.
Ellen Creager, Gannett
Taxi driver and tour guide Eric Jose offers sightseeing trips through Havana in a 1955 Chevrolet Deluxe.
Taxi driver and tour guide Eric Jose offers sightseeing trips through Havana in a 1955 Chevrolet Deluxe.
Laura Bly, USA TODAY
Ibel Aguado and his 1955 Dodge in Pinar del Rio province, Cuba.
Ibel Aguado and his 1955 Dodge in Pinar del Rio province, Cuba.
Ellen Creager, Gannett
Interior of the 1956 DeSoto Diplomat.
Interior of the 1956 DeSoto Diplomat.
Ellen Creager, Gannett
An early 1950s Ford parked at the airport in Havana.
An early 1950s Ford parked at the airport in Havana.
Ellen Creager, Gannett
Tourists ride in an early 1950s Oldsmobile along Havana's Malecon.
Tourists ride in an early 1950s Oldsmobile along Havana's Malecon.
Javier Galeano, AP
Some old cars, such as this early 1950s Chevrolet, are owned by the government and parked around Havana to take tourists for rides.
Some old cars, such as this early 1950s Chevrolet, are owned by the government and parked around Havana to take tourists for rides.
Ellen Creager, Gannett
This purple 1952 Buick Special with a V8 still is used as a taxi in Havana.
This purple 1952 Buick Special with a V8 still is used as a taxi in Havana.
Ellen Creager, Gannett
A tourist poses for photos next to a restore 1957 Ford at the  9th Classic Car rally in Havana in August 2013.
A tourist poses for photos next to a restore 1957 Ford at the 9th Classic Car rally in Havana in August 2013.
Ramon Espinosa, AP
A restored 1956 Chevrolet Bel-Air at an exhibition of antique classic cars in Havana in October 2014.
A restored 1956 Chevrolet Bel-Air at an exhibition of antique classic cars in Havana in October 2014.
Franklin Reyes, AP
In this October 2014 photo, a man cleans his vintage American car before going to work in Havana.
In this October 2014 photo, a man cleans his vintage American car before going to work in Havana.
Franklin Reyes, AP
A 1957 Chevrolet pulls out of iconic Hotel Nacional in Havana, Cuba. Built in 1930, it became a training center for illiterate peasant women after the 1959 revolution but later was redone as a hotel to attract tourists and needed foreign currency.
A 1957 Chevrolet pulls out of iconic Hotel Nacional in Havana, Cuba. Built in 1930, it became a training center for illiterate peasant women after the 1959 revolution but later was redone as a hotel to attract tourists and needed foreign currency.
Franklin Reyes, AP
An early 1950s Chevy in front of El FLoridita -- the old Havana restaurant and bar famously frequented by Ernest Hemingway, as well as other foreign intellectuals including Ezra Pound, John Dos Passos and Graham Greene.
An early 1950s Chevy in front of El FLoridita -- the old Havana restaurant and bar famously frequented by Ernest Hemingway, as well as other foreign intellectuals including Ezra Pound, John Dos Passos and Graham Greene.
Jack Gruber, USA TODAY
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